Wandering Indian Monk hosted Carnival of Debt Reduction #30, and this week’s Flashback from that Carnival comes from Cakes and Ale: Freedom from debt.  How do you best use the money that you’ve set aside to pay down your debts?

• Don’t just shuffle the debt around.  The balances have to go down, too.
• Recognize that you brought the debt on yourself and you have to get out of it yourself.
• Use little windfalls to pay down more debt instead of going on a shopping spree.
• Keep paying more than the minimum on your debts.
• Do all of this with a strategy so that you can monitor your progress.

• Flashback: Debt reduction math vs. psychology Carnival #2 was posted over at No Credit Needed. (You'll be seeing a lot of Flashbacks from his carnivals -- he's done a lot of them!) One article from Five Cent Nickel in this carnival has gained a lot of traction: Dave Ramsey is Bad at Math. Actually, it's the......
• Flashback: Use a debt consolidation service? Mighty Bargain Hunter hosted Carnival of Debt Reduction #24, and this week's Flashback comes from a post by Blueprint for Financial Prosperity: What Do Debt Consolidation Services Offer? Debt consolidation services are legitimate. They help you to simplify your debt reduction process by paying your creditors from one check that......

• Eliminate Credit Card Debt Without Bankruptcy Even tasks as challenging as eliminating credit card debt can be boiled down to less than a dozen steps.  Notice I called them simple, but that doesn't mean they are not difficult to follow through on.  It will take sheer determination, and a lot of sacrifice, to see all those......
• Five Tips for Paying off a Loan Early Being in debt stinks. I’ve always felt that owing the bank (or some finance company) money is like having something hanging over your head. If anything goes wrong and causes you to miss your monthly payment, your whole world could quickly come crashing in around you. I do understand, though,......