On the weekends (mostly Saturdays) I’m going to be working on a series of articles for make yourself and your family as safer then the normal. What do I mean? I mean most people are living paycheck to paycheck, have their credit cards maxed out and living like they don’t have a care in the world, the wealth we think we have is all on paper. The game being played is keeping most Americans just ahead of the repo man.

In my opinion we have been living on the edge of a huge big bowl for a long time. Any number of things can tip us in, either personally or Nationally. Over the next six weekends I hopefully will cover 6 topics that will help you understand how you can make yourself and your family safer. I will start out with a basic look and after we have gone through them, we might take a look at each of them more in depth.

Week One I plan to cover Handling Money by getting out of debt. (this week)
Week Two I plan to cover Shelter and Heating
Week Three I plan to cover Food and Water
Week Four I plan to cover Lighting and Cooking
Week Five I plan to cover Transportation and Communications
Week Six I plan to cover Tools that will help you do all of the above.

I like Dave Ramsey’s Website (http://www.daveramsey.com/) and Crown Financial Concepts (http://www.crown.org/library/default.aspx?catId=31 ) a lot of info there. But the first thing you need to realize is that you are a slave to DEBT.
Pro 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
What I mean, is you cannot go where you want to go, or do what you want to do. You are tied to what ever you are in debt to. It dictates what you can do and can’t. You need to get that in your head, it controls you decisions about everything, your job you have, the place you live, what you can do and when.

If you are out of debt then the money you make (after taxes) is really yours to do with as you please. Would not you like that.

It is said that "Money is what makes the world go round". I don't agree with that premise but i understand that money is a very needful and useful tool, if used correctly. But the saying "I owe, I owe, so off to work I go" is closer to the truth for most people. Debt regardless of what anyone tells you, makes you a slave to who you are debtor too.

The Lord Jesus Christ said in Luke 16:9-13 " And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

Albert Einstein wrote "Not everything that counts is not countable and everything that is countable does not count". An example of what this means to me is that friendship, can be counted on, but a true friend is a treasure that can not be measured. Another unmeasurable commodity in this world is, trust, if you have it in you by others you are a rich man. In the world we live in money is a necessary evil, you need to learn how to use it as a tool and not let it control you.

Two articles one is the biblical bases for getting out of debt, the second is an article about the worldly wisdom of getting out of debt.

