California woman says she threatened a debt collector after taking this 1 golden nugget of advice from Dave Ramsey — and it worked. Here’s what The Ramsey Show hosts pushed her to do next

Instead of panicking, Mary used a line she heard on the show: “My financial advisor told me I might file bankruptcy, so if I do, you’ll get the call. Remove me off your call list.” Then she hung up.

The call left her rattled. She wasn’t sure if she’d gone too far or just stood her ground. So she called into The Ramsey Show for help. Here’s what the hosts had to say, and what they told her to do next.

How Mary handled the threat, and what the hosts think

Co-hosts Jade Warshaw and Ken Coleman applauded her efforts.

“What you essentially told them is I don’t have the money that you’re asking for and I’m broke. And so, if you think you’re going to get that money from me, you’re wrong,” said Warshaw.

Warshaw expanded, “Credit card companies do sometimes sue you. But it takes a long time to get to that step.”

After confirming that she did the right thing, the hosts offered to coach her through their next steps.

Moving beyond the threat

Mary shared that she now has a $261 monthly surplus after sticking to her budget. The hosts recommended she use that surplus to work the debt snowball plan, which involves paying off her smallest debt first and working her way up from there.

Mary mentioned that she’d sent a money order of around $450 to pay down her debt in collections, but Warshaw advised against continuing that plan.

Instead, Warshaw suggested that Mary pause those payments and save up around $5,000 to offer a lump-sum settlement on the $6,000 debt in collections. This approach could help her clear the balance for less than she owes.