I’m a big fan of Dave Ramsey and give much of the credit for our financial turn-around to his Financial Peace University program. In fact, friends that we’ve referred to Dave Ramsey’s program have also reported that for the first time they’re on the same page as a couple concerning their finances. I must admit though that the book Financial Peace University wasn’t that great — rather the 3 month program was useful.

In addition to FPU, Dave Ramsey is mostly known for his daily (week day) radio show and his book “Total Money Makeover.” Over time I’ve come across a lot of information about Dave Ramsey both on his official websites (of which he has many) as well as in forums and blogs. As a benefit to GFD readers, I’ve consolidated the most prominant Dave Ramsey links and resources for easy reference. Some of the Dave Ramsey resources require a subscription (like his “My Total Money Makeover” online subscription) but there is a lot of good information available for free. If you’re new to Dave Ramsey, I would check out the summary on his “Baby Steps” in particular. It is one of the best, most focused approaches to financial goals I’ve come across.
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I’ve been quietly updating my list of RSS Shopping Websites and I thought this new site was worth mentioning specifically. Boddit.com aggregates results from many of the major “deals” sites (most of which are on my list). I’m into convenience and efficiency so boddit.com is right up my alley. As I played with it, I was very satisfied with the thoroughness of the results. Some aggregation sites tend to be buggy but I haven’t run into any problems yet. When I searched for 17″ LCD monitor I just bought (that’s right, I finally got one) it properly showed the great $99 Best Buy deal I took advantage of (there aren’t even any rebates).

Unfortunately you can’t subscribe to specific search terms. But there is a main RSS feed and you can search on the site for specific items. Check it out!

I’m a software junky and love to find out about useful applications that make everyday life easier or more efficient. Did you know there are piles of programs you can download for free? Many people have heard of open source software but don’t really know what it is or how it applies to them. The fact is, there are literally hundreds of FREE programs out there that can replace or supplement high-priced software.

The best source for free software is SourceForge.net. SourceForge is a repository of open source programs. They have everything from photo-editing software, to games, to word processors, to mind-mapping software. Whenever I need additional software I always start my search here. Sometimes you have to be a little patient and try several programs to find the one that fits best, but the process can be fun.

If SourceForge doesn’t produce adequate results, I will also check the social bookmarking site del.icio.us. It searches the online bookmarks of thousands of people. I find it more effective than Google or Yahoo! when looking for specific software tools. If one exists, someone has usually found it already and bookmarked it.

By finding free software to substitute for high-priced software, you may be able to save literally hundreds of dollars. I find I rarely need to buy software anymore. You can find very effective replacements for almost any major program. Some are even compatible with the paid equivalent. Here’s a list of examples:

• Microsoft Office Suite: Open Office Suite
• Microsoft Word: Open Office Writer
• Microsoft Excel: Open Office Calc
• Microsoft PowerPoint: Open Office Impress
• Microsoft Visio: Open Office Draw (also does image manipulation and creates flash files)
• Microsoft Access: Open Office Base
• Adobe Photoshop: Gimp
• Adobe Illustrator: Inkscape.org
• Adobe Acrobat: CutePDF
• Mind Mapper: Freemind
• HTML/Webpage Editor (e.g. Dreamweaver or MS FrontPage): Nvu