Courtesy of www.daveramsey.com

Digging through some old sites and came across this one. I marked it, but never returned. Good articles here like this one. It bears more exploring.

How I Escaped from Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck ∞ Get Rich Slowly

Monday, 2nd July 2007 (by J.D.)
This article is about Money Hacks, Basics, Budgeting

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Many of you wrote last week to say that I was too harsh on my friend Gillian, the woman with the “I can’t” attitude. Perhaps you’re right — I may have given up too early. I used to live like she does, and if I can turn it around, anyone can.

For a decade I was a deficit spender. I spent more than I earned. I used credit cards to fund a lifestyle that was beyond my means. Eventually I wised up — I destroyed my credit cards and cancelled my accounts, but my worries weren’t over yet. I wasn’t digging any deeper, but I was still stuck at the bottom of a hole: I was living paycheck-to-paycheck.

Twice a month I would deposit my paycheck, pay my bills, and then look to see how much was left. Whether the surplus was $20 or $200, I made plans for it: comic books, video games, clothes, whatever. I used to joke that I was an expert at spending every penny I had. Except that it was no joke. Late at night, when I couldn’t sleep, I would wonder why I could never get ahead.

Baptist Press - Even at Christmas, too much is too much

Even at Christmas, too much is too much

Posted on Dec 21, 2007 | by Tammy Darling

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Is the toy box overflowing? Are your child’s closet and dresser drawers jammed beyond capacity? Is every available space in your home being utilized in an attempt to store all the stuff?

Special days such as Christmas and birthdays can quickly result in an overabundance of stuff. To help alleviate this problem, let friends and relatives know you appreciate their desire to give something to your child, but that it would be great if they would limit it to just one item.

Too many toys and gadgets and too much clothing may not be the sign of a spoiled child or even a rich family. Often it is simply the result of well-intentioned giving gone too far.

GAMBLING

In an article on “What’s Wrong With Buying Lottery Tickets?” Hal Lane observes, “Legalized gambling teaches the following principles:

1. Gambling is good. The state will give its seal of approval to a practice that has led many into addictive and destructive lifestyles. They will be sanctioning a false hope of instant wealth that has resulted in abandoned children, divorce, financial ruin, theft and suicide. They will lose the moral authority to oppose other forms of gambling that will follow.

2. Greed is good. The state will seek to entice players to take a chance on instant wealth. Instead of teaching the biblical principle that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, it will teach that the lack of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

3. It is good to educate the wealthy with money from the poor. Despite skewed statistics that attempt to say that lottery tickets are bought by a cross section of the economic spectrum, the truth is that the poor and desperate buy disproportionately more lottery tickets. “Those making less than $10,000 per year spend more than any other income group, averaging $597 per year. Furthermore, the top 5 percent of lottery players account for over 50 percent of lottery sales, spending on average $3,870 per year.” (Timothy A. Kelly, Family Research Council)

4. The end justifies the means. It is not how we raise money but how we use the money that determines the morality of the means. If citizens are OK with using revenue generated from lottery ticket sales, will state legislators next consider legalizing pornography and prostitution and earmarking those funds for students’ benefits?

Lotteries are thinly veiled cloaks for greed and selfishness. Christians can stand out as stars in a dark culture by refusing to participate in the many forms of gambling, including the lottery.”

http://erlc.com/article/whats-wrong-with-buying-a-lottery-ticket

http://bfads.net/ – Good site with email updates and clickable master shopping lists

http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/ – The Black Friday part of gottadeal.com . Same as bfads.net and yet some differences. I use them both.

General Great Bargain Sites

http://dealnews.com/

http://www.slickdeals.net/

http://morestuff4less.com/

http://www.techbargains.com/

and http://www.gottadeal.com/index.php

April+2007+-+Battling+Lust
Battling Lust
Guys and girls struggle in different ways, but each can help the other in the daily fight.
by Joshua Harris
A major misconception about men is that their problem with lust is much worse and more serious than any woman’s could be. In other words, that men are monsters while women are innocent and pure.

‘NYT’ SUNDAY PREVIEW: Suze Orman Reveals She is the ‘55-year-old Virgin’

And … she has a female life partner. In other words, she is a …

Man, I bet Dobson wishes he did not have her on his show.