You must use, but use wisely.

Coupons are a great way to save money on anything from groceries to to electronics to domain names.

But if you’re not careful, coupons can actually have an adverse effect on your budget. How so?

If you rack up the impulse buys while you’re shopping, you’ll defeat the savings purpose of using your coupon.

One of the funniest memories I have of my mom is that she could never go into any store and purchase just one thing. She would always return to the car with her arms full.

My wife, on the other hand, is very savvy when it comes to using coupons. She’s as sturdy as an oak.

$10 Off? You’re Asking for Trouble

We get a JC Penney coupon in the mail about every 2 months. This coupon is good for $10 off any purchase of $10 or more.

Wow, sounds like free money doesn’t it? But they know that 99% of the population using that coupon will spend more than $10.

This is an amazing coupon if you can control your spending. But if you have trouble putting a limit on yourself when you’re out shopping, then coupons like these present a dangerous threat to your otherwise healthy budget.

If a retail store can get you to walk through their doors, then they’ve won half of the battle.

Retail stores issue coupons because they want to give you a reason to shop with them. They are betting that you are going to spend more than just what the coupon offers.

My wife amazes me with these coupons. She can stroll into JC Penney, pick out something we need for $10, and walk out without paying a cent (ok, maybe some tax, but that’s it).

Although they offer savings, coupons are similar to cash back credit cards because the issuing company is betting that you’ll spend more money than what they are offering in return.

Stay Away From Unnecessary Purchases

Even if you’ve somehow found a coupon for it, an unnecessary purchase is still an unnecessary purchase.

I watched about 5 minutes of an extreme couponing show before I had to change the channel. It was too frustrating watching these ladies use 40 coupons for 40 jars of mustard. Sure, they saved 90% off of their total bill, but about 90% of their purchases were unnecessary items.

[Soapbox Moment: And now grocery stores are cancelling their double and triple coupon programs because of these extreme couponers. Why can't they just put a limit on the number of coupons you can use per item? It's like the wild kid in class is ruining recess for all of us all over again.]

Whether at the grocery store or the gadget store, purchasing unnecessary items, even when using a coupon, should always be considered overspending. And we all know what overspending leads to . . . a financial nightmare.

Use coupons for what you need or what you already have budgeted for, but stay away from unnecessary purchases just because a coupon shows up in your mailbox.

It’s Time to Turn the Tables

Control the coupons, and don’t let the coupons control you.

Instead of going crazy with a $10 coupon, walk out of the store with your head held high and your free merchandise.

When Bed Bath and Beyond offers 20% off of one item, leave the store with one item.

Instead of being controlled by excess, stick to your budget, save money with a wise coupon strategy, and stay in control of your financial universe.

Photo By Lomo-Cam

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Remember your loved ones while you're eliminating debt.

A month ago I wrote a post titled The Sacrifice of Eliminating Debt. In it I detailed some of the sacrifice you need to make in order to blast away your debt.

I’ve been thinking a lot about it recently; especially in regards how it can effect the relationships you have with your family, your friends, and your co-workers.

Getting out of debt is a tough process, there is no other way to put it. But you can’t shut out the rest of your world while you reduce the strangle hold. I’ve done it and I’m realizing that I’m missing out out on life.

Yes, you still need to make sacrifices to reach your goals, but what good is reaching the goal if you have nobody to celebrate with?

These are two statements I made in my earlier post. I still believe they are true, but are in need of some further considerations.

Family: There will certainly be some sacrifice in terms of your family. Does your spouse have to go back to work to make extra money to eliminate the debt? Is a second job in your future? Are you ready to miss a family events because you have to work to supplement your debt elimination plan? These are some VERY important questions to think about when starting the process.

Friends: Can you say “no” to going out with friends? There are many ways to continue your friendships that don’t involve money. Keep up with friends on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, E-mail, Text messages, Phone calls. Let all your friends know about your new mission and I bet some are in the same position. Talking with friends about money and the battles you face is a great way to get support for you efforts.

