I’ve begun working on my personal debt payoff plan. I sat down this morning and worked out my budget for the next couple of months. It’s going to be a bit tight due to tax season and rising energy costs (gasoline, natural gas and electricity are all on the rise), but I think that I can handle it. It will probably take me between 16 and 20 months to pay off all the debt together. But, honestly, it might not even take that much, since I’m expecting that within six months or so, my income will be exceptionally higher from some of the projects I’m taking on.

One of the most recommended methods of eliminating debt is often referred to as the “snowball” method. It works pretty much the way it sounds. You pay off one card at a time. Once you pay off a card, you roll your payment from there into the next card. Here’s more about how it works…

Read any book about sales and you’ll eventually happen upon a statement to the effect of: “People take actions in order to relieve pain (or perceived pain).” The goal as a salesperson is to create that pain and/or help someone realize that they’re in some sort of pain. (I’m not talking about whacking them in the head with a baseball bat. We’ll keep this on the financial level…)

Local news reported this evening that natural gas prices will be on the rise, up to 71% higher than normal. Electricity costs will rise by approximately 17% due to the fact that some electricity is produced using natural gas. What does this mean for your wallet?

Most people cringe at the sound of the word “budget”. It conjures images of penny pinching and “scraping the bottom of the barrel” just to make ends meet, perhaps drastically limiting your ability to spend money on the things you want…