Owe No Man
By Pastor David F. Reagan
Romans 13:8 "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."
I hate debt. I have been in personal debt two times in my life (the first time was for medical bills and the second time for taxes). In both cases, the problems went far beyond their original causes and it took several years to get out. The last time we cut back many things (sold our house and rented an old one, went to one older car, got a new job, etc.) in order to get out of debt. To this day I fight like crazy to stay out of new debt. Even the church where I pastor has no debt–not on equipment, land or buildings. My only personal debt is the house mortgage we have and current bills.
However, I also hate the blatant misapplication of scripture. Some men are using Romans 13:8 as proof that any debt under any circumstances is a sin. When the Bible says, "Owe no man any thing," it must mean anything! Right? Well, not necessarily. I am even prepared to prove that these men do not mean anything in a universal sense. They are correct in opposing the evils of excessive debt and easy credit. They are correct in fighting the lack of faith that is usually the hallmark of debt-ridden believers. However, this does not justify the harm done by the serious misinterpretation of this text. Let me explain.
First, look at the text and the context. Paul says, "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another." What has Paul been dealing with in this passage? He has been dealing with the error of some believers who feel no need to pay their taxes because they are not of this world. Paul’s answer is, "Render therefore to all their dues." Whether tribute, custom, fear or honor; if you owe it to them, then give it as they require.
In other words, if anyone has a proper expectation of us; if we owe them–then we should pay it. This matches the teaching of Proverbs 3:27-28: "Withhold not good from them to who it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee." Do not put someone off when it is their right and they claim it. Give them what you owe them to the best of your ability.
But, does this passage also teach that it is a sin to borrow for any reason? Well, just consider. If it is wrong to borrow money, then it is also wrong to borrow a ladder or a saw because as long as it is in my hand, I owe it to the man who really owns it. The verse does not say, "Owe no man any money"; it says, "Owe no man any thing." If it means, "Do not under any circumstances borrow," as some have interpreted it, then it would include things as well as money.
Another thing that bothers me about this interpretation is that it makes Romans 13:8 the only verse in the Bible that makes borrowing a sin. Yes, I know, "The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender" (Pr.22:7). Yet, notice the parallelism. If it is not a sin to be poor, then it must not be a sin to be a borrower. The negative nature of borrowing is akin to the negative nature of being sick. It is not desirable but neither is it a sin. I suppose the person who readily goes into debt when it is not necessary would be like a person who readily exposes himself to various diseases and becomes sick. Both of these men are foolish though not necessarily wicked.
So, as I said, there are no other verses in the Bible that teach the sinfulness of debt. Certainly, any debt entered into out of God’s will is a sin. But this is not the same as calling all debt sin. On several occasions, Jesus used debt in His parables (Mt.18:23-35; Lk.7:41-43;16:1-9). In none of these parables is the debtor evil because of his debt–unless you consider the debtor who was condemned because he would not show mercy on those who owed him. Also, why did Elisha not condemn the widow woman of 2 Kings 4 for not having enough faith? Why did he not tell her to repent and seek forgiveness? Rather, he fixed the problem as an answer to her request for help.
Consider the fact that under the law protection was given to those in debt. "If thou at all take thy neighbor’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down" (Ex.22:26). The pledge was the poor man’s collateral. Yet, the loaner was not even allowed to keep the man’s pledge over night–even if the debt had not been paid. Now tell me, if going into debt is a sin, why did God protect the sinner in his sin? Did God give this kind of protection to those who lie or murder or worship false gods? Of course not! Would God be a righteous God if He protected sinners in their sin? No! Yet there is more. God commanded those who have money to freely lend to those who are in need. Consider these verses:
Deuteronomy 15:7 - "If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth."
Now if borrowing is a sin, God is commanding His people to help those wanting to commit this sin in their sin. This is like saying that if a man wants to commit murder, give him a gun and show him how to use it; if a man wants to commit adultery, drive him to the red light district and give him the money he needs for the deed. This is terribly inconsistent. My God is not inconsistent.
In conclusion, let me say this. The Bible clearly teaches that financial debt is a negative to be avoided if at all possible. We are to walk by faith and the majority of borrowing done by Christians today is a neon sign revealing their lack of faith and their inability to control their desires. Wisdom leads away from debt and toward debt-free living. In today’s society, many are led into debt by foolishness. Yet, there are also debts incurred for proper causes.
Let me close with one personal example. Early in our marriage, my wife and I stayed pretty much debt-free. (I remember that we bought one small item on credit just to establish some credit.) After two years of marriage, we had our first child on the way. We pulled together the $500 fee for the doctor (it was cheaper back then). We also had insurance. As the time for delivery came close, my wife started having some complications. As it turned out, she had a toxemia pregnancy and labor had to be induced early.
Our insurance only covered a maximum of $500 for the hospital visit. Believer it or not, this would have covered a major portion of a normal delivery. Yet, this was not a normal delivery. In fact, the hospital and doctor bills came to around $5,000. So, did I struggle over this debt I was incurring? Was it a lapse of faith that made me allow the doctors to do whatever they thought necessary to save mother and child? Should I have pulled her out of the hospital and told her that we were going to have faith?
Do not tell me that this is different. I went into debt that week. In fact, I incurred debt to about ten different medical services. It took us several years to get out of this debt. If going into debt is a sin, then I sinned that week. But I do not believe that it was. You can judge me if you want, but I would do it again in a heartbeat and never look back. Please, let us not get into extremes that take us where God would not have us go.