Family
Eliminating debt really does take a lot of time away from your family (assuming you are working extra to pay it down). Being away puts stress on your spouse, kids, and even your pets. It also puts a lot of stress on the person working the long hours; fatigue, remorse, sadness are just some of the stresses.

These are a few ways to make time to build my relationships with your family.

• Schedule time with your spouse. Block out time to watch your favorite show together, DVRs make this easy. Have the Grandparents watch the kids every other week for a few hours so you can have “date night”. Call your spouse everyday to say “I love you.” Eat dinner together as much a possible and talk about life, NOT WORK. Talk about your dreams together as you settle into bed together. Hug each other as much as possible.
• Schedule time with your kids. Set up a schedule with each child. Take the time to go for a walk with them. Play with legos or dolls with them. Read to them as much as possible. Give all the hugs and kisses you can. Take pictures together. Take them to the mall and just walk around. Attend their sporting events. Text them just to say “Hi”. Having little kids; I love to give them a bath, and to color with them.
• Keep up with the Extended Family. Call your Mom and Dad just to say “Hi.” You can do this on your way home from work (using a hands free device of course.) Invite them over to watch the Grand kids (the 2 birds 1 stone method.) Send them the pictures you’ve taken with the kids. Do your best to attend the family events. Call the rest of the family and make sure to get the scoop and everything.

Friends and Co-workers

• Engage People. Talk with your friends and co-workers. Ask about their families. Ask about how their weekends was. Look at the family pictures they are dying to show you.
• Volunteer. Volunteering can be a very fun way to get involved, and doesn’t have to take a lot of time. The holiday season is here, signing up to bring a dish to the holiday party is a cheap and simple way to get involved. Participate in any charity fund raising going on at work. I had the pleasure to be a guest cook to help our Breast Cancer fundraiser. Look at the picture, sure looks fun to me. It took an hour out of my day, but I raised $100 in tips for Breast Cancer. We are also doing a Toys For Tots drive at work. I save up all my bottles and donate them. The money is used to buy some very nice toys for the kids. We raised over $10,000 by doing this. Just look at the amount of toys you can buy…

Keep blasting that debt away!! Just remember you still need to have a life. As I stated earlier, what fun is being debt free if you’ve got nobody to celebrate with.

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While looking back at how I got into debt I’ve realized one thing, it’s my fault.  Read the rest of the post and see if you can relate.

This story is not just mine.  Almost everyone I know that is around 30-38 years old can relate to almost all of it.  It’s light reading, I hope it will make you smile and laugh.

The Beginning: College

For most of us our debt cycle started in college.  We got hammered by the credit card companies from our first day on campus.  Get this cool t-shirt just for signing up to receive this piece of plastic.  So we signed up and got that cool shirt.

We rationalized our decision with “the card can help us in an emergency”.  The crafty credit card salesperson also tells us we can cancel the account later and still keep the t-shirt, but not many of us do.

We have now participated in using the easiest form of debt ever invented, the credit card.  Instead of tucking that card way and keeping it for emergencies we started to use that new piece of plastic.  Pizza anyone?  I’ve got my new card and I want to try it out.

The bill comes the next month and we chose to pay the minimum payment because we need to conserve our cash for the rest of the semester.  The bill is only a few dollars so we  just pay the minimum.  Again we rationalized this by saying the money we make on our semester break will be used to pay the card off.  The good old “Buy Now, Pay Later” mindset is beginning to take form.

And so it begins, the cycle of debt.

Life after College

After college we walk out with credit card debt and student loan debt.  Since we were so good at paying those minimum payments the credit card companies have decided to raise our credit limits.  Yes I said limits with an s.  By now you’ve received a Frisbee, another t-shirt, and a slinky for signing up for more credit cards at school.

We get our jobs and start making some money.  There are no more dorms or fraternity/sorority house in the real world, so we need a place to stay.  We find a nice place to rent and fork over the security deposit and first month’s rent.

