Saving Big Bucks During the Holiday Season

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The holidays are magical. The lights, the snow, the cooking, the carolers—it all comes together to make a perfect scene. But there’s another side to this time of year: the spending. Parents spend on average over $400 on each of their children, just for presents! That’s a lot of money—especially considering many people will use debt to finance these purchases. It doesn’t have to be this way. These are some ideas for saving big bugs during the holiday season. Set a Holiday Budget Most people want to think about fun things during the holiday season—baking cookies, or spending time with […] Read more »

Tips to Make Driving & Car Ownership More Affordable Than Ever

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While owning and driving an automobile may seem like an overly expensive thing to do, there are obvious advantages that cannot be ignored. Most importantly, you save time and are more productive when you drive to work; not to mention, it’s nice having the privacy and convenience of their own vehicle. Further, who says you can’t drive in premium style without breaking the bank. We’ll focus on Mercedes automobiles here since they appeal to so many types of drivers, but the same could be said for BMW and Audi. One of the first things personal finance experts will tell you […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 10/31

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My fist pumps are bitter sweet this week, my friends.  If you are in the habit of checking out my links of shameless self promotion, you’ll know that I post every Wednesday in the online community of CareOne Debt Relief Services.  CareOne is the debt relief provider that Vonnie and I used to pay off $109,000 in credit card debt.  It was also where I was introduced to the blogging world and started my second career as a freelance writer.  It is with a heavy heart that I say that unless something unforeseen occurs, this week’s post is likely my […] Read more »

Financial Literacy: Communication and Teamwork Are Vital to Success

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  Preface:  Today I’m taking part in the Financial Literacy Awareness Carnival hosted by Shannon at The Heavy Purse.  Once you’ve finished here, click here and check out the list of other great posts by my fellow bloggers also participating in the carnival! Sitting in a chair facing a filled to capacity movie theater, the question that popped into my head was, “How did I get here?” I was one of three customers invited to the headquarters of CareOne Debt Relief Services in Maryland in September of 2012. They were holding an employee recognition event, and wanted to have a […] Read more »

It’s Over. We’re Free!

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This morning I made a quick phone call, and just like that it was over. With our 55th payment, plus a partial payment scheduled to be automatically withdrawn on Tuesday, the last of the $109,000 of credit card debt that we had enrolled in our debt management plan is gone. We’re free!!! Free from the shackles of debt that have have held us down for our entire seventeen year marriage. Free to finally have the decision of what to do with our money fully within our own control instead of having to hand it over to credit card companies.  No […] Read more »

What Does It Mean To Get Our Finances Back On Track?

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Goal: Get our finances back on track. Yep, that’s the goal, but what does that really mean? The thing I talk about most frequently is the $109,000 in credit card debt that my wife and I are paying off through the help of a debt management plan. While it is the biggest and most visible item, it’s not the only thing that needs to be done to repair the damage done by the thirteen years of over spending that left us at the edge of financial disaster. It’s completion, however, will unlock our ability to finally put into place the […] Read more »

I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 12/27

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Well, it’s finally arrived.  Tomorrow is my birthday. My 40th birthday. The 40th birthday is traditionally when a person gets all that “over the hill” bullshit.  The thing is, I don’t feel old.  I’m in great physical shape, I like to have my fun, AND we’re just over two months away from being done with our debt management program.  My 40th year on earth will be a new beginning, a new chapter of my life free from the shackles of debt and poor spending habits. For me, life really does begin at 40. Now, let’s get down to business.  Get […] Read more »

Are Your Holiday Expectations Holding You Hostage?

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Are you stressed out about the holidays? It’s hard not to get stressed out just a little bit this time of year, especially if you’re struggling with your finances. With countless gatherings to attend and gifts to buy for loved ones, this time of year can be very difficult to handle when you’ve been fighting just to pay the bills each month. I read a post recently from a fellow debt relief customer who is in just that kind of situation. She is extremely stressed out because Christmas is getting closer every day, but due to some unexpected expenses, they […] Read more »

Will You Accept the Challenge?

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  I am not the first person to point out the many parallels between financial and fitness goals. The mental and emotional tools we use to motivate ourselves to eat healthfully and workout are pretty much the same tools we use to save more money and make better purchasing decisions. Both require extensive discipline. Both require the ability to say “no” to short term temptations in order to live better in the long term. So I had a thought.  When I find myself lagging with my financial goals, why not jumpstart my healthy financial habits in much the same way […] Read more »

Review and Give Away: Are You Ready To Be a Soldier of Finance?

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I had too much debt, no savings and had no idea how to build a real budget and live within my means. In June of 2009 my finances were a mess and I needed help badly. There are thousands of families with their finances in the same state of disarray today, and looking for something or someone to help them get on the right path. I had the opportunity to take an advanced look at a new book by blogger and Certified Financial Planner Jeff Rose which aims to help people in  situation just like mine. Soldier Of Finance leans […] Read more »

4 Tips to Sweet Talk Your Partner About Money

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I love my husband.  That is a fact, but it is also a mantra that I repeat to myself before we sit down to discuss anything about household finances. No matter how innocuous the discussion may be, it typically causes one or both of us a bit of tension.  It should come as no surprise that the number one reason for divorce reported last year was money problems. In our first five years of marriage financial discussions were a battle ground.  Nobody escaped unharmed and we discovered that we had VERY different perspectives about managing money.  We also happened to […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 7/19

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My son has his end of the season baseball tournament this weekend.  I very much enjoy watching him play, so this is going to be a fun weekend.  It seems odd to me that the season is over, and we’re barely past the midway point of July, but I think they do it this way to stagger the tournaments of the various age groups, and because football practices usually get into full swing in August. I’ve had such an incredibly busy week that I’ve barely been on social media at all, but I still managed to find some fantastic articles […] Read more »

Carolina Dreaming

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Suzanne Coblentz CareOne Debt Relief Serivces Blogger

If you are able to take a vacation each and every summer, good for you, but for many of us juggling various financial goals, sometimes the big trips don’t make the cut. Getting away can get extremely pricey, and that does not even include what you paid in advance for your trip.  Vacationing in general is just an expensive process. As a result, it is not something that we do as a family each and every summer.  We typically do a few small weekend jaunts and live it up with the plastic pool in the backyard. Normally the idea of […] Read more »

5 Personal Finances Blogs I Recommend to Our Customers

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In my role as Social Media Manager, I wind up conversing with all kinds of people looking for information about debt. Some of these folks have already enrolled in CareOne debt relief plans; some are just looking for resources to do it on their own. I like to send a variety of resources to people to help them find their way with personal finance.  Although we have a ton of proprietary resources available through CareOne, I have found that the personal finance blogging community provides a constant stream of new content that can make the whole debt thing feel less […] Read more »