Career & Finance: Debt Management

Why do you want to do this?

I have been in debt since I finished college in 2008, and I feel like I'll never get out of it. My dad taught me all kinds of financial lessons as a kid, but I never really heeded them. Now that I'm adult I kick myself for the mistakes I've made with my money. I work full time, but I don't make much more than the state minimum wage. I'm living almost paycheck to paycheck, and while I can pay my bills on time, I'm not paying much more than the minimums on my debt. There are a lot of goals I want to achieve, and things I want to do in the next few years that I can't do unless I pay off my debt.

What three things will you need to make this happen?

I need to learn how to balance my personal budget better.

I need to better identify my spending habits, and learn how to curtail spontaneous mini spending sprees.

My job right now pays the bills, but I am living paycheck to paycheck. I either need to find a full time job with a decent hourly wage, or add another part time job to help make some extra money.

What is the biggest barrier to your achieving this?

Right now I am having trouble finding work; the job markets in my hometown and neighboring city are fairly competitive. Getting my foot in the door will be the biggest challenge.