We can’t sleep on the floor so we roll on down to the furniture store and begin to purchase our bedroom set, kitchen table, and living room set.  Since we used all our cash to obtain the rental, we use the in-store “buy now, pay later” credit program to fund the purchase.

Don’t forget about the new car we purchased or leased because we deserved it.  I mean going through school is hard.  The last purchases we made in that week were the TV, DVD, CD, and gaming console required for decompressing from our 8 hours of work that we are now required to perform.  Life can be sooo hard.

There is one other fact to consider after college, college loan debt.  Just another way the cycle of debt is keeping you down.

Life Continues

Now it’s a few years later, we start to settle down with a partner and begin the process of buying a house.  Most of us use little or no money down to purchase a house.  The housing market has been booming and the interest rates are favorable.

Our parents have been telling us to buy a house and stop renting.  The media is telling us the time is now to buy.  All indicators are pointing to a rise in home value for the next 100 years.  People all around us say to purchase the largest house we can afford, sometimes even saying to overextend ourselves because the values are climbing so fast.  As the value climbs our house is worth more and we can sell it for profit or take out an equity loan to pay off our credit card bills.  Many of us do just that.

Of course we have to start the furniture cycle again.  I mean who wants to use the furniture from their rental in their new home?  So it’s back the furniture store to acquire more stuff, some times we haven’t even paid off the first furniture purchase yet.  Don’t forget those new flat screen TVs that are out now.  We are working so hard now we need to relax and watch a TV that is the size of a movie theater.

Oh yeah, that new car is getting old and the “new car” smell is gone.  Time for a new one.  We’re doing better at work now and are earning a little more, so we should upgrade while we’re at it.  $40,000 SUV here we come.

Reality begins to set in

We’ve been paying the minimums for quite awhile now.  Yes, we’ve taken those tax refund checks and paid down some debt.  Yes we’ve started to apply our overtime and bonuses to the debt.  These debts can be  fairly large though.

Then one day we sat down and added all the debt up to get an “overall picture” of the situation.  After recovering from our heart attacks, we start to wonder how this happened.  We look for who to blame.  After looking in the mirror, we realize that it was us.  We were the ones doing this to ourselves.  We are to blame for it.  Then it happens, we realize this has got to stop.  If we don’t change we won’t have money to retire with, fund our kids college fund, or get that new house we want.

The Search

And the search begins, the quest for debt freedom.  We start looking everywhere for help and advise on how to stop spending.  How to begin paying down this mountain of debt.  How to “live like no else so later we can live like on else”(Dave Ramsey).

We read that budgeting and planning are the answers.  How can we pay anything down without knowing the ins and outs of our money.  We draft our first budget and have the family meeting putting everyone on notice.

The Realization

This sucks.  It’s going to take forever to eliminate all this debt.  Again we start searching, we find out that there are others.  Other people who are taking the same journey as we are.  Other people who have taken the journey and who have reached “debt freedom.” We read, watch, and listen to all these stories.

We are inspired by the actions other have taken.  We learn from others and post our stories.  We get energized because the community is so huge.  We realized that this is not just a journey, it’s a life changing event.  We make the sacrifices.  We do what is required to get out of debt.  We run like a gazelle running from the lion (Dave Ramsey again).  We work harder, faster, and smarter than we ever have before.  We just keep going, and going…………….Why?  Because we are sick of it.  We want a life that is not tied to the cycle of debt.  We want to be able to retire wealthy, and be able to support our kids in college.  We want to educate our kids with all the knowledge we’ve gained.  We want to be happy.

The Cycle of Debt is Broken

Congratulations!! We did it.  Now sit back, smile, and think of all the possiblities that will come our way…

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So you’ve decided to take control of your finances and pay off your debt…great! But where to start? One solution you might want to consider in your journey to debt freedom is SavvyMoney.com.

