Part 2: Connecting the Dots

(to read Part 1, click here.)
As I was reading “It’s All Too Much” by Peter Walsh, I was amazed at the correlations between his vision, suggestions and “program” and that of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University (FPU.) As part of my personal Start Again in 2010 kick, I wanted to get down these correlations - mainly for my own mental clarity! :) (You can read Part 1 here to get an idea of where some of this is coming from.)

FPU: our income is finite - big or small, it is what it is. It's up to you to decide how to use that income to best care for and provide for your family
Peter: our space in our homes - big or small, it is what it is. It's up to you to decide how to use that space to the best benefit for your family.

FPU: tell your money where to go before it tells you where to go.
Peter: do you own your stuff or does your stuff own you? You own your space, YOU have to be the one to say how it will or won't be used - not your stuff.

FPU: if I look at your calendar & checkbook I can tell you what you value by the time and money that you spend on it.
Peter: if I look at your home I can tell you what you value by the space you give it. Is it people or stuff?

FPU: first things first: income is for housing, food, clothing and transportation (assuming tithe is taken off the top). Everything else is secondary. If your income covers those things, then you have some extra to put somewhere else, if it doesn't cover those, you've got work to do! Put your most important expenses at the top of the list and work down. Is dining out really more important than getting an oil change?
Peter: first things first: your home is for your family, sleeping, eating, recreation; everyone deserves to enjoy the home. He does go into detail on each room, but the idea is the same. What is more important: taking up room storing all your kids "stuff" (memories of the past for some uncertain point in the future) or having room for them to play now and enjoy their childhood in the present?

FPU: live below your means. Just because you have some extra money doesn't mean you have to spend it! Save it for something fun and pay cash - invest it - pay off debt.
Peter: live within your space. Just because you have extra space doesn't mean you have to fill it! Leave room in your closet, on the bookshelf, in the drawer or in the pantry for some air. That open space will not only look good, but it will feel good too!

FPU: it's not easy to change financial habits, especially if you're not in a healthy place to begin with. But the rewards FAR outweigh the cost and effort to get there. Live like no one else NOW so later you CAN live like no one else. I'd much rather "retire" comfortably, having taught my children sound financial habits along the way, than to be hoping social security will be enough to cover my bus pass to the food bank while I think of all the coffees and fancy dinners we had that we put on our credit cards. I'll eat fancy dinners and drink all the coffee I want when I can afford it! :) (personal choice, not passing judgment!)
Peter: it's not easy to get rid of the stuff, especially if you're not in a healthy place to begin with. But the rewards FAR outweigh the cost and effort to get there. The emotional stress that STUFF places on the people around it is incredible. (Studies are linking homes with overwhelming clutter and too much stuff with their inhabitants having higher rates of depression and anxiety.) The financial cost of STUFF (purchasing, storing, etc) is ridiculous! The clarity of mind and soul that you get from a cleaned out space is priceless. Why not LIVE in the now, not the past or the future.

FPU/Peter: What do you want out of your life? What are you goals for your home/family/marriage? Is how you're living now (how you're spending money/space) helping you achieve those goals? If not, why not change them? Yeah, it will be hard but why are you doing something that is going against what you want in life?

I was able to answer the questions in regards to money (well, we both did). Now I have to answer them regarding how I live and what I will allow to accumulate in my house. (both of us need to, but the majority of the stuff is mine) Easier said than done!