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If you overspent this Christmas, I invite you to take a few minutes to read my Guide to Getting Out of Debt.
Also, I urge you to plan ahead for next Christmas by saving money for gifts throughout the year. Yes, it is far better to give than to receive. Nonetheless, it’s critical […]

The 2007-08 FAFSA is now available as of January 1. Filling out and filing the FAFSA early is critical to getting the best need-based, and often merit-based, financial aid packages. The best packages are given out early, so don’t procrastinate on this!
You (and possibly your parents) will need to figure out your taxes […]

We all make them. And we all break them. What is it about New Year’s Resolutions that are so hard to keep?
If your New Year’s Resolution is to pay down your debt, here are some ideas to help you succeed. (If your Resolution is to lose some weight, well, good luck […]

Getting out of debt really boils down to this: you either need to spend less or earn more.
Because taxes take such a large bite out of your income and because your time is limited, it’s usually a lot easier to trim your expenses than to increase your income by the same amount.
Tightening your spending […]

Money Crashers, a money guide for young people, posted a nice brief article today about how to interpret your credit report for mistakes and signs of identity theft. Check it out here.
Also see this article on how to most effectively use your free annual credit reports.

Christmas 2006 was a record season for gift cards. Some people feel that giving a gift card is more “personal” than giving cash. What do you do if you get a gift card that you don’t want or would rather have the cash instead?
Sell it.
There’s a healthy aftermarket for gift card sales/trading […]

I’ve long been an advocate of seemingly small changes in lifestyle that make big differences in getting out of debt and downsizing expenses. One small change you can make starting right now is to cut back on eating out, or even quit cold turkey. (You can still eat a cold turkey, just […]

There’s living below your means, and then there’s living below your means. Read here about a group of people that didn’t buy anything other than food and basic health & hygiene items for an entire year.
Unfortunately, idealism trumped intelligence in this experiment. One member of the no-spending group said, “It is about […]

Oh, if only your boss were as generous as MBNA! I’ve gotten more “raises” from my credit cards — in the form of credit limit increases — than I ever have gotten working. The funny part is, I never requested more borrowing power. I didn’t need those increases. I didn’t […]

Each week I summarize noteworthy credit and money management articles in the news and in the personal finance blogosphere. Without further adieu:

One reason we get into debt is that it’s hard to keep up with the necessary expenses of life, like soaring electric and gas bills. Jonathan @ MyMoneyBlog asks, “Do You […]