I Was Evicted And Now Owe My Apartment $12,000

Summary

The Ramsey Show Highlights

Episode Title: I Was Evicted And Now Owe My Apartment $12,000
Date: September 19, 2025
Host: Dave Ramsey (with Financial Coach)
Caller: Anonymous (Dog Groomer, single mom)
Duration: ~7 minutes (excluding ads and promos)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Dave Ramsey and a Ramsey Network Financial Coach advise a caller overwhelmed by debt, including $12,000 owed to an apartment after eviction, a total debt load over $53,000, and recent life crises. The hosts offer tough love and practical steps, focusing on the debt snowball method, accountability, and increasing work hustle.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Caller’s Situation:

• The caller was recently evicted and now owes $14,000 to her former apartment (later clarified as ~$12,000).

• Total debt is about $53,000, including:

  • Credit card debt ($16,000)
  • Car loan on a wrecked, uninsured vehicle ($14,000)
  • Apartment balance ($12,000)
  • Other small debts

• Reason for debt accumulation: Lost job due to a medical complication, which triggered a downward financial spiral.

• The ex-boyfriend, a co-signer on the apartment, may be affected by the apartment debt’s credit impact.

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2. Debt Repayment Strategy

• Should she prioritize the apartment debt because of the co-signer?

  • Dave Ramsey ([01:10]): "He's already screwed because he's got a judgment against him."
    • The impact to the co-signer's credit is done; repayment won't erase the judgment but will show eventual payoff.
    • Recommendation: Stick to the debt snowball—attack smallest debts first, regardless of the apartment's impact on the co-signer.

• Debt breakdown confirmation:

  • Credit cards ($16,000)
  • Car loan ($14,000)
  • Apartment debt ($12,000)
  • Other miscellaneous past due bills

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3. Causation and Accountability

• Poor decisions pointed out:

  • Lack of car insurance led to outstanding car loan on a now-wrecked vehicle.
  • Other debts arose from "not taking care of business."
  • Some debts labeled as pure irresponsibility by the caller herself.

• Dave Ramsey ([03:06]):
  “You are paying double and triple for a lot of things because you’re paying it poorly. There's a lot of things on this list...out of control things.”

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4. Current Income & Work Situation

• She now makes roughly $800 a week as a mobile dog groomer (about $42,000/year, depending on tips).

• Only works three days a week; picked up a third day at a new branch.

• Side hustles with Doordash, and cares for her 3-year-old at home.

• Dave’s tough love on work ethic:
  Dave Ramsey ([05:28]): "Didn't sound like it to me. It sound like you're doing nothing?"
  Caller: "Pretty much, yeah."
  Dave Ramsey ([05:35]): "Listen, you're broke. You gotta be working, girl. All the time."

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5. Family & Support System

• Fiancé takes care of the child but is currently not working due to a motorcycle accident.

• No current marriage date set; finances cited as the reason.

• Dave Ramsey’s advice on marriage:
  Dave Ramsey ([06:01]): “That’s how fiancé works. We have a date. Otherwise, we...have a promise that has not got a date.”

• Financial Coach ([06:44]): Jokingly points out, “He can walk, I think he can work. I think you both need to work more.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the co-signer situation:
  Dave Ramsey ([01:10]): “He’s already screwed because he’s got a judgment against him...most of the damage has already been done is my point.”

• On personal responsibility:
  Dave Ramsey ([03:06]): “There’s a lot of different crisises represented in those things that you created by not taking care of business.”

• On work ethic:
  Dave Ramsey ([05:35]): “Listen, you’re broke. You gotta be working, girl. All the time.”

• On waiting to get married until debt-free:
  Dave Ramsey ([06:18]): “Being debt free is not required to get married in the state of Colorado.”

• On the need for hustle:
  Dave Ramsey ([06:55]): “Less partying, more working. Lots more working. Money comes from work. You need money.”

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Important Timestamps

• 00:20: Caller describes eviction and job loss due to medical issue.
• 01:10: Dave explains why the co-signer’s credit is already damaged.
• 03:06: Dave’s critique on life choices, personal responsibility for debt.
• 05:00: Reveals she only works three days a week; Dave presses her to work more.
• 05:35: Dave’s direct call for working harder (“You gotta be working, girl. All the time.”)
• 06:18: Discussion about fiancé, marriage timing, and employment status.

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Tone & Style

The episode is characterized by blunt honesty, practical financial advice, and a touch of tough love—typical of Dave Ramsey’s direct style. There is a mix of empathy for the medical crisis and frustration with repeated financial missteps. The conversation is energizing and motivational, underlining personal accountability and the need for relentless work to overcome debt.

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Summary Takeaway:
Stick to the basics: follow the debt snowball, don’t try to protect co-signers after the fact, take responsibility for past mistakes, maximize income opportunities, and don’t delay major life decisions unnecessarily due to debt. “Less partying, more working.”

Transcript

[Dave Ramsey]

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[Caller]

Hey, so I've got a debt snowball question. So getting ready to start baby step two. And I've got all my debts listed out, smallest to largest. But I was evicted in January and I still owe that apartment complex about $14,000.

[Dave Ramsey]

Why were you evicted?

[Caller]

Six on my list. I lost my job due to a medical complication. I'm re employed now and was able to get another rental place with a larger deposit.

[Dave Ramsey]

Great. What do you make?

[Caller]

Yeah, I make about 42,000 a year.

