Paying the bills never seems to move the needle for one couple, no matter how carefully they budget.

Janet, from Boise, Idaho, called "The Ramsey Show," saying that despite trying to plan ahead, she and her husband feel trapped in a cycle where bills come due again almost immediately after they are paid.

"It seems like every single month we pay our bills three weeks after the due date, and then a week later they're due again," she told hosts Dave Ramsey and Ken Coleman.

The couple earns about $75,000 a year.

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Income Isn't The Issue

When asked for details, Janet said the couple carries about $39,000 in non-mortgage debt. That includes roughly $24,000 in student loans, $5,000 in credit card balances, and between $9,000 and $10,000 tied to an RV travel trailer. 

"You should have enough with the numbers you gave me," Ramsey said.

Janet agreed the figures work on paper but said the outcome has not changed, even though the couple is paid weekly and budgets by paycheck.

Writing A Budget Isn't Enough

Janet said she had followed Ramsey's "Baby Steps" plan to pay down debt for nearly a year. Her husband joined the process about two months ago.

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"If you wrote it down to have enough, then you did something other than what you wrote down," Ramsey said, stressing that both spouses must participate fully and assign every dollar before it arrives, with bills tied to specific weeks so spending decisions are already made.

Coleman said progress depends on consistent execution, not planning alone.

‘Go Eat Leftovers'

Ramsey said that getting ahead requires choosing control over comfort. Eating out, vacations, and lifestyle extras have to go — at least temporarily.

"I don't give a crap," Ramsey said after Janet mentioned being too tired to cook. "Go home and get some leftovers out of the refrigerator."

Ramsey said fatigue and convenience often come up in budgeting discussions, adding that the approach is to say no to what he called the "whiny self."

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Ramsey criticized the RV, calling it a distraction they can't afford. If he were in their shoes, he said, he'd sell the travel trailer, stop eating out entirely, skip vacations, and take extra work until the stress is gone.

"The rich tell their money what to do," he said.

Expert guidance can play a role when budgeting issues persist beyond monthly decisions.
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A tailored approach can help balance short-term pressures with longer-term goals, without requiring billionaire wealth or extreme cutbacks.

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