No Credit Needed hosted Carnival of Debt Reduction #26.  This week’s Flashback comes from The Common Room: Digging Out of Debt.  The poster attributes financial problems to not having a budget or a plan.  An offshoot of this is that it’s possible to get blindsided by big bills, like insurance or property tax.  Looking ahead to what’s going to be due and planning for it is a key to staying on top of expenses and getting out of a debt hole.

• Me vs Debt has posted a solstice carnival Many thanks to Me vs Debt for hosting Carnival of Debt Reduction #118.  This week's carnival has a winter solstice theme, complete with pictures of constellations that will be visible on the shortest day in the northern hemisphere.  Very clever! Her "Ursula Major" editor's picks were: Being Frugal's Twelve Days......
• Flashback: Have a plan for your debt-free life Savvy Saver hosted Carnival of Debt Reduction #35, and this week's flashback comes from Debt Sense: Once the bad debt's gone, then what? What a great question to ask! It's so easy to get immersed in the debt reduction swing of things that once the debt is gone and there's......

• Happy Tax Pre-Preparation Weekend (and Personal Finance Links) I took a little time off this weekend declaring it my Tax Pre-Preparation Weekend. Yep, my taxes are so complex it requires prep before you prep. I long for the days when I could spend a couple of hours putting data into TurboTax and be filing taxes before Valentine's Day.......
• Tackle Your Debt With 5 Effective Tactics Experts estimate that nearly 40% of adults across the country are carrying significant amounts of debt and the total amount of consumer debt across the nation has climbed to record high levels.  Many people are finding themselves drowning in debt as home equity lines of credit are cut off and credit......