BusyBudgeter Budget Bootcamp Review

First, I am not affiliated with the BusyBudgeter.com 90 Day Budget Bootcamp program. The good news is it is free. The BusyBudgeter Budget Bootcamp review is related to courses, education and tools I have used to improve my relationship with money.

What some people do not know about me is my father died a few years ago. 

I still remember the day my father called me and told me about an episode where he could not take off his shirt because his shoulders locked up. 

Looking back now, all the signs were there and I missed every single one.  His health decline just began with rheumatoid arthritis.

My point is, I regret not having the financial freedom to move “home” and take care of my dad.

HOW I HEARD ABOUT THE BUSY BUDGETER BUDGET BOOTCAMP

This story is funny, really.

Fast forward a year after my father’s passing to a blogging conference in Portland, Oregon.  Rosemarie Groner of BusyBudgeter.com was sitting across from a chair I recently vacated during a bathroom break.

When I returned she was leading the group in an assignment. 

My blogging chair neighbor seemed to know her, so I asked who she was. 

“Rosemarie!”  She said with such conviction I felt guilty for not knowing. 

I seriously wanted to look behind me, like I could somehow capture what I missed. 

Come to find out Rosemarie another successful blogger who was now earning over a $100k a month. 

Yes, money alone can buy respect, but was the BusyBudgeter Budget Boot Camp all that?

ENROLLMENT

I signed up for the BusyBudgeter 90 Day Budget Boot Camp and it was free, as I said. So, what do you have to lose?

Of course, your commitment to your assignments help and there are a few, since the BusyBudgeter bootcamp is 90 days long.

BusyBudgeter Budget Bootcamp: THE BEGINNING

There is a lot a paper, so I suggest printing it out and putting it in a binder if you do not like disorder.

Day 1 (don’t worry, I’m not going to go into detail of everyday; I am going to hit the high points):  You’ll Never be the Same Again. 

Well, that’s what she promised.  I vividly remember her writing: “this is the first day of the rest of your life.  Look around.”

I still remember where I was sitting, taking a deep breathe and looking around.

“Shit,” I thought to myself, “you don’t have it that bad.”

You see, we live in a beautiful home, and neighborhood for that matter, and we both drive nice vehicles.  But the nagging questions always remains.

Was this *$#! debt ever going to end?

At some point, I always thought I was going to make it big (or die some ironic ending).

NET WORTH

Yeah, I may have a positive Net Worth; the debt was looming over me. 

I was 45 years old and in way over my head debt.  And I thought I had problems in college when I graduated with $2k in credit card debt. 

I do remember how good it felt to pay that off. I think it’s all that gets me through some days.

I want an end, especially with three of my four children entering college within a year of each other in my near future.

What about the second challenge?

MONEY ORGANIZATION

Of course, that’s not the actual challenge name; you get it.

Naturally, we were spending more than we were bringing in.

We were the “typical” American family living outside of our means and I hated myself for it.

My homework was done and went back to the BusyBudgeter.com 90 Day Budget Boot Camp Review. 

And I needed all of the seven days allowed for the challenge.

Easy calculation spreadsheet of all of our bills, check.

Summing up the totals column made me want throw up at first.

In the end, seeing my reality on the screen was a relief.

Then the cuts began. 

HOME ORGANIZATION

One suggestion Rosemarie had was a Home Stockroom.  Although I live in a fairly spacious home, storage is less than desirable. 

So in the spirit of being a good student that meant tackling my bedroom closet for additional storage. 

This challenge was the push I needed. 

You can see the results here and how I learned to organize any space even if I took breaks. 

Another big accomplishment from the first two weeks was organizing my shopping online. 

On average I spend over $75 more when I shop in person at the grocery store. 

CHALLENGES

Yeah, by challenge seven I was burnt out and it was one I hated….meal planning. 

Challenge eight had us initially arguing, but we are combing forces more than in the past. 

Money is a tough subject and I do not like arguing, so it was a long week.

Challenge nine was somewhat easier than I thought. BusyBudgeter has numerous ways to make substitutions that anyone could benefit from.

We were in the “messy middle” just like she said and Challenge 10 didn’t care.

As I talked about before, where money is concerned, I have always struggled to keep my head above water.

So when I heard Dave Ramsey’s course on Financial Freedom I could related. He was crying in the shower of a multi-million dollar house going bankrupt. Then everything worked out.

Now, I’m reading in Challenge 10, hearing “just hang on” when all I wanted to do was drop out!

So, do what she says, “Build Your Dreams”. 

We weren’t the Jones’s, but we were sure trying to keep up with them. My dream was to put that to an end.

Working on a budget to meet our goals is refreshing.  We all agreed to sacrifice for the common goal (and keep each other in check).

And so the challenges went all the way through 13.

FINSIH LINE

Challenge 13 was the biggest take away from the BusyBudgeter.com 90 Day Budget Boot Camp Review.

If you accept the challenges you will have future conversations with your husband and children (and friends) that you will find rewarding.

So, my dad, and the dream, what do they have to do with any of this?  I just wanted to take care of my dad when he got sick.  We were states away and locked into debt that limited our ability to move.

Regret is a powerful tool, because we can all use it.

Take the BusyBudgeter.com 90 Day Budget Boot Camp, it’s free!

Someone once said, “what you conceal you don’t deal with.” 

As I brought all these challenges to a close there was a common thread: we all began to consciously work toward improving our financial outlook. 

I concealed our debt instead of facing it. 

This is one of the biggest happy demerits I feel.  Now, I give myself a gold star for actively working to clear my financial clutter. 

The BusyBudgeter Budget Bootcamp is one more tool that has brought me closer to working through my own money blocks. 

BusyBudgeters Facebook page is a great resource too!

As always, don’t be shy… I’d love to hear your thoughts on this or if you tried it out.  Please comment below!