My Apologies To Gazelle Intensity

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  I’ve never identified with the concept of gazelle intensity. My interpretation of it has always been one of extreme frugality, living with no frills for an extended period of time in order to throw as much money as possible towards debt and/or retirement. It always seemed to me that kind of perspective would have people essentially get zero enjoyment out of life while they pay off debt, or save for retirement. I always thought there had to be some kind of balance. I never understood why someone would purposefully and completely deprive themselves of everything. But over the weekend, […] Read more »

Navigating The Pace of Debt Reduction

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Happy Wednesday, EOD Nation!  I have a very special guest post for you today from friend and fellow blogger Prudence Debt Free.  She’s been a regular visitor to Enemy Of Debt for what seems like as long as I’ve been writing here.  Once I followed the link to her site and started reading I was hooked.  Today, she brings her story to Enemy of Debt.  Enjoy the post, and give her some comment love – then go check out her blog.  You’ll be hooked too! DD3 = Third dear daughter DH = Dear husband DD2 = Second dear daughter DD3’s […] Read more »

Motivational Monday: Mistakes Pave The Way To A Greater Success

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I caught a segment on a popular morning news program in which the CEO of Google was being interviewed. The line of questioning centered on the type of potential employee Google typically looks for and the kinds of ideas that would catch the eye of Google as something they would want to pursue. The CEO gave the example two potential ideas, one that would result in a car that could get 50 miles to the gallon, and one that would get 500 miles to the gallon. While the first idea would be more easily attainable and very useful in the […] Read more »

Credit Cards Are Officially NOT For Me

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Some use credit cards for as many of their day to day expenses as possible in order to rack up reward program points. Some even go through a process called credit card churning to earn points for signing up for a new accounts in exchange for cash, airline miles, or travel accommodations.  I know people that have taken their entire family on a free, or nearly free, trip by using such methods. Good for them, as long as they’re using their cards responsibly. But this kind of “beat the system” mentality is not for everyone. Not everyone has the internal […] Read more »

If You’re Going To Succeed, You Have To Have a Plan!

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One of the major components of marathon training is the long run. Once a week, I run much longer than any other day, gradually increasing the length of my run until I reach a distance of 20 miles.   I usually increase my long run by a mile a week. As I pass the 9-10 mile distance I start adding fluids and carbohydrate intake during my run. The weeks where I ran 12, 13 and 14 miles my long runs went horribly.  I didn’t have the physical energy, nor the mental motivation to keep going. In last week’s post I contemplated […] Read more »

Don’t Cheat Yourself By Living a Life of Half-Assity

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I was painfully making my way through a 14 mile run early on a Saturday morning. I was at mile 10, and struggling to find the energy or even the desire to pick up my feet and keep running. “If only I weighed less, this wouldn’t be so hard,” I thought to myself. Last October, when I crossed the finish line of the Twin Cities 10 mile race, I instantly decided I was going to run the full marathon in 2014. I had a full year to get lean, train hard, and run my best marathon ever. Yet here we […] Read more »

Have We Learned To Use Credit Responsibly?

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The thunder and lightning carrying on outside represented my struggle well. Two evenly matched forces were doing battle inside my head. The need to save money whenever possible, and my solid stance that using a credit card to pay for something should be avoided at all costs. Let me be clear, I do not think that credit cards themselves are evil. When used correctly, they can be a valuable tool in a person’s financial tool belt that can actually save money.   However, I have a huge problem with some of the business practices and policies of credit card companies. My […] Read more »

No Effort, No Results

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A little over a year ago my mom had major back surgery.  Over the years her spine had become so twisted that it was squishing her internal organs in a way that was extremely uncomfortable, and would only get worse.  Titanium rods were attached to her spine using large screws in hopes that it would force her spine to be straightened, improve her posture, and resolve some breathing and pain issues she had been dealing with for years.  She is in her mid to late 60’s and the doctors advised that if she was going to have surgery the time […] Read more »

No Thanks, DirectTV, You Know Where You Can Stick Your High Pressure Sales Act

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I thanked the employee that had asked if I needed any help, guided me to what I was looking for within Best Buy,  and answered my questions. As I began to turn away, he said, “Oh, just one more thing. Who is your cable provider?” It was at that moment I noticed for the first time he was wearing a shirt with the DIRECTV logo embroidered into it. I knew exactly what was coming next as he led me to a table where he pulled out a notebook and started asking me more questions. He wrote information I was providing […] Read more »

How Delinquency and a Debt Settlement Program Can Affect the APR on Your Credit Card (Part 2)

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In part one of this two-part post, we examined APRs of current and delinquent credit card accounts under a few conditions. From good standing to charge-off and collection situations, creditors may treat account APRs differently, but a few things can be applied across the board. Here is a more in-depth look at APRs under debt settlement programs. The following assumes that you haven’t been paying your unsecured creditors and that a debt settlement program is a viable option.   It also assumes that your delinquency isn’t recent and that a debt management plan isn’t a viable option.   If you enter into […] Read more »

Credit Card Companies Aren’t Providing Credit Scores For YOUR Benefit

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The credit card companies are at it again. Remember, these are the same companies that think you’re so stupid that they actually created a commercial that suggests it would be a great idea to buy things for your friends just to earn credit card rewards. What are they up to now? Credit card companies are offering to give you your credit score for free. On the surface, it sounds like a good deal for consumers. Obtaining your credit score will usually cost you somewhere around $20. The credit card companies are doing us such a nice favor by providing us […] Read more »

The Big Wins You Should Go After

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The following is a guest post from Martin of Studenomics, where he’s totally focused on creating financial freedom by 30! I’ve been writing about personal finance for five years now. I’ve explored every topic from big wins to frugality to real estate. There are times where I discuss more advanced topics. Then sometimes I run into a friend and they want to hear about getting started. I know that most of you are past the stage of getting started so we won’t discuss the basics. Instead we will refresh on the big wins. The one thing that we’re all delusional […] Read more »

When Your Kid Shows More Financial Responsibility Than You

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Have you ever had one of those moments where as a parent you just hang your head in shame, because your son or daughter showed more responsibility you? Yeah, I had that happen to me just this weekend. My son got his Xbox360 a few years ago, and instantly wanted to take advantage of the console’s ability to play games online with his friends. In order to make that happen, we had to purchase an Xbox Live membership. We gave him a year’s subscription as a birthday present, and to pay for it we attached our checking account to the […] 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 »