Yes, its back! Oprah’s Debt Diet series that inspired us to start the Smart Cookies only a few years ago. Yesterday was part 2 of 5, and there definitely some great Smart Cookie take aways :
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If You’re Out of Control Maybe It’s Time to Give Up Control. If you’re married or a couple, it doesn’t mean you’re giving up all of your power in your relationship if you give your partner (who is better with money) complete control of budgeting. The Bradleys were hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt due mostly to Michelle’s out of control spending, but yet Michelle felt like she was handing over all the control to the “big man” by letting her husband take control of all of the money. Lesson: If you can’t stop spending, even when you know you’re hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, it’s time to get over your ego and give the power to someone who can manage money properly.
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You Can Do So Much More with Less. A common theme with all of the families featured in the Debt Diet is that their homes and their lives are overwhelmed with stuff. Multiple cars, multiple tv’s, there are piles of stuff in every corner. By making a conscious effort to do to more with less and to value the material things we already have in our lives, we not only save money because we aren’t constantly in buying mode, but we also have more clarity and can even open up to money making opportunities. One of our Smart Cookie premium members, Catherine, recently spent a weekend completely de-cluttering and organizing her home. She wrote in to tell us that only did she feel less stressed, but that instead of spending time buying more stuff, she was out being social and meeting new people. In fact, she just joined a running group and met a woman who need ed help organizing her own home, and she wanted to pay Catherine to help!
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Find The Hidden Money In Your Life You can pay off your debt faster than you think by finding the hidden money that already exists in your life. Over and over again, we are constantly amazed at what we find going through cell and cable bills, even renegotiating car insurance. You most definitely have more money than you think.
Keep us posted on your Debt Diet stories and progress. If you’re looking for a money group to keep you motivated, click here to find one in your area. We recently celebrated that since joining Smart Cookies 70% of our members have significantly improved their financial situation. Imagine what you can do!
And mark your calendars because we will be appearing on the final episode of Oprah’s Debt Diet on Wednesday June 30.
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