Blogging Away Debt

Motivation for the Weekend – More Bloggers Who Have Paid Off Their Debt

Back in February of 2007, I listed some bloggers who captured that sweet moment of debt payoff while blogging about it. Well, it’s time to update that list with a few more inspirational success stories:

Debt Hater – $16,000 in credit card debt

I started this blog about three years ago in a panic. I was nearly $16G in credit card debt AND I had a nearly new car payment, new job and new expenses. Two jobs, two moves and the same car later, and I did it.
I messed up A LOT on the way.
I didn’t always do the brilliant financial thing.

Brainy Smurf – $28,000 in credit card debt

Today, itâ€™s 100% gone.
The hockey jerseys are paid for. The vinyl siding is paid for. The roof is paid for. The furnace is paid for. The computers are paid for. The camera equipment is paid for. The BMW is paid for. Even the $7k vacation nearly a decade ago is paid forâ€¦

The Bizzaros – $24,700 in credit card debt

The Bizarros are out of debt. And have been for a about a month. I wanted to learn how to run up a tree and do a flip to celebrate, and I had planned to do the research, but let’s face it, I’m just not a tree-flipper.

Here are the bloggers from the previous list:

Defying Debt in 2 Years – $30,000 in debt

“I appreciate how I learned who my true friends are and how you can pretty accurately judge a person based on how they treat people who don’t wear fancy clothes or flash their money around. I appreciate the freedom that comes when you don’t have to struggle paycheck to paycheck to survive. I truly appreciate all the things that you can buy with money because I lived so long without having much.”

Beyond Broke – $29,000 in student loan debt

“It’s over, I finally did it.
I am debt free.
This means my paycheques are finally mine. They’re not earmarked to send to someone else. I can now put it straight into a savings account where I’m paid interest instead of being charged it!!”

No Credit Needed – $11,510.22 – various types of debt

“Free at last, free at last, itâ€™s hard to believe but it feels so good, I am Free at last!
Bye, Bye Ford Motor Credit! Bye Bye Chase and Citi! Bye, Bye Credit Card Companies!!! Bye, Bye! Bye, Bye MasterCard and Visa! BYE, BYE!!!”

Free Financial “Playbook for Life” for Teens

by Tricia

Following up on yesterday’s post about teaching teens about personal finance, here is a link to some free resources from The Hartford (an insurance and investment company):

Playbook for Life

The Hartford collaborated with the NCAA to produce a 36 page book that is geared towards teens and personal finance. How much information could they get into 36 pages? A LOT. There are sections about budgeting, interest, credit cards, evaluating job offers, insurance taxes, etc. I read through it and it is a great overview centered around a sports theme.

By itself, the Playbook would be a great resource for teens. What makes this Playbook even better is the accompanying 27 page Parent’s Guide that can be downloaded as well. The Parent’s Guide is full of tips on how to discuss personal finance with your son or daughter and even offers conversation starters. It reminded me of a teacher’s manual with how it followed what was in the Playbook.

Both books can be downloaded immediately or you can request multiple hard copies in the mail. Both methods are free. For further reading, there is even more information on the website that I linked to above.

While I was contacted by a representative of the Playbook for Life program to bring these books to my attention, I was in no way obligated to write about them. I think they are a great resource and they have the best price tag of all (free!). Kudos to The Hartford and the NCAA for providing them.