Work 80 Hours A Week To Pay Off Debt? 

I'm 14 months deep into working 80 hours a week. Work 12hrs a day with every other monday off. First 12 months was to pay off debt, next 12 months is to pay for college in cash. I feel for this guy, the mental struggle of continuing for so long is tough. But if I want to go to college anytime soon, this is the only way, so you just have to pick your battles. Delay your goals for sanity or change your lifestyle as much as possible to keep going as long as you can. Hope I can continue another 10 months, and to everyone out there doing the same, we got this 🙏 Update: I finished 19 months straight of 80 hours a week and my hours got cut, however, I'm happy to report that I will still have the money to pay for my entire degree in cash before the school year starts in fall. It can be done people, hard work pays off 🥳🎉

I did it for 1.5 years and paid of 120k in student loan debt. Hoping to maintain it for another 4 years to pay of a 500k house. Aiming to be a millionaire by 37. Debt free baby!

just started my second month of 7x10's. I have 39,000 left to pay off. 17000 for a car, 12000 for credit cards. 6800 for personal loan, 3200 for medical. Putting $1000 a week into my debt until it is GONE.

It's ridiculous that people have to work 80 hours plus just to live in a ghetto anymore

We did that. We traded 18 months of 80+ hour weeks with 5 kids ages (about) 4-14. You know what came if it? Teenagers paying cash for their own cars, vacations we could only dream of, and SO much less stressed parents. We can be so much more present and mentally with them now. They were our cheerleaders, they rallied and supported us. They ate beans and rice, and we have changed our family tree!

What these workaholics dont tell you is that the stress of all these working hours is taking years off their lives. The body is gradually breaking itself down. Nobody on their deathbeds ever said "I wish I worked more hours"

I was working 70+ hours a week for a long time and worked good for me. But now when I have family, I can't even think to do it. Everything has some limits and family must be in the first place.

If you spend money like you are working 80 hours a week. Some day you will be working 80 hours to pay it back.

I’ve worked like that before - I remember my mother called me once in a Saturday (at work) to ask what I was doing that weekend. I was so mentally exhausted and zoned in on work that I hadn’t even realized what day of the week it was - the last time I’d noted the day was the Tuesday. That when I realized I had to slow down - if you’re in debt for an extra year or two but it lets you slow down it’d be well worth it. Your relationships are worth more than money. Maybe doing that for 6 months to get out of the worst of a hole is fine - but much more than that is dangerous (and real fatigue like that with a 2 hr/day commute like this caller described is dangerous).

I began my investment journey at the age of 33, primarily through hard work and dedication. I am to share that my passive income exceeded $100k in a single month for the first time. This success reinforces the importance of the advice mentioned earlier. It is not about achieving quick wealth, but rather ensuring long-term financial prosperity

I worked 60/week for a year straight out of college (and did fulltime school and fulltime work at the same time). To say I was burned out would be an amazing understatement. It isn’t a long term solution to financial problems. It is bad for the body and the mind. Now that I make better money I had decided that taking an extra year to pay off debt is better for me than continuing to burn myself out and neglecting myself

Truck driving husband works 80 hours on a slow week. If it wasn’t how hard he works we would never have got ahead. Give thanks for his work ethic all the time.

I would NEVER work myself into the ground just to pay off debt! What good is working hard when your dead before you can enjoy the rewards.

I remember doing 70 something hour weeks, very repetative job and managed to work 40 days in a row. By the end of it, my brain was in a loop all I was thinking about was the repetative task I was doing. It was wake up go to work, do the job, go home, sleep then repeat. No interactions outside the job, I have an interest in a broad range of subjects, but my mind was so habitualised my brain couldn't find something different to think about or talk about even on a break. What this caller is doing is impressive, but when you need a break take it.

I'm doing it as we speak as a quality tech. 7:30am-4pm M-F and 5pm-3am W-Sat.. My girlfriend is on a 17 day stretch as a progressive neuro nurse. We will each be out of debt by Jan 1st.

