Welcome to your My Money Tracker! A spreadsheet suite that will help you uncover the hidden secrets in your spending so you can get out of debt, manage your business, and create a solid plan for financial success.

They call nearly every day hounding us for the rest of our minimum payment which has reached in the neighborhood of $800 a month. Although we are not paying what they request every month, we ARE making a payment. Is there any way we can stop the phone calls? Are we breaking the law by not paying the entire minimum payment?

With all of the paperwork flowing into our lives day after day, it’s easy for it to get out-of-control. Forms, memos, letters, catalogs, mail, flyers and advertising offers are stacked in our In Box. Leave that In Box untouched for a day, and you’ve got yourself a paperwork pile. Leave it untouched for a week or more, and you’ve got yourself a paperwork nightmare!

Many people may say that shedding debt is common sense: Pay for everything in cash and don’t incur any debt. Yeah, sure, easily said when you have a household income of 70 to 80 thousand (and no kids). Obviously the best way to handle your finances is to pay for everything with cash. Not everyone has that luxury.

Many people constantly complain about being in debt but when you ask do you have a budget, do you know how much you owe, or when you suggest they cut back on expenses they look at you as if you are speaking a foreign language, or they just plain out refuse. I am always amazed at this, how can you ever get out of debt if you don’t change your mindset, if you aren’t willing to work hard and make sacrifices. There is no quick fix or cure all to get out of debt. It takes a long time to get in debt and you will not get out of debt overnight.

As a baby when you cried your mother or father came running to take care of you. As a toddler when you cried your parents hugged or talked to you until you stopped. As a teenager when you wanted something you talked really nice and sweet to your parents to get it.

Over one million Americans file for personal bankruptcy every year. The average American household has 10 credit cards. People are living above their means. Americans are drowning in debt and the problem is getting worse. Many people are foreclosing on their homes and will be forced to live on the street because they are in so much debt.

This article is for those families that have sat down at a desk or the kitchen table time after time trying to develop a family budget that they can live with. Why don’t they work?

With all of the different items that the average individual or family spends money on, it can be difficult to keep it separated. You have to have money for groceries, car gas, school lunches, dining out and entertainment just to name a few.

You’ve heard it before. “You always have to pay your bills on time or it will hurt your credit rating”. The fact is that not paying your bills on time can also cost you a bunch of money. The last time I checked being late on a credit card payment can cost you as much as $29 each time. In some cases this is more than the payment.