Share the Wealth: Enter Today for a Chance to Win a $250 Gift Card

What do you do to make life on a budget more enjoyable, easier, and just plain better? How do you manage fun and your money at the same time? Enter our monthly Share the Wealth contest, and tell us your solution to some of life's challenges. Each month, we'll post a new question and look for your innovative answers. You could win a $250 gift card!

This month's Share the Wealth Question is: 

Of all the free resources offered on the CareOne website, which do you find most helpful on your journey out of debt? 

How to Enter 

It's easy to enter; you can share your answer for a chance to win in any of the ways below: 

• Simply post your answer to this month's question as a comment below.
• Follow us on Twitter @CareOneWorks and tweet your answer to this month's question using #SharetheWealth.
• Like CareOne Debt Relief Services on Facebook and share your answer to this month's question on our wall.
• Or enter directly from the Share the Wealth Page.

Official Rules

Of course there are a few rules and regulations; be sure to check them out here. 

All entries must be received by February 24, 2012 to be considered. 

Check out last month's question and winner!

Question:

What do you plan to do differently this year to stay on track financially?

Winner

"My husband and I have set the following ground rules for all purchases: Any purchase over $50 must be discussed and agreed upon. All purchases over $100 must have a "pro/con" survey conducted and discussed. All purchases over $100 must have a 72 hr waiting period. All purchases must be paid for in cash. We implemented these rules for Christmas and they really worked, so we have decided to keep them for the entire year. The dollar amounts can be changed and if a person is single they can substitute a friend/parent/accountability partner, but the principles are invaluable!"

Krista J., Round lake, IL 

Our Other Favorites

• "I am using a budget software program for the first time! I was good about monitoring my bills and due dates with my paychecks, but not so good about planning ahead. I'm confident this budget software will help me do that. I've also cut out a lot of "extras" such as eating lunch out and buying coffee house coffee. It may be just a couple bucks a day, but those bucks are going to add up. Even though I suffered a pay cut at work, I'm confident I'll make it through it! "  Jessica S, SHELL LAKE, WI
• "I plan on being honest with my spouse about finances and asking for help before it's too late; I must be held accountable. I have gotten rid of all credit cards and only pay with cash and I am working hard at getting my credit score up. "  Dodie M., Holcomb, KS
• "Make a chart of our budget, so we can track where our money is going. Then we will try to cut back on the top five categories in which we spend the most money. This way we can start to save more money and be better off! We did this when we were first married and it worked well, however after we had a child we stopped; I wish we would have stayed on it! "  Anika M., Burlington, IA 
• This year I plan to only spend money on things that I can truly afford. That means really differentiating needs from wants and only buying items for which I have the money in my bank account. I plan on establishing a monthly budget and sticking with it. If I have extra money at the end of the month it will go into the savings account to establish an emergency fund. I plan on spending quality time with my family and participating in low-cost or free activities within my community that we will all enjoy. Overall, I plan to make this year completely different by appreciating and enjoying all that I have that does not come with a price tag (good health, my family, and my friends) and working towards my goal of becoming debt free! "  Carnitta M., Cincinnati, OH
• "I have an automatic withdrawal set up from my checking to my savings account each and every month. It was a big amount at first, but I don't even notice it anymore! I have really started to save money! "  Matthew S., Buckhead, GA

We look forward to your answers and hope to see you in the Winner's Circle next month!   

Suzanne Cramer  

Suzanne is a certified credit counselor and a Social Media Specialist for CareOne Debt Relief Services. Suzanne writes for Divorce, Debt and Finances and A Straight Talk on Debt. Follow Suzanne on Twitter @ADivorcedMom  and @AskCareOne where she shares her insights on divorce and managing your finances.