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home. Apply the proceeds to paying off your debt.

For inexpensive entertainment swap movies with friends and/or borrow them from a local library. Go to the library more often and check out books to read. Play a family board game in lieu of going out to a movie or have a dinner and a movie night in by taking advantage of swapping movies with friends and family.

Be a "minimalist". You really do not need all of those fancy gadgets people have now a days. A simple cell phone will work for most people without the mp3 player and camera attached to the price.

For a birthday special give the birthday person a choice of say 2 different dinner menu's. Let the birthday person choose a movie from your collection and have a dinner and a movie night. Or you could plan a theme dinner and have the family dress up in different theme ideas. Keep it simple with only one or two gifts instead of a lot of gifts. Perhaps you have a special dinner setting you could use for the birthday person.

If you have time and enough energy work an extra part time job for a short time. Or work online at home in your off hours. Swap babysitting services with another family in a similar situation. Work alternate schedules if need be for a short time to reduce childcare costs.

Remember, you don't have to keep up with the Jones'. The truth is that the Jones' are broke too and they just don't want you to know it.

Be creative. Coping with being flat broke does not have to be depressing. At some point in most everyone's life they are flat broke. Whether its due to medical costs or a job loss, or just poor money management everyone can recover from this situation. There is hope.

References I frequent:

http://hillbillyhouse wife.com/

http://www.daveramsey .com/

http://livingonadime.com/

Learn more about this author, Linda L Kinyon.
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