Are Luxury Hotels Worth the Price?

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A car pulls up to a hotel, the owner gets out as a doorman removes the bags and a valet takes the keys and drives away.  Inside the lobby a well dressed person at the reception desk goes through the check in process while describing all the amenities the hotel has to offer.  Being able to stay at a luxury hotel where employees bend over backwards to do everything for you is portrayed as a symbol of pampering and wealth. But is it really all it’s cracked up to be? My wife and I spent the 4th of July weekend […] 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 »

Preventing Impulse Buys With A Waiting Period: Does it Work?

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Delayed gratification:  The art of making yourself wait to purchase something new.  Some people use a self-imposed waiting period to make sure that they really want to part with their hard earned cash.  The thought is, you reassess the want to make a purchase after a designated waiting period.  Many times you’ll decide against the purchase, thus saving yourself from wasting money on impulsive purchase. But does this practice really work?  I had the opportunity recently to find out. About a month ago, we decreased our cell phone bill by $150 a month by switching to a no contract plan […] Read more »

A Very Special Valentine’s Day Lesson Taught By My Daughter

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Introduction:  A few days before Valentine’s Day my daughter, Tori, came to me with an idea she had for a gift for Vonnie and me for Valentine’s Day.  I could tell that this meant a lot to her, and her sincerity and creativity impressed me so much that I knew I had to help her make it happen.   Tori has written for Enemy of Debt once before, and did a wonderful job, so I asked her if she would write about the experience to share here.   Please welcome back my daughter for a very special guest post: It was only […] Read more »

Paying Off Debt Will ROCK My Marriage

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“Should we stop and get the ladies flowers?” suggested the friend I was car pooling with as we pulled into town. The beaming smile on her face told me that Vonnie was very appreciative of the bouquet of flowers I brought her after being out of town for a few days. Relationships are hard work. You need to show your love and appreciation on a daily basis, as well as put their needs before your own. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. These are things I do willingly and joyfully without even thinking about them. When you love someone, […] Read more »

When Frugal Travel Hacks backfire

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Today’s post is a guest post by NZ Muse, a writer from Auckland who’s just completed a six-month trip around the world. She blogs about money, travel, food, and generally bumbling through Gen Y adulthood. Think you can’t afford to travel? Saving dosh while traveling isn’t much different than saving dosh in your day-to-day life. It’s all about weighing your priorities and cutting back in some areas so you can spend more freely on what matters to you. You can fly from point A to B – or you could catch a bus, or even hitchhike. You can eat in […] Read more »

How Much Do Your Teeth Cost You Each Year?

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One of the foundations of handling your finances successfully is to know where all your money goes, and what you spend it on. Our family just went through our beginning of the year round of teeth cleanings and checkups and as I sat in the chair wondering why it’s so freaking hard for the hygienist to prevent herself from poking me in the gums repeatedly (I HATE that), I also wondered just how much the maintenance of my our teeth costs us for a calendar year. So when I got home, I broke it down: Cleanings: Our family of four […] Read more »

I Don’t Want To Pay Off My Debt Anymore!

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Today’s post is courtesy of John Schmoll, who is the founder of Frugal Rules, a blog created to help people experience financial freedom through frugality. John is passionate about budgeting, saving and investing and enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience with others so they can avoid making some of the mistakes that he made. A veteran of the financial services industry, John has an MBA in Finance and experience as a licensed stockbroker. Now that I’ve got your attention, let me tell you that I’m not thinking of giving up on paying off my debt. 🙂 Instead, I’m expressing the […] Read more »

Date Night With Gourmet Meal, Movie, and More for $15?!?!? #ad

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The holidays are a busy time of year, requiring much of our time, energy and money to be consumed with preparations for family gatherings, and shopping for gifts for our loved ones. With all the hustling and bustling of the season my wife and I haven’t had much “us” time. We definitely needed a date night, but with the budget tight due to holiday spending, the funds available for a date night are virtually nonexistent.  But would you believe me if I said I found a way to have a romantic date night complete with gourmet meal and a movie […] 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 »

Save Money Using Chippmunk + $100 Visa Gift Card Giveaway!

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We’re a week away from the official start of the busiest shopping season of the year. Who wants to save some money? Today I’ve got not one, but TWO ways to help you save money during this year’s holiday shopping season. First, I want to introduce you to a new coupon site called Chippmunk. Chippmunk is super cool because it’s an aggregate savings search engine. Whoah, back up, let’s try that again in plain English. It simply means Chippmunk scours the internet for the best deals so you don’t have to. I was playing around with it today and it […] 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 »

The Cost Of Decluttering Your Home

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It wasn’t how I envisioned my Saturday playing out. After completing my early morning eight mile run, I asked Vonnie what was on her agenda for the day. She suggested we do some much needed cleaning, but first she wanted my help in repotting some plants. After doing one, I started looking for a hand garden shovel that would make the task easier. My search led me to the small shed on the side of our garage. I opened the door of the shed and stared at the cluttered contents, knowing the small shovel was likely buried in a box […] Read more »

Cut A Brisket, Cut Your Costs

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It’s Labor Day weekend and grills across the country are firing up for end of the summer cookouts. We hosted one yesterday, and I was up before the sun (5AM to be precise) to start smoking a brisket for a gathering we were hosting that evening. I removed the fourteen pound mass of meat I had purchased and seasoned the night before from the refrigerator. I snapped on some rubber gloves and began rubbing a little extra seasoning on the brisket ensuring it was fully covered. I ran my fingers across the layer of fat that separates the two major […] Read more »