[Dave Ramsey]

All right, good. All right. So you got a huge debt there, huh?

[Caller]

Oh, that's just a portion of it. I'm about 53 in total. But my question is my ex boyfriend, my boyfriend at the time was a co applicant on that apartment with me. He lives in another state. He never lived in that apartment. He was just helping me out because my credit is so bad. I'm wondering if I should get that one paid off first so that he's not screwed when his lease is over or if I should still just follow the snowball and go smallest to largest.

[Dave Ramsey]

Well, he's already screwed because he's got a judgment against him.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay, so I mean, when his lease is over, that's going to show up on his credit bureau.

[Caller]

Right.

[Dave Ramsey]

So I mean the show, he's got a judgment, had a judgment against him that's been paid off or he's just got a judgment because the lease he signed got evicted. So that's going to. Yeah, he's got a pretty heavy damage to him already. Most of the damage has already been done is my point.

[Caller]

Right.

[Dave Ramsey]

So whether it's paid off or not is not. Is not really going to keep him from getting something over in another city. So you got 50, 54,000, you said. What's the other debts?

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[Dave Ramsey]

What's the other debts?

[Caller]

53. Let's see. Let me pull up my notes real quick. I've Got some credit card debt.

[Dave Ramsey]

How much?

[Caller]

Small personal loans.

[Dave Ramsey]

How much credit card?

[Caller]

About 16,000.

[Dave Ramsey]

All right, that's 30 of the 53. What's the rest of it?

[Financial Coach]

Personal loans?

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Financial Coach]

How much is that?

[Caller]

I've got about 14,000 on a car that was wrecked that I didn't have insurance on. And then a little over 12,000 to the apartment complex. And then just some other small things like old wife fighters that I haven't paid.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay.

[Caller]

Insurance. I've been dead on stuff like that.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. You are paying double and triple for a lot of things because you're paying it poorly. There's a lot of things on this list that. That are out of control things. A car that I wrecked I didn't have insurance on. Other stuff I haven't gotten around to, and it's piled up back there. So there's a lot of different crisises represented in those things that you created by not taking care of business.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

Like keeping car insurance in place, that's like a priority because otherwise you end up with this mess on a car and you don't even have the car anymore.

[Caller]

Correct, yeah.

[Financial Coach]

What kind of work do you do?

[Caller]

I'm a dog groomer.

[Financial Coach]

A dog groomer. Okay. And I'm just trying to understand how this all originated, how this kind of started spiraling out. Like Dave was saying, where that instability came from. Is it coming from dog grooming as a profession or is it coming from something else?

[Caller]

No. So in November, I was diagnosed with a disease that prevents me from driving, and I'm a mobile dog groomer now. It's managed and medicated and I'm back to work. But that's kind of when all of that happened.

[Financial Coach]

Okay.

[Caller]

I wasn't able to pay the rent and the car insurance and everything just quickly piled up. The credit card debt is just, for me, being irresponsible.

[Financial Coach]

And you've cut them up since?

[Caller]

Oh, yeah.

[Financial Coach]

Okay.

[Dave Ramsey]

All right. So. Okay, yeah, no, I'm going to work that snowball straight up. List your debts, smallest to largest, pay minimum payments on everything but the little ones, and attack the little ones with a vengeance and work your way straight through as fast as you can. Are you on a salary at 42?

[Caller]

No, I make around 800 a week, depending on, you know, tips and all that sort of stuff. Right.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. Are you able to work more than you're working?

[Caller]

So the branch in Colorado Springs, Jeff, opened about two weeks ago. I was able to pick up a third day, and as it grows, I'll be able to pick up more work A third day? Yeah, I currently work three days a week.

[Dave Ramsey]

What are you doing with the other four days?

[Caller]

I doordash take care of my kid in my home and didn't sound like it.

[Dave Ramsey]

Didn't sound like it to me. It sound like you're doing nothing?

[Caller]

Pretty much, yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

Listen, you're broke. You gotta be working girl.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

All the time.

[Caller]

Okay.

[Dave Ramsey]

How old is your baby?

[Caller]

She's three.

[Dave Ramsey]

And is who takes care of him when you're working?

[Caller]

My fiance.

[Financial Coach]

Okay.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. When are you getting married?

[Caller]

That is to be determined, depending on how long it takes us to not be broke.

[Dave Ramsey]

That's how. No, that. That's how fiance works. We have a date. Otherwise we. Otherwise we have a promise that has not got a date.

[Caller]

Okay.

[Dave Ramsey]

And so, yeah, that's an issue. How long have y' all been engaged?

[Caller]

November.

[Dave Ramsey]

Being debt free is not required to get married in the state of Colorado.

[Caller]

This is true.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay, so what does he make.

[Caller]

Right now? He's not working because he was in a motorcycle wreck.

[Financial Coach]

Okay.

[Dave Ramsey]

Y' all are a hot mess.

[Financial Coach]

How is he taking care of a baby? I mean, a three year old.

[Caller]

Yeah. I mean, he can manage.

[Financial Coach]

He can walk, I think he can work. I think you both need to work more.

[Dave Ramsey]

A lot more. Yeah.

[Financial Coach]

Yeah. That's why I asked the question before.

[Dave Ramsey]

Less partying, more working. Lots more working. Money comes from work. You need money. Create your free everydollar budget today. The simplest way to budget for your life.