I did this for 3 months, excellent experience & fortunately the jobs were simple (remote job during the day & inspector overnights) the afternoon/evenings were used for sleep. I had weekends off for both jobs. Paid off 7k of all credit card debt, & saved 5k. I wish I continued at the time but I stopped for volunteer/charity work & giving for 5 months. I recently talked to my organization that I need to now attack 6figure student loans, & I'll be back at 2 jobs later this month

Why in the world didn't they ask how much money he's in debt, how long he's been doing this, how long does he plan to do this, or has he looked at areas of spending he can cut?

When you finally get debt free and have a good-sized emergency fund and your retirement accounts are growing, you will really understand just how good it feels to be out from under the heap. It's priceless and I think (IMHO) it is the only way to go. Good luck!

I use to clock 95-98 hrs/week for 1 year while working in Oil Exploration. No life, but spent it outdoors and it was one of the best years. Saw every sunrise and every sunset. Most people will never notice season changes and sunlight changes day to day.

I tried working two jobs a couple of years ago. I did for financial reasons but also to keep me active & busy. Lost both of my parents in 2022. Should've spent that time with them. 😢😢😢

There must be balance for your sanity’s sake. Yes, work OT and extra jobs to reach your goals. But give yourself rewards for hitting milestones. You have to maintain your mental and physical health while being gazelle intense. Don’t sacrifice too much time with family/kids for work or money. You can always make more money. But you can’t get your time back. Find your balance, work the plan, crush your goals, and live and give like no one else.

I've worked 60 hour a week to reach a financial goal. It's exhausting.

I worked 80-83 hours a week for 13 weeks in a row. 8am to 9/9:30 Monday though Saturday. It was tough, but I could do it, because I was very strict about sleeping 11pm-6am so I got 7 hours of sleep each night. And I did not work Sundays. So I had a full day each week to rest and recover. And again, it was only for 3 months so I knew I could do it for that short span of time.

Love how Dave has a confused looked about working 80hrs a week. Its super easy to just sit back and tell eveeyone to work and pay off debt. Then look confused when real world issues arise

Anybody who says, “Live life now.” in this comment section didnt watch the video in full or at all. Dave literally says, “Its a short term play”.

I'd rather work crazy hours now in my 20s and 30s and be debt free vs being mid 40s trying to do that. Everybody wants to live they best life in their 25s and 30s when they should be using that Energy to make as money as you can. So you can chill in them 40s and don't gotta work as Hard!

Let’s go back to all the times where Dave recommended people work multiple jobs or 80 hours a week..

It's called work life balance. You should live to work, not work to live.

80 hours a week.... I understand it is short term but that is just too much... And he mentioned getting only 4 hours of sleep...

Nothing wrong with this, I would suggest not to fall into bad eating habits. Screw up your sleep and it slows you down, just remember health is wealth.

They should have told him to back off. If he is legitimately working 16 hours, that's not healthy. Assuming two half hour breaks for food, that's 17 hours at work. Plus he said an hour commute, and say 30 minutes to shower, brush teeth, get dressed, and pack breaskfast/lunch/dinner. That leaves 5.5 hours for sleep. I think seven 12-hour days should be the max for one person. Unless he can alternate between 8 and 12 hour days.

If he's only getting 4 hours sleep a week, he is seriously risking his health and safety and the health and safety of other people, while at work and driving. I also worked 70 plus hour weeks and ended up with super high blood pressure that never came back down. Now permanently on more BP meds. He'd be better advised taking time out to sharpen the saw, get educated and get a better paying job. Also use leverage.

Currently working 72hrs a week. If I can grind it out for a couple years I can really put myself ahead but first year is for paying off debt. Second year would be for saving. I have one day off a week. It can be done but you really have to manage your time and plan. I cook once a month and freeze my meals so I can grab and go. Yes it’s hard but I know it will pay off and honestly the body can handle more than we give it credit for.

Dave Ramsey is sitting there like “your day only has 24 hours? That’s your poor mentality my friend!”

You can work 80 hours a week but one day years later you’ll wake up and realize you wasted your life working. Enjoy your life now!

It's worth it!!! I became debt free including my mortgage car notes and credit cards before turning 40. Now 42 with with 6 figure income 😊 and don't owe money to anyone but uncle same for taxes.

I’m doing this now… I can see the light at the end of the tunnel which is looking like 10-15 months. It can be done short term

If you’re working 80 hours a week make sure your spouse is all in also. The goal is paying off debt not spending more.