SavvyMoney (formerly Debt Goal)is a web based do-it-yourself debt repayment plan that offers hefty tools, tips, and strategies that aim to optimize and shorten your debt repayment schedule. In fact, the only downside of SavvyMoney.com that I’ve found is that the cost ($14.95/month) is a little hard to find on their website. I’d prefer the cost to be right up front without any searching.

Other than having to drill down to find the monthly charge, SavvyMoney.com has a straightforward user interface and offers a simple-to-follow debt repayment structure.

About SavvyMoney.com

Organization – SavvyMoney.com collects all of your financial information in one place so you can see how much debt you have in total. You’re guided through this process by adding all of your financial accounts into the website’s software either electronically (with usernames and passwords) or manually (with account numbers).

SavvyMoney Accounts Page

The benefit of organization is that it helps you understand your debt situation. Knowing where you stand is the first step in the process of debt elimination. SavvyMoney.com will list all of your account balances, interest rates, and due dates in one place.

Optimize – By entering your financial information, SavvyMoney’s software learns about your current financial situation; how much you make and how much you owe. Knowing this information, SavvyMoney’s algorithm can optimize your monthly debt account payments and savings.

The benefit to payment optimization is that you end up paying more principle and less interest. As a result, the total amount you owe decreases at a faster rate than making minimum (or barely above minimum) monthly payments.

Smart Pay Plan – SavvyMoney.com initially gives you a simple payment plan to follow by setting a monthly commitment that you will pay toward your debt each month. (this is the initial step of your Smart Pay Plan™)

SavvyMoney Smart Pay Plan

You’ll choose a fixed amount that you can afford to pay toward debt each month, and then choose a payment strategy that best suits your needs. The Smart Pay Plan benefit is that you’ll save money by decreasing the principle without dramatically increasing your current monthly payments.

Finalize – To complete your Smart Pay Plan, you’ll choose a financial strategy that will lead you to the promised land of debt freedom. Your financial strategy decision will be based on your current financial situation, your desired lifestyle, and your future plans. You will always have the choice as to which debts you want to pay off first; and this can be changed and updated as you go.

“Creating a Smart Pay Plan is an intuitive step-by-step process that may take as little as 15 minutes.” – SavvyMoney.com

A few other tools available from SavvyMoney.com are monthly summaries and payment reminders, your personal Debt Free Date™, and accelerator tools to help make an even bigger impact in your debt repayment. You can also track your debt reduction progress with interactive charts and graphs.

SavvyMoney’s debt repayment strategies show you the best way to spread around your payments every month in an effort to help you save thousands of dollars in interest and get out of debt years sooner.

What can SavvyMoney.com offer you? Check out their system with a 7 day free trial.

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Is a credit card necessary for emergency purposes?

There are plenty of people who think it is. Is that because the credit card companies have conditioned us to believe this to be true? Have our parents always said that we need one “just for emergencies”? Is that what our broke friends and family memebers have said for years?

Yes to all of the above. But I just don’t buy it!!

Types of Emergencies:

Emergency: Look back at the last year and see what emergencies you’ve had. Are any of these emergencies that could have been paid for in cash? Probably. Are any of these emergencies that could have been billed at a later date or put on a payment plan if they were super large? Probably.

Car Repairs is one category that has hit me personally. There are few common car repairs that will cost more than $2,000. A well-built and maintained emergency fund can handle these repairs. If the repairs are more than the EM fund, you can move money around to get the cash you need.

Hospital Bills Ever hear about people going bankrupt from hospital bills? Yes, hospitals are the masters at billing you. But sometimes, depending on the amounts owed, you can work with the hospital to develop a payment plan so you won’t have to pay your bill in one lump sum. Besides, if you paid a mega hospital bill with a credit card, good luck paying off the interest on a few thousand dollars.

New Cloths This is NOT an emergency. Yes you have that wedding to attend this weekend, but it is NOT an emergency.

Clogged drain Mr. Rooter Plumber is fairly cheap and your emergency fund will cover it. Again Mr. Rooter Plumber is usually a small business and they will setup payment plans if needed.