Your best investment? Paying off that debt

By John Waggoner, USA TODAY
Sure, stocks are much cheaper now than they were at the first of the year. So are houses.
But if you're carrying a lot of credit card or other debt, your best investment is to pay down that debt.
Think of it this way: If you invest $10,000 in a 10-year Treasury note, you'll earn 3.36% a year, or $336. After 10 years, you'll have pocketed $3,360.
Now, for the sake of comparison, let's say you have a $10,000 credit card bill, and the card charges a 19% interest rate. Suppose your card issuer requires you to pay 4% of your balance every month, so your minimum payment is $400.
If you pay your minimum each month (and assuming you must pay at least $10 a month), it will take a bit more than 15 years to repay your debt. If you pay that debt off now, over 10 years, you'll save $15,672 in payments and $6,204 in interest. Put another way: You'd earn $336 in interest from your T-bill in your first year. But you'd save an average $350 a month the first year by paying off your credit card — clearly a better bet.
Unfortunately, most people don't have $10,000 sitting idle; that's just one reason they're facing a mountain of credit card debt. Still, even if you pay down your debts gradually, you'll free up money for investing later. Just be careful not to dig yourself a bigger hole than you started with. Here are five ways to help get out of debt — and five traps that would probably bury you even deeper.
5 ways to climb out of debt
1. Stop using your cards. It won't do you much good to pay down your debt if you keep adding to it. If you've arranged to have some recurring charges automatically billed to your credit card, see if you can have those bills deducted from your checking account instead. (Be sure to keep track, to avoid overdraft fees on your checking account.) Or see if you can eliminate those bills altogether.
2. Try to get a better rate. Some cards charge 30% or more, and anything you can do to reduce your rate is to your benefit. Start by calling your credit card company, says Gerri Detweiler, an adviser at Credit.com, a consumer website.
"Be pleasant, but be persistent," she says. As you can imagine, the odds aren't great that you'll be rewarded with a lower rate, but it can't hurt to ask.
Should you transfer balances to a cheaper card? Possibly, Detweiler says. But bear in mind that opening new accounts can weaken your credit record. If you can, transfer your balances to a lower-rate card that you already own.
You might also consider a home-equity loan, which would give you a lower rate — and your interest will be tax-deductible. If your home's value has slid precipitously, though, you might not be able to get one. And if you start using your credit cards again, you'll find yourself with even more debt.
3. Pay off cards with the highest interest rate first, and pay more than the minimum.
Suppose you have a $10,000 credit card bill that charges 30%. Your minimum payment is 4% of your total, or $400, and $250 of that payment goes to interest. Even after sending $400 to your credit card company, your balance falls by just $150. (The same payment to a card that charged 12% would reduce your balance by $300.)
The faster you get rid of your high-cost debt, the better, so try to pay more than the minimum. One good source of money: your tax return. The average taxpayer received a $2,225 refund from Uncle Sam last year. That kind of money could go a long way toward paying down your debt.
In addition, the government wants you to spend your economic stimulus payment — anywhere from $600 to $1,200 — at the mall. But your own private economy might receive more stimulation if you used your tax refund to pay off your credit card bill, particularly if you have a card that charges 20% to 30% or more.
Don't limit yourself to windfalls. Even if you can afford to direct only $20 extra a month toward your debt, you'll eventually save thousands in interest and pay off your debt faster.
4. Save. Many people sink into credit card troubles because of unexpected expenses: Your car dies, your furnace malfunctions, your health insurance refuses to pay a big bill. Your first priority, of course, is to pay your credit card. But putting even $10 a week into a savings account might spare you from having to reach for plastic in an emergency.
5. Get help. If you find it hard to craft a budget and stick to it, or you just need a second opinion about how to get out of debt, consider using a non-profit credit-counseling service. Bankruptcy law, in fact, requires you to do so before seeking protection from creditors.
But choose your counselor carefully — some do more harm than good. You can find a list of state-approved credit-counseling organizations at www.usdoj.gov/ust. Many credit unions and military bases offer free credit help. Or you can call the industry trade group the National Foundation for Credit Counseling at 800-388-2227.
5 steps to avoid digging yourself deeper
1. Paying off one card with another. Don't even think about it.
If you have no way to pay off your credit card, it's time to call your credit card company and try to work out a payment schedule.
2. Tapping your retirement account. Talk about expensive money. You'll owe taxes on the entire amount you withdraw from a 401(k) or deductible IRA, plus a 10% early-withdrawal penalty, if you're under 591/2.
Keep in mind that in the worst-case scenario — bankruptcy — your retirement plans would generally be shielded from creditors.
3. Paying off low-interest debt. It's noble, of course, to be debt-free. But if you have a loan that charges 6% interest or less, you shouldn't worry too much about it — unless, of course, the payments are onerous for you. Concentrate on the loans with the highest interest rates first.
4. Using scammy credit-repair firms. Some credit-counseling agencies prey on the desperate. They promise to fix your credit report and enable you to obtain car loans and mortgages. Typically, they demand upfront fees for services that people could do themselves — or services that they don't perform.
Many banks and creditors refuse to even deal with these credit-repair firms, which means you end up losing your upfront money right from the start. You wind up with less money and the same debt.
The Federal Trade Commission offers sound advice on credit-repair companies at www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/repair.shtm.
It also provides detailed information on how to repair your credit.
5. Giving up. In extreme cases, you might have to seek bankruptcy protection and start over.
But if you're willing to make a plan, take some time and work at reducing your debt, you can.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/credit/2008-03-27-get-out-of-debt_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip