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I have a philosophy when it comes to most things in my life - keep it simple. Stick to the basics and when the going gets tough - go back to the basics. The same goes with how I handle my debt. Sometimes we tend to overcomplicate things, make things bigger than what they actually are. It's human...

I really liked banking at my local bank. There are so many up-sides to community banks: they employ your neighbors and friends, they sponsor local events, and they are quite literally "invested" in the region itself; it somehow just feels friendlier . I probably have five assorted tote bags, two umbrellas...

Okay. Some of you have followed my blogs about getting married this year, but for those of you who haven't, I still think you may have some interest in how it turned out. Our destination wedding was PERFECT. It could not have gone better. It was everything we wanted and more. What's funny is...

So, here we are in 2011. Wow . There's always that same feeling at the start of a new year: a deep exhale, a big reaching stretch, a hopeful smile for that pristine blank slate in front of us. What will be written on that slate this year, I wonder? I do know one thing - and this is for sure - 2011...

Do you know the true meaning of the song that we traditionally sing at the stroke of midnight on January 1 st ? I looked into it and I was surprised to find that in the simplest form, this song is associated with celebrations AND memorials! How ironic is that? So, it seemed appropriate that one of my...

We all know what time of year it is. The time when all of our hard work is put to the test. The time when budgets are pushed aside, the dust on the credit cards is wiped off, and the pressure of the holiday season is upon us. Don't do it. Don't give in to the temptations of the counter lady at...

Debt is complicated. First, it's just... complicated on its own. Then it gets to a point where it's not just your problem anymore, people are starting to know about it. And that, at least for me, did not feel especially comfortable. My parents were the first to catch wind of my woes, mainly because...

Almost a month ago, I started a new job. I came out of my comfort zone to jump into something a little different for me from a career standpoint. I went from a non-profit company back into the corporate world. I was ready for it. I was ready to jump back into my old life and really see how far I could...

I changed jobs. I really did. I decided to leave the very stable comfort of my current job with the company I have been with for 6 years and try something different. Am I crazy? I don't know. I recently had a job opportunity come to me (I wasn't looking) and it really started to intrigue me....

Sometimes there is great irony in being in debt. I can't tell you how much money I frittered away needlessly in the name of being a "savvy shopper." This trap is particularly perilous at my favorite haunts: Marshalls, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods - you know, all of those name-brand discount stores...

On a bad day if you asked me about the subject of gratefulness as it relates to debt management, I'd hit you up with a sarcastic answer like, "Seeing my credit score tank has really taught me a lesson in humility" or, "I'm grateful to have reached expert status in the art of coupon...

The year was 1990 and I was just about to start junior high. Eighth grade was a year of utmost Store social importance, as students from the district's two middle schools merged for the first time in the labyrinthine halls of the junior high campus. Like the beginning of any school year, there was...

Summertime! That means vacation and fun and friends and amusements parks and picnics and lots and lots of things you want to remember! If you're like me, you're faced with the dilemma of being an artistically-challenged memory packrat. Scrapbooking is not my hobby - so many tools and products...

Calling all bookworms, literati, and bibliophiles! If the preceding terms apply to you, then you share my affliction: a lifelong love of reading and an explosion of books, books everywhere. Or to be Seussical about it: Books that are whimsical, books that are blue, books in the pantry, and books in the...

So here we are-in Debt Management. I'm two years into my Debt Management Plan and some days I still find myself thinking: "This is crazy! How, how, HOW did I get here?" We all have our stories though, right? I know for me it helps to read about other people's experiences, frustrations...