Rental Cars I just went through this a couple of months ago. You’re ID and copies resent pay stubs and utility bills can getyou into a rental car most of the time. I paid with my debit card and never looked back.

I’m sure there is something I’m missing, but I’m sure you get the point. “Emergency” credit cards are a sham. I have plenty of friends and family who don’t own credit cards and are perfectly safe from financial emergencies. If you decide to get a credit card, make sure you don’t like to yourself about its usage.

What’s your take? Emergency Credit Card or Emergency Fund??

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It's hard to pay $13.50 for movie tickets

I love going to the movies, but I absolutely hate the cost of everything associated with the experience; from the ticket prices, to the concession prices, and even those darn 3D movie price-hikes.

After years of fine-tuning my methods, I’m ready to share my top 6 ways in which you can continue to watch movies on the big screen without breaking the bank. Some may call it “cheap”, but I see these tips as ammunition against price gouging.

Join the Club

Theaters like AMC and Cinemark have “Movie Watcher” clubs and cards. These programs give you pretty generous discounts on ticket prices and concessions. The more you go to the movies, the better the discounts get. There’s even a chance at free tickets throughout the year.

Joining a frequent movie program is worth it for those of us who enjoy going to the movies more than once a month. If you don’t go very often, you won’t really see much of a discount. Check your local theater to see if they have any type of frequent movie watcher discounts.

You Know, They Show Movies Before 5pm These Days

Yes your local theater is showing the same exact movies during the day time as they are after 7pm. No the theaters aren’t filled with crying kids.

If you’re not going to the movies for date night, try making time for a matinee. If you’re stuck at work throughout the week, and who isn’t, you can still cash in on the pre-5pm ticket discounts on Saturdays and Sundays.

Eat Before You Go

I feel like I could buy myself a lifetime supply of soda and popcorn for what I have to pay for exact same refreshments at the theater. Needles to say, I hate the whole system that is responsible for hiking the prices of concessions just because I want to watch a movie on a big screen.

If I go to the movies hungry, I can put away nachos, a large popcorn, some candy, and a large soda. But that costs teeters at $24.

But when I go to the movies on a full stomach, I can get through the entertainment with only a soda, or even nothing at all. Yes, some of it is a mental addiction. Who doesn’t love popcorn and candy at the movies? It’s as American as charging outrageous prices.

Or I guess you could slip some Reese’s Pieces into your pocket.

Be Selective

My movie palate has matured with my age. Yes, I still like action, adventure, comedy, and comics; but I can sniff out a rip-off a mile away. You know, those movies that are purely ridiculous, not even worth the time it takes to think about seeing the movie.

And because of the huge price difference between theater movie tickets and Netflix, Redbox, or Blockbuster movie rentals, I tend to only go to the theater for the mega-blockbuster movies.

You don’t have to be as picky as I am. But if you can group your movies into categories like “see in the theater” or “wait for dvd”, you could save a little cash by not blowing $10 on every movie Hollywood spits out.

Budget

Ok, this tip won’t actually “save” you money by itself. But it can help you free up money within your budget and give you a little pep in your step knowing that you’re not paying for your entertainment with money meant for something else, or, God forbid, a credit card.

And when you combine entertainment budgeting with the above money savers, you’ll be a well-oiled machine of movie-money-saving-madness.

Runner Up

Of course, not all money savers made my top 6. But don’t forget to employ ideas like student and senior citizen discounts, dollar theaters, using your credit card rewards for movie tickets, or asking for a voucher if your theater experience was sub-par (like a noisy theater or sound malfunctions).

Photo By EvelynGiggles

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I just blew away my emergency fund to fix my truck.

Not “blew” in the sense that I wasted it . . . having a running vehicle was necessary. But now I’m out of e-fund cash!

$970 was the total to fix my pickup and get it back into working condition, and I’m thankful we had the $1000 emergency fund to handle Mr Fix It.  But during dinner, my wife asked a very good question that I never thought of while building the emergency fund and setting up our debt repayment plan. 

