Dave Ramsey Wants Single Mom of Two Saddled With $90K of Debt to Ditch Her Car
As just about every parent knows, raising children can be expensive. However, as a single mother, you typically face even more financial barriers, especially when your only income stream doesn't cover emergency costs. That's what happened to one mom who called into The Ramsey Show for advice on how to get out of debt.
But instead of coming down on the mom for mismanaging her money, Dave Ramsey offered some kind and compassionate advice to the mother of two.
Dave Ramsey Tells a Single Mom to Sell Her Car
A woman got a bit of a shock when she called into Ramsey's show to ask for help with her growing debt. According to the caller, she was more than $90,000 in debt from a combination of personal, auto, and student loans, and she wasn't sure how she could ever get out from under the weight of it all.
The catalyst for the phone call wasn't the debt itself, though, but instead the bad news she got from the lender holding her car loan, after they explained that she actually owes $17,000 more on her car than it's worth. Not only that, but she confessed to Ramsey that the loan itself cost her $850 a month.
However, instead of shaming the mom-who says she took out an auto loan with a 16.5 percent interest rate when her baby was born and needed a new car-Ramsey told her that her best bet was to sell her car.
He suggested avoiding the dealership and instead selling the car to an individual, who he thought would be able to get about $25,000 from. The caller also confessed that her ex was about $25,000 in arrears on child support, which she was also expecting to see sometime soon. Ramsey said she should use that money to pay the rest of the car loan off, and use the few thousand that would remain after all was said and done to buy herself a car without a monthly payment.
"The fastest way forward is usually getting rid of the thing that's keeping you stuck," he captioned the video.
People Were Happy With the Way Ramsey Supported the Mom
Before she signed off, Ramsey told the scared mama, "We're going to take care of you." After they ended their call, he said he would put her in touch with some credit counselors to help her get back on track.
Now, Ramsey's advice typically gets mixed reviews in the comments on his posts, but this one really seemed to resonate with folks. "It must be the first time in months somebody told her, 'Let me take care of you,'" one person wrote. "Hugs."
"So proud of her for calling," another added. "You got this, girl!"
Ramsey's advice seems manageable for this mama, and hopefully she's able to follow it once her ex fulfills his child support obligation, allowing her to get rid of that $850 payment. From there, she should be able to start paying down some of that other debt, giving her a better handle on her finances.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 11:59 AM.