Working that much, can literally kill you.

Oh you are in your first five years of marriage. Of course she misses you. Wait until year 10 when she’s excited she gets some alone time away from you and the kids. Lol!

Dave really does not live in the real world anylonger. He has to much money.

No one gets to end of there life and says I wish I had spent more time at work.

I worked at Home Depot for a year for something to do. Found out that the store manager and the assistant store managers are all scheduled for an 80 hour work week. Department managers on down are 40 hours a week. Seems crazy to me.

Know thyself. I've been working 55-60+ hours a week since June and it's been exhausting physically and mentally. I did it when I was 25 but now at 46 with an autoimmune disease there is no way I can do this for much longer. You have to know what you can and can't do.

Dave has never asked why normal jobs (butcher, teacher, garbageman) that used to cover bills and basics no longer don't.

If you can’t get enough sleep, it’s not worth it. You can replace money but you can’t replace your health & family. Modern day america feels like a third world country with a gucci belt.

At the beginning of this year I was doing the math, and working one job for the whole year, the most I could afford to spend paying off debt was $6000. I looked for a second job to help pay off debt and I couldn’t find anything, so I gave up. The year is only 2/3 over and I have already spent over $10000 and I still have 4 months of pay left. Don’t put yourself under that much stress to pay off debt. Just make smarter budgeting choices.

I work 60-72 hours a week as a nurse. If I do this for 2 1/2 - 3 years I’ll have my debt and my house paid off. Anyone can do that for 2-3 years if the pay off is a paid off house.

People refuse to live within their means then complain about having to work 80hr weeks 😒

I've been working 6 days a week 60+ hours for about 6 years. I'm so adjusted now idk if I could stop.

It’s so tiring. 57 year old female on my own and work 7 days a week (65 hours) for two companies. Usually have 6 days off a year. Debt free and can save 900 a month. Don’t have time to spend 😂. Been doing this for years after having to do a restart with nothing later in life. Will do it as long as I’m able 😊

It is ridiculous to do this whether you do it for 6 months or 6 years. I've been a trucker for 30 years, 12-15hr days. It ruins your relationship, your family life especially when you have kids, it ruins your mental and physical health, it ruins your social life. In the short term, sleep deprivation increases cortisol levels, causes increased blood pressure, decreases glucose tolerance, and increases the activity of the body’s fight-or-flight system, all of which are linked to increased risk of diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes. Daytime cognitive performance is also reduced, resulting in more accidents. And if you think "it's only short term, what harm can it do?" Well it is killing you. It's costing you 10 minutes of your life expectancy every single day you do this, getting less than 6hrs good sleep a day. Absolutely not worth it.

I worked 20-25/week at Home Depot for a couple years plus 40 hours/week as a high school teacher. I was emotionally exhausted after teaching and physically exhausted by 11pm when I got off....then up at 5am to get ready for school the next day....not fun, but paid off the engagement ring and wedding along with some house upgrades before getting married.

People being presented with blanket advice of working 80 hours a week as the best or only option from a mental health professional is highly concerning to me, especially without further assessment. The mental impact of this strategy is being completely ignored.

Absolutely Zero excuses ~ people can work 80 hours a week to get ahead. Two years straight I work as a night auditor from 11 till seven at a hotel, and from nine till four as a cashier at the commissary. It’s easily done because you have different days off with both jobs, so there’s adequate time for rest.

True story. I had a buddy that worked 3 jobs to get out of debt. Had 3 kids and married. One night coming home after work he went to sleep and never woke back up. Stop listening to these people that wouldn’t do what you do, have gone through what you have or do the type of work you do. Take care of yourself first and foremost and just do what you can. Stop making bills you can’t pay. Start fresh and pay what you can when you can. Stop letting these weirdos tell you how you should pay your bills. They’ll send you straight to the morgue.

Working 2 jobs 72hrs a week starting march. Thought about 84hrs a week but I need atleast one day off a week. It’s not really the job I do is hard, not physically demanding but having time to do anything at home would be hard working everyday. IMO

I worked 80+ hrs. a week for two years straight to get ahead but in the end what I had was money that had little value due to inflation; broken marriage life and kids with no fatherly time…. Was it all worth it ? For me, NO. For someone who is single or just a couple; maybe.