The question was, “What do we do if the furnace breaks tomorrow and we don’t have that $1000 anymore?” I didn’t have an answer.  I was stumped, the guy who reads about personal finance all day long didn’t have the answer.  So I’m asking for your help dear reader.  What would you do?  How would you handle it?

Looking through my accounts, I’m sure I could piece together the money to fund the next emergency.  I could take some money from my sinking fund that is growing at the moment. 

I could move some money from my long-term accounts, i.e. Insurance, Taxes, or Christmas.  The money would only be moved for a very short period of time, because the emergency fund is now the first priority to fund. 

It sort of feels like starting over with the baby step #1.

I could borrow from my IRA account.  Nope sorry, I already did this for other stupid reasons.  I can’t afford to pay that ridiculous tax again.  I could borrow from a family member.  I guess only in an extreme case could I consider that option.  And of cause I could always pull out that Emergency Credit Card.  I’m trying to get out of debt here, not start over again.

What am I missing?  Are they any other ideas out there?  Remember bad things tend to happen in threes, or at least that is what the “old wives tail” says. I hope my wife has a better story, lol.

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You must use, but use wisely.

I’ve been using them ever since I graduated high school (many, many years ago.) I thought I would share a commonly known frugal hack with you today.

Bed Bath & Beyond offers 20% off coupons that make gift giving more affordable. Besides using them for our household items, we have some other great uses for the coupons. Since most Brides love to register at Bed Bath & Beyond, we use the 20% coupon to purchase the gift.

We’ve used them to purchase wedding shower gifts, wedding gifts, baby shower gifts, and even Christmas gifts. If you are planning to spend $100 on a gift it is a great way to get a $100 gift for $80. In our case, we choose to purchase a $125 gift and get it for $100. I like to give as much as I can so using the 20% coupons allows us to get more for the same price.

Weddings and showers aren’t the only events you can use the Bed Bath & Beyond coupons for. Graduations are approaching fast and Bed Bath & Beyond has a ton of items for college living. Birthdays, Easter and Mother’s Day are all great events to use the coupons on. As with many coupons they are not good on all products, but Bed Bath & Beyond has so many products I don’t think you’ll even notice. Below is a list of the companies that are NOT included.

Gift cards, All-Clad, Nautica, Tempur-Pedic, Wusthof, AeroGrow, Margaritaville, The Sharper Image, Wedgwood, Lenox, Waterford, Vera Wang, Nambe, Riedel, Orrefors Kosta Boda, Oreck, Capresso, Miele, kate spade, Swarovski, Versace, Alessi, Richard Ginori, iJoy

The coupons are very easy to obtain. Follow this link to Sign up for 20% coupon. The link will take you to the Bed Bath & Beyond website to register for their mailing list. Below is a snap shot of the email you’ll receive after signing up. It took me 2 minutes to fill in my info and get the email with my 20% coupon. Once you are on the list, you will get 20% coupons a couple of times a month. The Sunday newspaper includes the coupons every once in a while too. If you need more coupons, have a family member sign up and give you the coupons.

Here’s a great shopping tip: Bed Bath & Beyond honors manufacturer’s discount coupons and even competitors’ promo coupons! Just be aware that all coupons must be used before their expiration date – starting January 1, 2010 the company no longer honors expired coupons.

TIP: Keep the coupons in your car. There is nothing worse than stopping in to Bed Bath & Beyond and not having your coupons. If you have multiple items, you can ask the cashier to ring them up separately and use a coupon for each item.

Good luck everyone

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Back when the gym was fun

Instead of losing money on gym memberships and fees, take matters into your own muscular hands.

1. Use the Resources at Your Disposal

The last time I checked, the city doesn’t issue a service charge for taking a walk or a jog on the sidewalk or through the park. But you can take it to the next level with recreating some of the best exercise machines at the gym with your body’s weight. Push ups, pull ups, core exercises, using chairs for dips, or even running sprints in your back yard.

