Getting the Average American Out of Debt

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[Guest author today, Graham from MoneyStepper.com] Getting out of debt isn’t easy. But, as many inspirations in the personal finance blogosphere have proven, it’s achievable. And when it is achieved, boy does it feel good!! We see hundreds of figures every year on “The Average American” and that they are in a position of debt like never seen before. Well, today, we are going to get this average American, let’s call him Tay (“The Average Yank”), out of debt for good in under 3 years, with relative ease! The Average American’s figures To help Tay, we need to know a […] Read more »

Use The 4 Keys of Consistency to Get Out of Debt

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When you decide to start getting out of debt, it can be hard because you’re attempting to live life in a new way.  You’re changing your mindset about money and developing new habits that you hope to be permanent. But while you’re in the midst of making all these changes, it can be easy to let some of those old habits and mindsets creep back in. Change is hard. That’s why it’s necessary to learn how to be consistent when you’re trying to getting out of debt.   It Takes Firmness of Character To Get Out of Debt One definition […] Read more »

Paying Off Debt With Gazelle Intensity Isn’t Enough

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I’ve seen it happen to friends and family. It’s even happened to me. A person loses a large amount of weight very quickly through the use of a very restrictive diet. Unfortunately, as time passes the weight begins to return because the restrictive diet is abandoned. The question commonly asked is why would a person who had so much weight loss success just give up and go back to their old habits, reversing all their progress? To me, the answer is simple: being on a restrictive diet is not real life. Such a program teaches people one thing, to unconditionally […] Read more »

Creating The Right Mindset to Get Out of Debt

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Many of you are constantly thinking about ways to change your habits, your finances, your life, and whatever else you can to help make the future better.  That’s what smart people do. When it comes to making change happen, the first step you have to take is to create a mindset for yourself that’s going to allow you to succeed. Let’s face it, if you decide you want to make changes big or small, but you don’t really take the step of preparing for that change, then it’s just wishful thinking- you’re living in a fantasy world. Good preparation breeds […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 10/11

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Last Sunday, I ran the Twin Cities 10 mile race.  It was a beautiful morning, with the temperature in the low 40’s at start time.  I also spent a few hours walking through the health and fitness expo on Saturday held at the Excel Energy center coinciding with race packet pickup.  I just felt like I was right where I was supposed to be, like I belonged there.  Runners are such an incredible group of people that strive to do their very best, while supporting their fellow runners at the same time. I ran the 10 mile course in 1:27:09, […] Read more »

Using Ebay to Kill Debt

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[The following is a guest post from Crystal at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff, where she covers spending, saving, and working in the fun stuff along the way.] My husband and I didn’t have much debt during or right after college, but we didn’t have much money either.  That meant that the one car payment we did have was extra annoying.  We had day jobs but we wanted to earn a little more to help pay down the car loan even faster.  That’s when we looked around and my husband realized that he had about 10,000 Magic: The Gathering cards […] Read more »

My Short Term Mindset is Getting in the way of my Long Term Goals

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When you work in the personal finance industry people kind of expect you to be wealthy.  I guess it is similar to when you retain the services of a personal trainer.  You don’t feel inspired or confident by an out of shape personal trainer. When I tell people what I do for a living some of them assume that I must be financially set.  The reality is that I do make some better choices sure, but I am far from my ideal financial state. Like most average middle class families, we struggle from time to time. We have successfully avoided […] Read more »

What Do Long Distance Running and Getting Out of Debt Have In Common?

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I walked down my driveway and accelerated into my normal running pace as I crossed the line separating the concrete of my driveway and the asphalt of the road. I was excited to head out for a Saturday morning run, the target distance being five miles. I hadn’t run outside much lately but I had been doing a lot of treadmill running, and was sure it would all come back to me. Except it didn’t. I was expecting an effortless run, as I remembered enjoying so many previous times. What actually followed was seventy minutes of alternating between running, walking, […] Read more »

Being In Debt is NOT a Necessary Part of Life

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Most Americans have a pile of debt.  Are you one of them? Debt has gotten to be such a normal part of life in this country that most people don’t even question it anymore. In fact, some people think having debt can even be a good thing. But really, do you need a pile of debt to get all the things you want and need out of life? Let me answer that one for you… No, you don’t. In fact, I think it’s just plain silly to think that debt is a necessary part of living a normal life.   […] Read more »

Need to Make Extra Money? Try Freelancing

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Need to make some extra money?  Whether you need money to meet a savings goal, pay off some debt, or just make ends meet in tough times, freelancing is an excellent way to make money using skills you already have.   What is Freelancing So what is freelancing? Freelancing is simply hiring out your skills for use outside of your normal job. Once upon a time (in the prehistoric days before the internet) it could be much harder to make money freelancing because there were only so many people you could connect with who needed your skills and knew you […] Read more »

Couples Debt: Is it a Deal Breaker?

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Good morning Enemy of Debt readers.  My name is Kristina and I am the blogger over at Dinks Finance.  Today the EOD team was gracious enough to let me chat with you about debt, commitment and marriage. I am thankful for the opportunity and I look forward to spending the morning with you. Dinks Finance is a blog for couples about couples regarding everything related to money.  I have been with my boyfriend for almost 14 years, we started dating as a two broke teenagers in college – now at 32 and 33 years old we are both successful professionals. […] Read more »

Four Years of Growth and Change

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Yesterday was the four year anniversary of our first payment to our debt management program. When a person takes on a long and difficult task, many times it seems that in some ways the time passes in the blink of an eye. I tell you the truth that in this instance, that is not the case. It seems as if we have been fighting our way out of debt forever. Each of these 48 months have been a challenge. Most have been victories, some of them have not. But the constant in all of this is that we have always […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 7/26

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Last Thursday I registered for the Twin Cities 10 Mile run.  Last year I ran the Twin Cities Marathon (which is run on the same day), but I just didn’t have it in me to marathon train this time around.  The 10 mile run is a perfect because it’s still long enough that I have to do some serious training, but doesn’t put nearly as much strain on the body.   Registration for this race is a lottery and I was very happy to find out on Tuesday that I was selected to be one of the participants!  I workout almost […] Read more »

Goin’ Commando With Credit

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If you ever ask me about how to get out of debt, I have a variety of answers, depending on the situation.  Probably the number one answer I give is “spend less than you make”.  When you start asking more questions about how to get started, I’ll usually tell you that the first step is to cut up your credit cards. You just don’t need them. They only serve as a drag on your financial situation. When you use a credit card to make purchases, it’s too easy to spend money without thinking about it, because swiping a card doesn’t […] Read more »