In fact, the bigger the bill, the less likely you are to spend it. If you want to really save money, spend only cash and carry only fifty-dollar bills.

If you'd asked me a few years ago about debt settlement companies, I probably would have told you to avoid them.

If you're filing bankruptcy, you will likely want to hire an attorney. But for debt settlement, a company is sufficient, or as I said, you can often do the legwork on your own.

You won't be caught off guard and you won't feel guilty, because you'll be spending money that you've allocated for the occasion.

When you default on a secured debt, the creditor takes the asset that backs up that debt. When you convert credit card debt to mortgage debt, you are securing that credit card debt with your home. That's a risky proposition.

You must be sure - and I mean absolutely positive - that you have the willpower to pay off those credit cards and not use them again.

You can have a do-over starting today. But you have to get over the feeling that it's too late