It might take some imagination, but it can totally be worth it.

2. Buy Used Equipment

We’ve all bought exercise equipment before, or at least have known someone who has. Here’s what normally happens; you buy the exercise machine, use it for a few weeks or months, get bored, get back into your pre-workout routine, get too busy to workout, you let it sit there for a few more months, then you try to sell it on Craigslist.

Instead of buying brand new equipment at premium prices, buy used or borrow a friend’s machine for a while. Besides, the depreciation on this stuff seems worse than buying a new car.

3. Suspension Training

Suspension training uses bars and straps and your body weight to intensify your workouts. You may have seen these systems being sold late at night by popular MMA fighters. Even though these commercials look a little gimmicky, the workouts really work (if you commit yourself).

4. Use the Technology You’re Already Paying For

If you have a tv, a cell phone, or the internet, you have plenty of information at your fingertips to help you fine-tune your workout. There are tons of free tips and tricks everywhere you look. You’ve heard of the show “Biggest Loser” right? This franchise offers an amazing assortment of free workout ideas and eating plans.

You can also find tips, goals, workout plans, and nutrition information by using apps on your phone.

5. Beware of the Fads and Money Traps

Two words . . . Shake Weight. Don’t throw your money down the drain on the “latest and greatest” weight-loss gadgets. Here’s what you need to drop some pounds – eat the right foods, eat the right amounts, and get some exercise. Beyond that, everyone is trying to get your money. Be sure to avoid anything that promises little to no exercise with promisesof shedding pounds.

Even if the magic pill actually works, you’ll have to buy them for the rest of your life to keep the weight off. Once you quit the pills, the weight comes back.

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Addiction can be simply described as a compulsive or obsessive relationship to a substance or behavior.  The most common addictions are Alcoholism, Anorexia, Drugs, Gambling, Sex, Smoking, Hoarding, and Spending.

With a list like this, it’s no wonder that the word “addiction” has such a negative connotation. But can you be addicted to something positive?

What about personal finance? Can you really become addicted to fixing and streamlining your finances?  Of course!  When people are so focused a single overriding goal they call it being passionate, that sounds better.  The first person that comes to my mind when thinking about passion is Dave Ramsey.

Crazy Like a Fox or Intense Like a Gazelle

Dave Ramsey uses the term “Gazelle Intense” to describe this passion.  Gazelle intense just means that you are doing everything in your power to get out of your financial rut.

He came up with this term after reading Proverbs 6:4–5, which says, “Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids. Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.”

Escaping a predator is a great way to describe how intense and focused we should all be about getting out of the oppression of debt.

Dave Ramsey is very animated while describing it (if you’ve seen him live you really know what I’m talking about).  Don’t you think Dave is a little addicted (passionate) about helping people get out of debt?  I sure believe so, just like he was when he was getting out of his own debt.

What are You Passionate About

I have turned my current situation of “Debt Prison” into an all out personal finance addiction.  I want to get out of debt and will not stop until I get there.

Do you have this same attitude?

I read at least 50 blog posts a day either through my RSS reader, or my favorite medium – Twitter.  Why do I read and read and read about personal finance?  Because I’m still learning.  If I was smart about money and the ways of the personal finance world, I wouldn’t have gotten into my debt mess to begin with.

I’m the type of person who needs to know.  I need to figure things out, I need to understand how everything fits together and works like a well oiled machine.  I crave it.

I’ve followed the tips and tricks of Dave Ramsey and countless other PF bloggers, drinking up all of the Kool-Aid – oh yeah!  I’ve been able to rock my financial world with everything I’ve learned.

More Great Posts From DeliverAwayDebt

• The Sacrifice of Eliminating Debt – Sweet Rewards
• DeliverAwayDebt on Blog Talk Radio with Ask Mr. Credit Card
• Credit Relief Act
• Build Relationships While Eliminating Debt