Thanks, everyone, for your feedback. Art, you are so right about wants and needs. We in the US are spoiled, so we frequently confuse the two. I'll have more to say on this subject as time goes by. Damir, thank you. Is your wife also an Adland member? Do I know her? Linda, I've taken a look at it on Oprah's website, but haven't followed closely. If I remember correctly, the subjects are quite young compared to my target audience. That's not to say it isn't of interest, just that the advice often falls on deaf boomer ears because they think it's too late...as we know, it's never too late. Lawton, thank you for calling the book to my attention. I'll have to find a copy and read it. Sounds like it's right up my alley. Cheri

Wow, this is a great forum. We all could learn a great deal here. Most of the things we want are not the things that we need.

Hi Cheri, Good advise! I wish I'd started an emergency fund last year, would have made life easier this year. Seems like every little bit I save or any extra I make seems to have some place to go besides my savings account or emergency fund. Yea, Its just because I'm stuborn and think I have earned deserve what I want in stead of thinking more of the future like I should.

thanks, Cheri; very sound advice and so well expressed. Dave

Scott, Well, I can't argue with that, or preach about it either. Most of the debt I've paid off (several times now) was for impulse purchases of things I didn't need, some big-ticket, like time-shares. Anybody want to buy a time-share really cheap? lol No one is perfect, least of all me. I'm just hoping to share what I've learned and hopefully spare someone the pain, or at least help with it. What helped me this time was a different way to analyze it and a faster way to deal with it--along with a lot of good advice I wish I'd seen earlier. That's what I'm sharing here. Don't give up! Something I saw recently in a diet book affected me profoundly in that area, and I think is relevant here. What you spent yesterday has no relevance for what you choose to spend tomorrow. If you fell off the saving wagon, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and climb back on. Don't assume it's too late. Now, don't get me wrong...I'm sensitive to the financial messes we make for ourselves and that others make for us, AND the implications those have for the future. Everything from not being able to afford a decent car (and having to spend money on repairs all the time) to sudden loss of income to pay the bills. I've experienced all of that, with the exception of...knock on wood... overwhelming medical bills. I also know there's a solution, somewhere, for everyone, at least in America. If anyone reading this has a success story in this arena, I'd sure like to talk to you about it. I'm looking for success stories for my website and ebook. Cheri