You cannot ignore debt.

If you got it, it’s going to follow you around all your life unless you take action TODAY to cut it down. Some of that action may include spending less, buying a smaller house, moving to a state with a cheaper cost-of-living, etc. Or, it may include you finding better and/or additional employment, asking for that raise, or starting a side business.

Debt is vicious not only because it eats up our cash reserves, preventing us from saving up for and buying what we want. No, debt is vicious because it limits our freedom. How many of you are working two jobs just to make ends meet, and have not had a vacation in years? How many of you have not seen your friends in ages because you are always working overtime? Are you worried about getting laid-off if you take a vacation lasting longer than a week? Have you always dreamed of traveling abroad, but cannot, due to mortgage, car, or personal loan bills?

Your house, your cars, your boat, and all your other possessions, if not paid for in full, are a limit to your freedom. This is the real curse of debt. Sure, it might be nice to live in your 2,000 square foot bungalow, and have a new car every five years. However, consider this: these possessions are simply the fixtures of your jail cell. Your entire life is slowly sliding away while you tack on that extra deck, that swimming pool, or that nice paint job onto your truck, on a layaway plan. As you sit about on your deck, or swim in your pool, you will miss out on that trip you could’ve taken to Europe, that year’s sabbatical you could’ve taken to write your book, or that new business venture you could’ve started with the cash you just put towards another shingled roof.

Let me ask you this: would you rather have a new car or a year of life? Because, assuming you do go buy a car, the amount of money owed on the vehicle will equal about a year’s salary, at least for most people. That means that, for the price of that car, you could’ve taken a whole year off and traveled, or just stayed with your family.

I’m not advising that you avoid seeing the dentist, or that you not take a student loan to further your education. But the idea of living within your means has to be more than just an idea. Otherwise, debt will be your constant companion, never allowing you freedom, which is your inalienable right. In the words of the poet William Wordsworth, by "getting and spending, we lay waste our powers (ref.)."

How can you get out of debt, especially when you have credit card bills piled up on your desk, a mortgage to pay off, and car loans to boot? No one said it was going to be easy. Looking into debt consolidation, mortgage refinance, and even the selling off of your unnecessary possessions, may be the answer. The important thing is obtain good debt advice and work towards a solution as soon as possible. This site will examine several methods for debt reduction and debt consolidation. The important thing, though, is to understand that having and possessing are not the end-all and be-all of our existence. Rather, these actions often end up hurting us, and making us prisoners of our own desires.

In order to help those of you who are mired in debt, I’ve started writing a series of debt-related articles which provide useful information on debt, debt consolidation, repayment, and much more. Here are the first articles in my series:

1. 8 Ways You Can Start Reducing Your Debt

2. When Paying Off Debt is Not a Good Idea

3. Two New Government Programs for Student Loan Debt

4. CAR is just another word for DEBT

5. 4 Reasons Why You Need A Budget 

6. The Truth Behind Debt Consolidation Loans

7. What You Need to Know About Bankruptcy

8. Home Equity Mortgage Loans- Good or Bad?

Other Useful stuff:

Trent, the creator of the web site The Simple Dollar, provides the following Ebook, called "Everything You Ever Really Needed to Know About Personal Finance on Just One Page." This Ebook, which is actually 49 pages long, describes at least 100 ways you can save money and lower your debt. And the best part is that the Ebook is free!

Everything You Ever Really Needed to Know About Personal Finance on Just One Page