A Texas couple called into “The Ramsey Show” to get help with their finances. They make a good living, but they admitted to racking up more than $85,000 in consumer debt.
When they asked Dave Ramsey about upgrading to a bigger house, he gave a no‑nonsense answer.
“You guys just buy everything, don’t you?” Ramsey said. “You financed your mattress and the thing you hang your clothes on, the Peloton.”
He wasn’t joking. The couple revealed that they not only had credit card balances and car payments but also financed several lifestyle items, including a Peloton bike and furniture.
They also had a $47,000 home equity line of credit, or HELOC, on their current house.
Ramsey advised them to pay off all their debts before making any big housing decisions.
“Don’t kick the can down the road and act like everything’s fine. Just get rid of the stinking debt,” he said.
He explained that paying off the HELOC now would increase their equity, which would later show up as a larger check when they sold the house.
“It’s the exact same $40,000. It still works that way both ways.”
The exchange sparked laughter in the studio, but the underlying message was serious: Buying everything with debt, even high income, won’t build wealth. It just creates stress.
Working Hard But Spending Carelessly
The couple didn’t have an income problem. They said they earned around $15,000 a month, but were still sitting on consumer debt, a truck loan, and a $47,000 HELOC.
Ramsey pushed back when they tried to justify the debts by pointing out their low interest rates.
“Please don’t justify staying in debt by having low interest rates,” he said. “You’ve been giving me your interest rates as you went along like they were some kind of bragging rights on a Peloton.”
A Broader Theme Across the Episode
This wasn’t the only debt-heavy situation Ramsey addressed that day. The episode featured several callers dealing with massive financial burdens, including a woman with $628,000 in total debt, much of it student loans, and a retiree who owed $41,000 on credit cards.
Each time, Ramsey circled back to the same principles: live on less than you make, pay off debt quickly, and stop using credit as a solution to emotional or lifestyle problems.
One particularly memorable moment came from a caller who co-signed her daughter’s car loan.
Ramsey was direct. “Biblically stupid,” he said, quoting Proverbs 17:18.
“One lacking in sense cosigns for another.”
He then walked her through how to back out of the situation and make smarter decisions moving forward.
Ramsey’s Core Message
The episode’s message was simple: Making good money doesn’t help if you keep spending with debt.
Ramsey didn’t sugarcoat anything with the Texas couple, but his point was clear: real change starts with being honest about your habits.
You can still turn your finances around, but not if you’re still making payments on a mattress.
IMAGE CREDIT: ”Dave Ramsey” by Gage Skidmore, via Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Image adjusted for layout.