Lost Luggage

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I was in some form of debt for nearly 20 years. The last three years of my life have been dedicated to radical debt eradication. I didn’t realize it at the time – but debt was kind of like my baby. I thought about it constantly. I would strategize about how to pay it down. I would run numbers in my head. I had a running calculation everytime I spent money. Or made money. I was obsessed. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It kept me passionate. It kept me focused. It provided momentum and motivation. For years. And then… […] Read more »

The Waiting Game: Saving Money Vs Paying Top Dollar

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I love reading and my favorite genre is fantasy. I’ve enjoyed George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones books and am looking forward to seeing the books in their video incarnation produced by HBO. Since I do not have cable, or HBO, my options are to either purchase the first season on DVD/Blueray or pay $2.99 per episode on Amazon Instant Video. From a financial perspective, this small purchase contains a useful lesson on spending. The retail price for the DVD is $59.99. Several stores have it in stock at the retail price and you can watch it as soon as […] Read more »

Uncle Sam Wants to Know: Did You Have Debt Forgiven?

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April 15th is right around the corner and that means, it’s time to pay up. For many Americans 2011 was another year of unemployment, rising costs, and underwater mortgages. In fact according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York Americans owe a combined $11.5 trillion on credit cards, car loans, mortgages and other consumer debt. So in a desperate attempt to keep their finances afloat many have turned to settling their debts. Settling a debt is certainly damaging to your credit, but to make matters worse, Uncle Sam wants his take as well. If you have a debt forgiven […] Read more »

The Not-So-Pretty Story of Paying Off My Debt

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Hundreds of people emailed, commented, tweeted and direct messaged me after this post asking to hear more of my story. The number one question: How did you do it? How did you pay off $571,817.68 in less than 3 years? The answer to paying off debt is pretty simple. Stop using credit. Earn more than you spend. Use the extra earnings to pay off debt. It’s not romantic. It’s not complicated. It’s actually very straight forward. I, however, do not typically do things the easy or simple way. In hindsight, I can see that the first year of my “debt […] Read more »

The Power of One Small Step

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A wise man once made me a shirt that says, “Debt Sucks!” And you know what, it sure does. It sucks the energy out of your body. It sucks the fun out of your life. And it sucks the money right out of your budget. Finding the courage and will power to make a change with your finances usually comes at a moment of frustration and depression. My own moment came when I was at, what felt like, the lowest point in my life. I was unemployed, living with my mother, 2 years post divorce, broke, in debt and without […] Read more »

Does Your Demographic Decide How You Pay Bills?

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The times, they are changing; life is very different for today’s youth, otherwise known as Millennial’s. Their parents, grandparents, and great grandparents lived in a seemingly different world; one without smart phones, laptop computers, and online bill pay. Those of you born into Generation X, Baby Boomer, or Silent Generation know what I mean. You did not grow up with today’s available technology and skepticism may be keeping you from hopping aboard the technology train. You paid bills your bills the old fashioned way with a checkbook, envelope, and a stamp. But is there more to how you pay your […] Read more »

Is Debt Really Slavery?

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Hello! My name is Bobbie Bushman and I am the newest contributor to Enemy of Debt. I found Enemy of Debt a couple of weeks ago and I loved it right away because I felt they were doing something that not many other websites are doing. They are telling you the truth about debt, how it can trap you, and how becoming debt free can change your life for the better. Since I knew I was going to be writing for this site, I starting thinking about what I wanted to say. One thing I say a lot in my […] Read more »

Hidden Expenses That Impact Retirement

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Anthem Healthcare sent me an advertisement for their health insurance and priced it on a daily basis. “Now just $1.58 per day!” Naturally, that rate didn’t apply to me but to a hypothetical 35 year old “healthy” male. Surely their comprehensive database could have sent the quote for me as a 50 year old. In any case, you don’t pay insurance daily. That $1.58 day rate is paid at $47.40 per month or almost $600 per year, which for health insurance is pretty inexpensive. I called and my daily rate would be $5.04 per day or $151 per month or […] Read more »

Choices Are Hard, Which Choice Will You Make?

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I recently saw this sign on the refrigerator at work:   It’s an interesting sign, one that makes me think every time I go into the kitchen.  But the other day, as I was waiting for my lunch to heat up, I looked at the sign again. Since I relate almost everything to money, I realized that the same mantra can be applied to our debt. It would sound like this: “Getting into debt is hard. Getting out of debt is hard. Staying out of debt is hard. It’s all hard, so choose which hard you want.” I thought this […] Read more »

Being Debt Free is NOT the Goal

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I recently registered for the Twin Cities marathon, which will be held in October of this year. It will be my third marathon, so I’ve been through the training before. However, as a refresher, I dusted off a marathon training book I had purchased several years ago and began reading. The first chapter is quite inspirational. It reflects upon the time and effort it takes to train for a marathon. By the time race day arrives, months of work have been put in, and hundreds of miles have been logged in preparation of the big event. The thing that stands […] Read more »

Your Credit Score — It’s Not a Measure of Financial Responsibility

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If I received a quarter for every time someone told me I “needed” a credit score I would be super rich right now. There are many myths surrounding the credit score and believe it or not, it’s the financial world itself that continues to spread these myths. Ask any educated finance graduate if you need a credit score and you’ll most likely hear a “default” answer of ABSOLUTELY. Ask them why you need a score and not only are you likely to get an evil eye roll, the next words out of their mouth will probably be…ARE YOU KIDDING ME? […] Read more »

Pay Off Debt Faster by Using the Right Financial Tools

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How many of you have a plan you consistently follow each month to pay off debt? Based on my own experience (before my wife and I got our financial heads together), I’d guess that many of you do not. I know the drill. You pay off a little debt here and a little debt there but it’s random and not based on any kind of written (or visual) plan. You make some progress and take a few steps forward but then suddenly find yourself taking a few more steps back. Some of you may even be paying just the minimum […] Read more »

An Open Letter to My Debt

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Dear Debt, I’ve waited 5 years to say these words to you—good riddance. I know you’re thinking that this is some sort of joke and I’m really about to burst into a Green Day song, but I assure you I’m not. I’m legitimately, once and for all, saying good riddance. You have caused me enough grief, frustration and sadness for two lifetimes. And I couldn’t be happier that you’re gone. We started out as friends. You were a constant presence in my life. It was comforting to have you because it was a reminder of the good times we had. […] Read more »

5 Steps to Recover from Christmas Debt

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Guest post by The Happy Rock.  The Happy Rock writes about personal finance at TheHappyRock.com and dug himself out of over $70,000 a few years back.  The Happy Rock also created a debt snowball calculator to aid people in getting out of debt faster. As the hustle and joy of the holidays are fading and the realities of a New Year are setting in, leftover holiday debt can ruin the excitement of the New Year.   If you find yourself stuck in this situation, here are five tips that will help you dig out and loosen debt’s shackles. Come to Terms […] Read more »