Blogging Away Debt

Debtors Anonymous and Debt-Anon: Updated June 2019

Editors note 6/11/2019: Republishing Tricia’s initial work due to the importance of the topic.

In response to my post asking for resources for those who are at odds with their spouse about debt, a reader sent me a link to Debtors Anonymous.

You’ve probably heard of Alcoholics Anonymous and the work it does to try to help people with alcohol problems. Debtors Anonymous works to help you recover from debt.

It holds meetings, most are in larger cities. However, there is a page dedicated to online and telephone meetings. Unfortunately, from what I read, it looks like the numbers are not toll-free.

If you need someone to talk to or a support group for guidance, perhaps there is a resource in there that can help you. For those suffering from problems with debt and their spouses, I didn’t see anything right off-hand that would pertain to you. I contacted the Debtors Anonymous organization and the folks were unaware of any active Debt-Anon groups. However, they mentioned that some people find literature from Al-Anon or Gam-Anon helpful.

I did a quick internet search on Debt-Anon and found Debtors Anonymous group finder page (here). There appears to be a number of active groups through churches, civic associations, and clubs.

I’ll keep my eyes peeled, and report back with any other resources I can find for those who have loved ones affected by debt and overspending.

Hope’s Debt Update – May, 2019

by Hope

Guys! I am officially down to two debts…just two! And I am actively making progress on both!

My student loans came out of deferment based on an income based repayment plan this past month and my monthly payment is $306.50. And I made a small amount of progress on my credit card this past month after the unexpected education costs for History Buff.

Without further ado, my debt update:

Creditor	Balance (as of 10/14/17)	Interest	Min. Payment
Student Loans	$35,015	2.88%	$306
Credit Card	$2,075	17.00%	$32
Total	$37,090		$338

My Plan

My June plan is simple…pay off my credit card. Since I have already determined that this will be my lowest cost month in over a decade and I am, of course, taking part in the June challenge…I’m all in! There are few obligations that will pull me away from home and I plan to keep my meals very simple and cheap.

I am just so thrilled to be so close to something that I have been working toward for some many years. And I am so grateful for all the support I’ve gotten from this community.

Now, the student loans…

I don’t know if it will help, but I’ve decided to pay $100 per week to the student loans. This should put me a little over the $306 monthly payment. And of course, once my credit card debt is gone, I will have to make a decision between paying off my student loans and saving towards a car.

The Car Situation

Right now, I am not thinking about purchasing a car at all. Not having a car has not been a hardship for two reasons:

The twins’ schedules are flexible enough that I am able to run errands in their down time using their cars.
My grandmother has allowed me to use her car when I was in a crunch, specifically when Princess needs to be somewhere and the twins’ cars are not available.

With Sea Cadet leaving at the end of July and leaving his car behind, there really is no rush for me as I will have free use of his car at that point. While his plan is to sell the car since he will be gone for a year, he has already given me the title to deal with that when it works for me.

Here’s to a fantastic financial month. I’m really looking forward to seeing what all happens this month, I have really high hopes. If you haven’t already, please read the June Financial Challenge. Let’s keep each other accountable!