Don't lose hope in battle to become debt-free

By: Greg Kratz
Last week, I 'fessed up to my personal debt issues and what we are doing in my family to slay that beast.
It's nice to know I'm not alone.
You may recall that I responded last week to an e-mail from a reader named Harvey, who remarked on allusions I have made to credit- card debt we are carrying as a family. Harvey wrote that I, as a financial pundit, should know better and should be debt-free. That way, people would be more likely to follow the advice I pass along from the financial experts I interview.
I replied with candid statements about our efforts to get out of debt, which were successful for a while last year before they were foiled by unexpected car-repair expenses and overspending on Christmas gifts.
A reader named Jewel wrote in to stick up for me a bit.
"While it is ideal to be debt-free, most families have mortgages and car payments regardless," Jewel wrote. "And regarding financial pundits -- they are most likely in debt as well.
"I hope you asked some of your friends about this, Greg. As long as you are trying, that is really all any of us can do. You are human. And you are a journalist, NOT a financial broker. ...
"We are debt-free, and it is wonderful. We weren't always that way. Please know that with time and age it does get better and easier."
Thanks, Jewel. We really are trying to become debt-free, and I have confidence that we will succeed. Knowing that it might get easier as we grow older gives me a boost. It's nice to hear about something that doesn't automatically get more difficult with age!
Harvey, who wrote the e-mail I responded to last week, also corresponded with me again. And what he wrote this time gave me even more hope.
"We used to have in-law loan debt, student-loan debt, credit- card debt and Honda Odyssey debt," Harvey wrote. "We made a trip to Disneyland once and felt the aftershocks for months. Discover Card and our student loan company started giving us a hard time. That is when I determined something had to change.
"I discovered that you won't get out of debt for good unless you get emotional about it. To say that I was 'emotional' would have been a huge understatement. If you checked my records at the (local) library, you would see that I checked out nearly every financial book there."
Harvey wrote that tips from well-known anti-debt guru Dave Ramsey gave him the tools he needed to achieve his goals. He doesn't want to sound like a Ramsey "nut," he wrote, but he is a believer in what he learned.
"I was driving home from work one day, ticked off about our situation, when I heard Dave Ramsey on the radio for the first time," Harvey wrote. "That moment changed our lives forever -- from stress and worry to financial peace."
I'm glad you found that peace, Harvey, and that you were willing to pass along what worked for you.
As regular readers of this column know, I have passed along advice from several debt-elimination experts over the years. I'm not sure if any one of their plans is superior to the others. But if you find a plan that works for you, is legal and helps you live a better life, I say go for it!
The most important thing, as Jewel mentioned, is to keep on trying. If you have a lot of debt, the mountain you face may seem insurmountable. But if you change your habits and start chipping away at it, little by little, you can succeed.
In fact, if you have a personal debt-elimination story, please send it in. I might share it with readers to inspire them -- and me! -- to keep on fighting.
E-mail: gkratz@desnews.com
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