If you have to work 80 hours a week to get out of your mess, you just need to change jobs. Do it while you still can, there's no sense in burning out because your job isn't paying enough. Not everything is about money, you learn that with age and experience.

People work these hours more than you think. I have a fulltime job, a part time job, and i have a part time ebay business that i source items, list them, sell, pack, and ship. I say between these 3 things along with commutes i work roughly 65-70 hours a week. 80 is insane, but there are many people thay work insane hours.

Me and my husband are now 45 and are almost debt free. The last 10k of consolidation to pay off (and that is the car and what’s left in the house included in that). We are now able to save 1500 pounds a month (which is a lot for us). We don’t need to be rich, we just want to be mortgage and debt free and be able to have a nest egg before we can retire. I just wish we had been more money conscious when we were younger.

Listen, I been working 80+ Hour weeks for 18 Years, Seven days a week. Be a Man and manage your time better.

I work 70+ hours a week all the time. Love it !

Schedule consistent time off. Example, maybe every Sunday, maybe every other Sunday. Maybe every Sunday with the fourth weekend Saturday and Sunday. Whatever the schedule, be consistent. A day of rest is crucial to maintaining forward energy. Good luck

12 hours a day is not that hard

When you create a financial mess, you can either make excuses or you can make money. Nobody said it would be easy. Welcome to adulthood.

Dave lost me when he said "why are you losing sleep, there's enough hours in the day." Spoken like a man who thinks you can buy a $1000 car on every street corner. It really depends on how deep of a financial hole you are in. If you are having trouble paying rent / mortgage, putting food on the table, etc, etc, then yes, you do what you have to do to provide for your family. The fact that this caller used the term "gazelle intense" indicates that he has already drank the Ramsey KoolAid. I recently was watching a video on the top ten regrets that people have. Not one said they wished they had worked more.

I did it for 18 months. 12 of those months I also did full time online school to finish my BA. Ppl at my second job thought I would quit in 4-6 weeks. Nope. But was it hard? Hell yeah it was. But we had a newborn, wife quit her job to stay home with the baby. So I did what was necessary. Probably took 10 years off my life though.

Yeah, if you work 80 hours a week, all you do is work, eat, & sleep. That's all the hours you have left in your day. But do it now and get it over with so that you can have a life later.

Working the debt snowball now - paying off medical bills. You gotta still have a life. Its a tough balance but id rather pay stuff off 6 months later but actually be able to still enjoy life vs working 3 jobs but thats just me

When you grocery shop, cook, fill up your car for gas, go to church, etc… working 12 hours days with an hour commute each way?

I feel for this guy. Worked an average of 55 hours of week including the OT and it took a mental, physical and emotional toll on me. Almost broke up with my now wife. Ended up going to ER twice at the age of 25 just to go back into debt because of the medical bills. Developed anxiety and those two years were like a blur. Kind of just starting to not worry about this plan and just pay what I can, not overspend and live within my means.

I worked from 75 to 100 hours a week back in the late '70s thru '80s when I worked in the oil industry. Loved it; I was paid to travel to each rig site both offshore and onshore; great pay.

Im 23 and work anywhere from 60-84 hrs a week. Normally im at 70. Man go ahead and grind to get this out the way. You made choices and decisions to get to where you sre. Now you gotta make them ro get out

I agree with communicating about text messages that are caring but not helpful. It's nice To be reached out too, but when it's put in a way that makes you feel like that person doesn't want you to be working that can be deflating. He needs to communicate that with her because it's a small thing but it can go a long way just to have things phrased in a way that's helpful

Not at my age anymore.

Not to pay debt but to afford childcare and finish medical training, for about two years I worked 13 days on, 1 day off, and most days were 12 to 13 hours. Haven't a clue how I survived.I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

80 hours is not an intense gazelle but a DEAD gazelle. don't sacrifice your health for a faster debt fix.

Dave really can’t understand why the guy is loosing sleep when he’s working 16 hours a day? 🤔

I worked 62-1/2 hours a week for 6 years and left the job because I had no life. Forward 16 years and now I make 10 times more with 40 hours a week and have a family and I’m very happy. Js

You don't need to work 80 hours to be debt-free. You just need to find a higher-paying job where you can work 40 hours. I had two low-paying jobs for like a year to get out of debt. I was working 6-7 days a week at one point.

