Are You Making Excuses for the Money You Spend?

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spending too much money on shopping

Yesterday was Black Friday. Did you hit the stores at 4am? Were you one of the million of folks out on Thanksgiving to shop the stores that opened in the evening? Or maybe you are like me, you avoid stores on Black Friday (and the days surrounding it) like the plague! I wasn’t always this way, there was a time when I hit the mall bright and early on Black Friday. I was armed with nothing more than my credit cards and a large cup of coffee. The problem with my “plan” was that I didn’t have a list (and […] Read more »

The Most Important Money Advice You Will Ever Receive

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You do not need to buy a bunch of books from Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman or David Bach to get this kind of advice. You don’t have to go to week long seminars to learn this powerful tool either. You don’t even have to leave your home. Look no further than this blog post and you will get the most valuable money advice you could ever need. The power of this strategy is amazing! It will teach your children a valuable lesson. It will save you thousands of dollars. It will help your marriage. It will even allow you to […] Read more »

Are Your Actions Setting Up Your Children for a Lifetime of Debt?

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avoid giving in to a child be a positive role model

When my oldest son was little I was a frequent customer at places like Target, the mall, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Shopping for me meant a lot of things. It was therapeutic, especially when I was feeling depressed (oddly enough, depressed about my lack of money was often the case). It was in search of bargains, which in hindsight ended up not being much of a bargain by the time I left. And it was a social activity. My then-husband and I would go shopping whenever we were bored. We said it was just to look around but we […] Read more »

Personal Accountability – Placing Blame Where It Belongs

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A few weeks ago, I was playing around with a blog post in my head. I like to have full conversations with myself in there and often times I’ve got most of a blog post outlined in my head before I’ve even sat down at a computer. Working titles for this post were flowing around more easily than the actual text itself. Some of them were “Ode to Capital One: A Tragedy” and “Capital One has Ruined the Nation.” My favorite, however was the ever so poignant title “Eff You Capital One!” I spent more time thinking of catchy ways […] Read more »

An American Tale: A Life of Credit and Debt

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Credit Cards. In my college years, those two words meant freedom. They provided me with a sense of security. They allowed me to finally purchase anything I needed without having to ask my parents for help. Credit cards were the answer when I was hungry or late on a bill payment because my checking account was low. They provided a means of fun. I didn’t have to say ‘no’ to myself anymore. I could go out to dinner at a place that didn’t have a drive-thru. I could go on spring break to Florida. I could buy concert tickets when […] Read more »