It is no wonder in these economic times that an estimated 70% of households in the United States live paycheck to paycheck with no relief in site. In an effort to make ends meet, consumers continue to use credit cards to fill the necessary gaps.
According to the most recent research, the average household spends $1.22 for every $1 earned (MyVesta) and the average household credit card debt is at an all time high in this country of $8400 (CardWeb)! "At one point I had over 18 credit cards all that were at their maximum limit. This shock came after filing for a divorce to an addictive gambler. To my horror, I discovered I was facing $50,000 of cash advances that were used to feed his gambling addiction. The judge felt it was only fair to split the debt and I wound up $25,000 in debt at the age of 22. How is it, I wondered, that my husband could make me an authorized signer, without my knowledge, and make me responsible for his debt? Despite my best attempts at fighting this, I wound up $25,000 in debt! I vowed at that moment to never make such foolish financial choices again. That was nearly 15 years ago, and even though I accumulated more debt by returning to school along the way, Im now and forever more completely debt-free." states Kimberly Griffiths, author of a new book, ONE PAYCHECK AT A TIME.
The author further reveals, "Ironically for over 12 years I worked as a Banker marketing credit cards and loans with huge fees to customers. From this experience, I stumbled onto to a system that seemed to help me become debt free. ONE PAYCHECK AT A TIME is not an auto-biography of how I reached debt-free status; rather, its a workbook to help you get out of whatever debt YOU are facing by mastering one debt-free technique each pay period. If I managed to pull myself out of over $25,000 in debt with the tools I learned over the years, you can do it too. The workbook has been arranged in a personal journal format so that the reader customizes the budget exercises in collaboration with the timing of their paychecks."