Hello all. I am 38 year old woman with two young daughters (married to a man whom I love, but whom incurred way too much debt getting a proffestional degree which isn't providing any payback yet). We've incurred what feels like insurmountable school loans, business loans and way too much personal debt to even sleep at night!). Aside from trying to navigate the crushing debt, I enjoy history, reading, knitting, outdoor fitness (walks, trail riding (on a bike)), music, gardening, red wine (drinking of and occasional making of), and many other things. Oh, and I also have shopping problem, which is why I"m here - looks for tips on not spending...to help get out of this nighmare of debt.

Welcome NJ,

Nothing is insurmountable. But it will take sacrifice and time. The best thing you can probably do is provide a budget and a breakdown of your debt (amounts + interest rates) in the personal finance section so people can give you feedback.

As far as your spending problem, just stop. Take away all access to money and that should stop it pretty quickly. Don't carry credit cards. Don't carry more than $10 cash. If you're going grocery shopping, only bring 1 check. Block your favorite online shopping sites on your computer. But really it comes down to you. You need to take control of yourself. If it is an actual addiction, there are support groups you can look into but if it's just something you enjoy, then find something else you enjoy which doesn't cost money.

Good luck and look forward to seeing your details so we can get you going on a good plan!

Hi nj, I'm also a newbie in Canada reading through this excellent forum. pf101 is right, nothing is insurmountable (well, very little. Ewan McGregor is probably not going to leave his wife and run off with me). Best of luck in achieving your goals!

pf101 has pretty well covered the problem, just stop spending on stuff, you can do two things, increase income through another job or cut spending , look for things you spend on and ask yourself is this something I have to have ?