Get Rich Slowly Video Contest

You can win $500 just by submitting your personal financial success to JD Roth at Get Rich Slowly.  His last post about the contest motivated me to enter -- he's only got six entires so far and the contest goes until April 15th.  He's giving away 3 different cash prizes along with runner-up prizes that include copies of his new book, Your Money:  The Missing Manual.  (Even a non-math major like myself can figure that she has a pretty good chance of winning something, just by entering).

With only two minutes to express my personal success story, it really made me clarify the most important lessons I learned on my journey out of debt into financial freedom.   Here's a stab at a short list of what I recommend to anybody and everybody who is interested.

Jerrold Mundis' "How to Get Out of Debt and Stay Out of Debt."  This little paperback taught me that Debt is just a number, and that the more fearful you are, the harder it is to dig out.  He takes the shame out of owing, and puts you back in control of your finances.

Andrew Tobias' "The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need."  It's a thumbs up recommendation because stock picking is hard, and math is hard, and Tobias reminds us that even supergurus on Wall Street lose money all the time.  Most important?  He says you don't have to be in the stock market to be financially secure some day.  (His tips on hoarding tuna under the coffee table are pretty funny -- and I'm 'long' on Tide Detergent right now, at $8.99 for the 63-100 load liquid variety, because Tobais taught me how.)

MSN.com Money Blog.  All the authors there are great and they, along with JD Roth at Get Rich Slowly, taught me that downsizing my house and car was a plausible, workable next step that would bring me a great deal of financial peace.  And it has!   Also an awesome reasource for car purchasing.

Dave Ramsey's envelope budgeting method (I still use it), and his debt snowball concept.  The envelope budgeting method helped me get to a place where I am out of debt snowballing, fully funded in my emergency account, fully funding my retirement plan, and now paying off my mortgage.

Langiappe (a little extra):  Quicken.com (I play with my accounts like other people play video games), Mint.com, Michael BlueJay's tips on saving energy,

Check out the videos on Get Rich Slowly!  Everyday people sharing everyday wisdom.  It's pretty inspirational.