I must confess my wife was all-in before I was. What follows are not the steps it took to get me involved- I was easy, kind of. My wife basically said “Let’s try this” and I went along, kicking and screaming, but I went.

I realize all (____)  are not like me, so here is what I suggest for them:

1. Prepare.
PRAY. Ask for guidance on what you can do to make this transition easy for your (___). Be prepared to say “I’m Sorry for not being sensitive to how you feel about this”.

2. Slow Down.
Your excitement can be a turn off. At this point you have bought in to the concept of debt freedom, you’re sick and tired of being broke, you have a “why” in mind on the value of being debt free. The Problem is they are not there yet, and all they will hear is the “what” when you talk about being debt free- What they have to do, what they have to give up, what, what, what. You cannot expect them to jump on board a moving train, pull the emergency brake and take the next step…

3. Sell the Dream.
Talk to them about the “why” of being debt free. Talk about your dreams. “What would it be like to have no car payment?” “Wouldn’t it be great to send the kids to college without debt?” “How would it feel if we could go on vacation and pay cash?” “I think it would be cool to do this-or-that” are some good starters. Only after you are on the same page for “why” can the “what” be discussed.

4. Be Flexible.
When you make it to this step (sometimes it takes a while to get here), its time to be real about the sacrifices needed to get the “whys”. The amount of time it takes to get debt free is directly related to the intensity applied to the steps to get there. This is where flexibility is needed. The newly on-board (____) may not be totally ready to get intense- turning off cable, selling everything that’s not tied down, eating beans and rice, taking extra job(s), etc. Have a plan on discussing the level of sacrifice you are willing to make and be willing to be firm (but flexible) on their level. If your level of sacrifice is intense they are more likely to come along side of you. Sacrifice is not fun, so be prepared for some push-back.

5. Get Ready.
When you both are on board, dreaming together and in agreement on how to get to those dreams, just watch what God will do!

Let me know where you are in the process.

Comments encouraged

In the past months I have really been trying to find my way in all of this-
How do I help?
Who will actually admit they need help?
Do I just retread financial blog posts?
Do I use this blog as a rebuttal blog to other financial lies being posted?

I believe there is a need, and I believe I have the capacity to help. The real question is, will YOU participate in the process?

I need your input- questions, comments, etc. I need YOU to help me help you and prayerfully others in the process.

For this blog and movement to be a success I need to talk to people and the issues they are facing, not just the vague internet and guessing at what you need or want.

Remember, this blog is for the financially stressed, and the financially blessed- post your financially successes too- you can be the light others can see through their dark times.

Now, back to my declaration- I have created an AudioBoo account- http://audioboo.fm/YourPersonalEconomy where I will answer your submitted questions in audio format. There is also the ability to subscribe to the podcasts and listen on iTunes. The “*” is because there are certain things I simply cannot answer due to legal reasons- what stock to invest in, should you file bankruptcy, etc. I can however tell you suggested investment ratios for growth, blue chip, international, etc. funds and discuss with you ways to figure out if bankruptcy really is the answer for you.

The “3 minutes!” part is because the free account only allows for 3 minutes of recorded audio at a time

Send a link to this post to everyone on your email list, all your facebook friends, twitter it… we all know someone who could be helped by this.

Hope to hear from you-

First, we are not in a recession- by definition, a recession doesn’t happen until the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) numbers—how you measure the number of goods made and sold in the USA—goes down for six consecutive months. We are in a slow economy, not a recession. Don’t let the talking heads drive you crazy.

What we have to realize is that the national economy does not work in our best interest…

The national economy is based on our (citizens) spending and generating more personal debt (and interest payments), not saving or frugal living. Lower gas prices and interest rates are enticements to spend, bolstering ‘their’ bottom line, not ‘ours’.

We have to take control of our personal economies- live off less than you make, use cash, remove credit cards from your life, save and give.

Something to think about. If interest rates on cars was 200% would it matter to you if you only bought cash cars? If Credit Card interest rates went up to 90% would it matter if you didn’t have a credit card?

Your thoughts are welcomed.

Recently I read an article in BE magazine, “5 situations when it’s OK to close a credit card“. On first glance, it seems this article will give enlightenment on the folly of credit/debt- but alas it doesn’t and gives me a perfect entry into blogging.

The title alone set me on edge, “when its OK to close a credit card”, as if there was a time when it wasn’t… I still gave the article a chance, but was disappointed none-the-less.

I know many (far too many) people see the value of credit cards and all the things you can do with them, the biggest of which they fail to mention is go in debt.

Part of what I will do with this blog is dispel lies we have been told as it relates to credit, debt, wealth building and general personal finances- the category is called You’ve Been Lied To!

So let’s get to it.
The LIE: There are many positives to credit cards; rebates, sky miles, building credit (score), renting a car, blah, blah…

The TRUTH: There is no positive/upside to credit card use, you are playing with snakes- and even the snake handler gets bit. People spend more when using credit- so even if you’re paying on time and in full you’re not winning. The painful truth is the average balance nationwide (for a family) on credit cards is over $5,000.

The perfect credit card- made from snake skin...

If you are feening to use plastic, get a debit card. Using a debit card will let you do all the things you can do with a credit card, except go into debt. The great thing about a debit card is if its not in the checking account, you can’t spend it.

Getting out of debt requires discipline, a debit card- without overdraft protection turned on- will help you have it. I even know something better than a debit card… Cash.

I must admit, there is a positive to using credit cards… you can be positive you’re going to stay in debt if you use them!

I’d like to hear your take on this, leave me a comment below and let’s discuss.