The funny thing is the changes can have big results fast. My view is to look for fast, small successes. They lead to bigger, massive successes.

Thanks for sharing your experiences . . .

For me, I got to where I am now (on my way out of debt) because I hit rock bottom. The whole, “the only place to go from here is up” phrase, totally me in January of 2007.

I think God often uses our mistakes and stumbles to shape us. To have a better understanding of what others go through, sometimes it helps to have gone through similar situations ourselves.

I know for me, if a friend of family member ever deals with debt, or losing a house, or has a family member with mental health issues….I know I’ll be able to at least empathize with that person, rather than just sympathize.

~debtkid

We ended our ride six months ago. Put every credit card we had through the shredder one month before Christmas. It was the best Christmas ever. We told people we weren’t exchanging gifts that year. For some that went over like a lead balloon. For others you could see the relief on their faces. (made us think some others were still flooring it in their own race) Ultimately we didn’t care what anyone thought. The freedom we felt was amazing. Freedom in the midst of $55K of debt.

We’ve really been struggling (like many are) to get beyond the debt. We’ve had my job loss and three paycuts in DH’s job. We just keep adjusting the budget though and selling off more things. I’ve gone back to selling on ebay and looking into blogging as a side source too. You do what you have to do.

Ultimately what we’re finding is what we thought was important isn’t anymore. So although a constant source of struggle we’re growing in many more ways. Our marriage is becoming stronger and our children are learning valuable life lessons too. God is using this for good. So we choose to focus on that.

So I wanted to say thank you for a great post. (sorry my comment is so long…I can be long winded lol) I always find little nuggets of wisdom on your blog to help us keep plugging through. We’ll get to the other side. I pray the same for everyone else too. :)

Blessings,
Melissa

Once the emergency fund is in place, you can then begin tackling any debt you have. The series addresses this too.

It also sounds like you have an income crisis and need to maybe beef up the income a little so you can get some emergency savings in place a little faster. Look for part-time opportunities anywhere: Pizza delivery, paper delivery, fast order cook, grocery stores, etc. I’d also strongly advise you to look at your hobbies and talents and think through how you could monetize those. My wife is very artistic and when we needed some extra cash a long time ago, should would paint, draw, and make decorative items for peoples homes. We would sell these on the weekends at the local flea market. You could also do well with items like this on eBay and Etsy.com.

Focus on your strengths and the things you’re good at, then find people willing to buy your items or services. eBay is a great place to start. You can sell pretty much anything on eBay, the trick is finding a niche.

Speaking of selling things, that’s another area you can look at. When we decided to get control of our finances, we had a HUGE garage sale. We sold old clothes, DVDs, junk in the garage, old toys, etc, etc. Made almost $700.00 all said and done just from selling all the stuff we had accumulated over the years that we didn’t really need anymore. That was a nice deposit into the emergency fund.

Even in a recession, there are people willing to spend money. The trick is finding them and selling or marketing to them. For example: my Empty Cabin Media business. I love developing websites, am reasonable good at it, and have blogging experience from starting Gather Little by Little. I thought it would be fun to help others do the same so I started Empty Cabin Media. Some months later, I’m hiring people to help me and frankly have more work than I can handle. Yes more work than I can handle, even in a recession. Like I said, there are opportunities, you just have to seek them out.

Keep us posted on how you’re doing, and feel free to bounce any ideas off of me (or my readers here on GLBL). As for you thanking me for writing…I think it’s the other way around: Thanks for reading!!

micki, you have come to the right place/blog. I/we know how overwhelming your financial situation can be; most of us have been were you are. Take the time to write things down on paper and use this blog to help you gather the tools to get control of your money. Knowledge is power. You say ‘we haven’t been eating out’ – that is a first step in the right direction. A lot of us are Dave Ramsey fans – his website has good info too: http://www.daveramsey.com.

I’ll keep you in my prayers.

i am trying to find another route or something that will keep our heads above water but it isn’t working well…its a rough economy.

anyway, i am really enjoying this blog, thanks for writing it…