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Dave Ramsey Tells Struggling Newlyweds Buried in $45K Debt: Stop the Mental Gymnastics and Go Make Money

MarketDash Editorial Team
11 hours ago
A Wisconsin couple saw their income drop from $100,000 to $36,000 after job loss and license suspension. Dave Ramsey says their real problem isn't budgeting—it's that they're not making enough money to dig out from mounting debt and home repairs.

Sometimes financial problems are complicated. And sometimes they're just about not having enough money coming in the door. Dave Ramsey thinks this is one of those times.

Kristin, calling into "The Ramsey Show" from Madison, Wisconsin, laid out a situation that sounds exhausting: she and her husband are carrying about $45,000 in consumer debt, their car is broken, their bathroom doesn't work, and she recently lost her job. Oh, and her husband's driver's license is suspended, which costs $800 to fix and has turned her into a full-time chauffeur.

Ramsey's diagnosis was direct. "The fact you guys don't make any money is your problem," he told her, cutting through the budget details to focus on earnings.

When Everything Breaks at Once

Kristin explained she'd been earning about $60,000 a year managing a restaurant, regularly putting in 60 to 70-hour weeks. She switched to another management role with better hours, but got laid off within weeks. That income vanished right when everything else started falling apart.

Two weeks after closing on their house, a pipe burst. Insurance didn't cover it. Now, months later, they still don't have a working bathroom. "We don't have a shower or a sink. That's the only bathroom we have in our house," Kristin said. The car situation isn't much better—one vehicle needs about $2,000 in repairs and isn't drivable. Her husband makes about $18 an hour as a machine operator, which leaves them running on a single modest income while the bills pile up.

The License Problem and the Transportation Trap

Here's where things get tricky. Kristin's husband had his driver's license suspended following a DUI-related issue. Getting it back costs about $800 in reinstatement fees, and once it's restored, insurance costs will jump. In the meantime, Kristin has been driving him to and from work, which she says has prevented her from getting back to her own job.

Ramsey wasn't buying it. "Your excuse is you're a full-time driver for an $18-an-hour guy," he said. Co-host George Kamel suggested a simpler solution: "Couldn't you drop him off and then go work and pick him up?"

The point was clear—there are logistics to figure out, sure, but the couple seemed stuck in problem mode rather than solution mode.

From $100K to $36K

Ramsey pointed out that the couple's household income had crashed from roughly $100,000 a year down to about $36,000, while their debt and repair costs stayed put. His advice was straightforward: both of them need to work more, and they need to do it now. Restaurant management, waiting tables, overtime shifts, whatever brings in cash.

Kristin mentioned she could reinstate her nursing assistant license and earn $20 to $25 an hour. Ramsey told her to aim higher. He said the couple was getting tangled up in obstacles instead of just going out and earning. "There's a lot of mental gymnastics" around why they couldn't increase their income, he said.

His assessment boiled down to this: the bathroom, the debt, the car, the license fees—all of it gets easier with more money. "50 grand solves your whole life," Ramsey told her, framing the entire situation as an income problem that higher earnings would fix.

It's a blunt take, but not necessarily wrong. When you're underwater financially, sometimes the answer isn't tighter budgeting or smarter spreadsheets. Sometimes you just need to go make more money.

Back to Stock Market News

Dave Ramsey Tells Struggling Newlyweds Buried in $45K Debt: Stop the Mental Gymnastics and Go Make Money

MarketDash Editorial Team
11 hours ago
A Wisconsin couple saw their income drop from $100,000 to $36,000 after job loss and license suspension. Dave Ramsey says their real problem isn't budgeting—it's that they're not making enough money to dig out from mounting debt and home repairs.

Sometimes financial problems are complicated. And sometimes they're just about not having enough money coming in the door. Dave Ramsey thinks this is one of those times.

Kristin, calling into "The Ramsey Show" from Madison, Wisconsin, laid out a situation that sounds exhausting: she and her husband are carrying about $45,000 in consumer debt, their car is broken, their bathroom doesn't work, and she recently lost her job. Oh, and her husband's driver's license is suspended, which costs $800 to fix and has turned her into a full-time chauffeur.

Ramsey's diagnosis was direct. "The fact you guys don't make any money is your problem," he told her, cutting through the budget details to focus on earnings.

When Everything Breaks at Once

Kristin explained she'd been earning about $60,000 a year managing a restaurant, regularly putting in 60 to 70-hour weeks. She switched to another management role with better hours, but got laid off within weeks. That income vanished right when everything else started falling apart.

Two weeks after closing on their house, a pipe burst. Insurance didn't cover it. Now, months later, they still don't have a working bathroom. "We don't have a shower or a sink. That's the only bathroom we have in our house," Kristin said. The car situation isn't much better—one vehicle needs about $2,000 in repairs and isn't drivable. Her husband makes about $18 an hour as a machine operator, which leaves them running on a single modest income while the bills pile up.

The License Problem and the Transportation Trap

Here's where things get tricky. Kristin's husband had his driver's license suspended following a DUI-related issue. Getting it back costs about $800 in reinstatement fees, and once it's restored, insurance costs will jump. In the meantime, Kristin has been driving him to and from work, which she says has prevented her from getting back to her own job.

Ramsey wasn't buying it. "Your excuse is you're a full-time driver for an $18-an-hour guy," he said. Co-host George Kamel suggested a simpler solution: "Couldn't you drop him off and then go work and pick him up?"

The point was clear—there are logistics to figure out, sure, but the couple seemed stuck in problem mode rather than solution mode.

From $100K to $36K

Ramsey pointed out that the couple's household income had crashed from roughly $100,000 a year down to about $36,000, while their debt and repair costs stayed put. His advice was straightforward: both of them need to work more, and they need to do it now. Restaurant management, waiting tables, overtime shifts, whatever brings in cash.

Kristin mentioned she could reinstate her nursing assistant license and earn $20 to $25 an hour. Ramsey told her to aim higher. He said the couple was getting tangled up in obstacles instead of just going out and earning. "There's a lot of mental gymnastics" around why they couldn't increase their income, he said.

His assessment boiled down to this: the bathroom, the debt, the car, the license fees—all of it gets easier with more money. "50 grand solves your whole life," Ramsey told her, framing the entire situation as an income problem that higher earnings would fix.

It's a blunt take, but not necessarily wrong. When you're underwater financially, sometimes the answer isn't tighter budgeting or smarter spreadsheets. Sometimes you just need to go make more money.