Review of dimestodollars.blogspot.com
Date: Mon, 11/19/2007 - 02:45
Dimes to Dollars - a military wife's guide to personal finance is maintained by Dimes, aka DD from California. (She redacts her full name as military spouses can get into trouble for publishing web articles without getting permission of their Public Affairs Officers). She is a financial counselor and tax preparer by profession. She has been blogging for 14 months.
When we asked about her motivation behind this blog, she said, “I feel that a lot of military personnel and their families don't get the sort of financial education they need, either before joining the military, before getting married, before having children, and before major (yet common) military milestones, like moving and moving AGAIN. I try to provide a niche for military personnel and their families to get what they need without a lot of confusing explanations or advertisements.â€Â
She normally posts on Military finance, intricacies of the military pay system, and related problems commonly faced by military families.
She is straight in saying – “What I don't like are sites from people who dispense advice they aren't qualified to give and don't bother to inform people that they don't really know what they're talking about. There are a few people I expect to run into consequences eventually due to their bad advice. On the internet, you cannot be sure anyone is who they claim to be. It is not inappropriate to find that her favorite household gadgets are TiVo and Henckels knives.â€Â
Some Financial tips for People in Debt:
For military personnel, get acquainted with the free resources at hand! Fleet and Family Support Centers offer free budget advice, as do the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, and the latter can even provide emergency financial assistance to meet your needs. If you live on or near a base, contact these groups about assistance. The people working there are totally pleased to help you. For people who don't have access to those facilities, the most important things you can have are a $500 emergency fund and a PLAN to get out of debt. Most people make enough money to support a reasonable lifestyle, but when it comes to tackling debt, you need a strategy. You wouldn't drive across the United States without a map and an itinerary, would you? Why should escaping debt be any different?
Message to Community Members:
I know it sounds silly, but monitoring your debt progress by some visual method can be very reassuring, like coloring those silly little thermometers that get fuller as you approach your goal. It can also make you aware of situations like having interest rates that are too high and unmanageable. If you aren't making any headway on your debt, you need to try and negotiate lower rates, but only do this if you can pay the lowered rate. If you cannot meet a new deal, don't damage your credibility by trying to get one.
When we asked about her motivation behind this blog, she said, “I feel that a lot of military personnel and their families don't get the sort of financial education they need, either before joining the military, before getting married, before having children, and before major (yet common) military milestones, like moving and moving AGAIN. I try to provide a niche for military personnel and their families to get what they need without a lot of confusing explanations or advertisements.â€Â
She normally posts on Military finance, intricacies of the military pay system, and related problems commonly faced by military families.
She is straight in saying – “What I don't like are sites from people who dispense advice they aren't qualified to give and don't bother to inform people that they don't really know what they're talking about. There are a few people I expect to run into consequences eventually due to their bad advice. On the internet, you cannot be sure anyone is who they claim to be. It is not inappropriate to find that her favorite household gadgets are TiVo and Henckels knives.â€Â
Some Financial tips for People in Debt:
For military personnel, get acquainted with the free resources at hand! Fleet and Family Support Centers offer free budget advice, as do the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, and the latter can even provide emergency financial assistance to meet your needs. If you live on or near a base, contact these groups about assistance. The people working there are totally pleased to help you. For people who don't have access to those facilities, the most important things you can have are a $500 emergency fund and a PLAN to get out of debt. Most people make enough money to support a reasonable lifestyle, but when it comes to tackling debt, you need a strategy. You wouldn't drive across the United States without a map and an itinerary, would you? Why should escaping debt be any different?
Message to Community Members:
I know it sounds silly, but monitoring your debt progress by some visual method can be very reassuring, like coloring those silly little thermometers that get fuller as you approach your goal. It can also make you aware of situations like having interest rates that are too high and unmanageable. If you aren't making any headway on your debt, you need to try and negotiate lower rates, but only do this if you can pay the lowered rate. If you cannot meet a new deal, don't damage your credibility by trying to get one.
It contains a lot of personal experiences and documented in the
It contains a lot of personal experiences and documented in the similar manner. It is always great to read complex financial issues with a personal touch to it. "My husband had to explain installment loans to me." is very well narrated.