Working in the office by day, unloading trucks by night, deliver 1 or 2 selective doordash orders between jobs. Door dash on the weekend. Flip items from market place. During door dash pick ups ask they are interested in having a gumball machine placed in their location. There you go. 5 revenue steams over 1 year. Went from a primary income of 123K after stock options and bonus, to about 165K. Now I only do my primary job, ocassional FB marketplace flipping, and collect from previousky installed gumball machines, making 142k.

Definitely guilty of the workaholic lifestyle, and fully realize that it means sacrificing in other areas of life... But, sometimes that's what it takes to make progress and grow into the life you want to live. After graduating from university, I paid off $67k in 3yrs, then bought my first house. It's now my only debt, and I continue to maintain a similar (maybe a bit less intense) lifestyle and work ethic just because I'm used to it by now. Rather unusual circumstances at work, but I recently worked 100 days straight on 12hr shifts... Never again lol. Soon, I'd like to significantly level out my work / life balance and take time to enjoy all of my hard work, but I still have a bit left to accomplish before I reach that point 👍🏻

"I work 80-90 hours a week" hOw MuCh AlL iN aRe Ya?

Sacrifice is never easy or it is no true sacrifice.

I’ve been reading proverbs this whole month so. In chapter 6 verse 5 it says “free yourself like a gazelle”. Now I know where Dave got it from.

Y’all completely side stepped the question

I dont get the end what dave says about the prepation. When i achieve something, i immediately think about the hard work and how necessary it was

Long-haul flatbed truck drivers can sometimes work up to 80 hours a week and be out on the road for a month at a time. But if they stay focused on their financial goal - it can be done.

Say what you want about Europe, but mandated 25 days vacation a year makes working longer hours worth it. Even top athletes take ‘rest days’. Hard workers needs some reprise just as much. I’d strongly recommend that people still prioritise some rest or keep a hobby while on the grind. Life has to be enjoyable

This is OK when yer young. Trying this nonsense into your mid-forties is a heart attack waiting to happen.

YES SIR!!! I work 80-100 hours or more a week, love me some HARD work!!!!!! God bless America!!!!!💪

When i was deployed to afghanistan, i worked 12 hours a day 7 days a week for an entire year

My husband has recently been through 80 hour weeks as a medical student on a surgical rotation. 12 hour shift 5 daya plus studying plus studying plus occasional weekend/nighttime hours. It SUCKS. Barely got to see him, he had basically no time to help me around the house, and he barely had any energy after work to play with our baby. There is a type who can sustain that and basically live at work, but for most its NOT sustainable.

The extra 40k you make working 80 hours a week may even be enough for the heart surgery you're gonna need when the stress puts you in the hospital! Boy the ramsay team really do think things thru. Wanna know how to make wages really go up? Outlaw working more than 40 hours a week. Intentionally create a labor shortage, which will drive wages up precipitously. These people love when you work like a slave because it means the total hours of available hours in the labor market is higher, lowering the per hour price, even after taking overtime pay into account. Paying a $20/hr employee $30/hr occasionally to stretch the labor available is cheaper than if this wasn't allowed and it required more people at a higher price, given their better negotiating position.

I’m 21, Working 50-55 Hours a week on average. No where near as many hours as the caller but still more than the average worker. It’s definitely hard, I have a 6 month old daughter and a wife, but we just bought a house and I really want it paid off before I am 25. I want to get out of debt early on in life so I’m able to save, invest, and relax while I still have my relative youth in my late 20s/30s and hopefully a early retirement in my late 40s/50s. Being a millionaire would be nice but it’s not something I particularly care about, Just want enough money to not ever worry.

Residents and fellows work 80+ hours a week while making 60-70k for anywhere from 3-8+ years.

90+ hours a week doing roofing or any kind of heavy construction is damn near impossible 😂

My son worked a 2nd, part-time, job for a couple of years. All his wife did was complain he wasn't home enough. Hello, he wasn't doing it for his health.

Working 80hrs a week and Dave asking, "why are you losing sleep?" Was not very bright.