This may sound a little bit corny, but ask yourself:

“What will it be like to be debt free?”

You may be experiencing pain from being in debt, from not having enough paycheck for your month, from watching time slip away with unfulfiled dreams.  Getting out of debt to avoid this pain may work, but also remember to look forward to the things you can do when you’re not saddled with so much debt.

If you can’t possibly imagine what good things can come out of being debt free, check out No Credit Needed’s post on twenty things that rock about being debt free.  These are happy thoughts from someone who’s gotten out of a fair bit of debt himself.  The light at the end of the tunnel is nice and bright.

• Picks from this week's carnival As promised, here are some of my picks from this week's Carnival of Debt Reduction: Searchlight Crusade does his usual thorough job with this post on forty- and fifty-year mortgages. New and creative ways to goad people into taking on more debt than they can handle so that they're forever......
• Flashback: Free up your money! The Frugal Duchess hosted Carnival of Debt Reduction #29, and this week's Flashback comes from Mighty Bargain Hunter: Which debt to reduce first? If debt isn't producing income, it's usually best to pay it off ASAP.  But getting a debt completely out of the way, especially an amortized debt with......

• 10 Credit Counseling Tips. If you find yourself in a tough financial situation and are considering seeking the help of a professional credit counselor, there may be good news for you. Since the credit crunch of 2008, and the current recession have led to historic bankruptcy and foreclosure rates, help is a little easier......
• Life or Debt 2010, Free HDTV Giveaway, Winners of Free Software Well it’s time to announce who won the 2 free software downloads from YNAB. This free personal finance software giveaway yielded some interesting feedback for the creators of YNAB. Here was one that caught my eye — from Scott, who downloaded the free trial: I downloaded the trial and like......