Product Description

Getting out of debt is only part of the plan. The reader learns how to give, save and build wealth using the Contingency Plan and Freedom Account along with the authors sound and proven principles.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27002 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-25
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 284 pages

Amazon.com Review
There are plenty of heavily pedigreed personal-finance experts dishing out good advice, but not many who know what it's like to have to eat ramen all month to make a car payment. On the other hand, there's Mary Hunt, a recovered credit card addict whose free-spending ways landed her family in the middle of $100,000 of unsecured debt in the early 1980s. Pulling herself out of that morass gave Hunt the courage to strike out on her own as a writer, motivational speaker, and the brains behind The Cheapskate Monthly, a newsletter and Web site (www.cheapsk8.com) dedicated to promoting the art of living within one's means, a message that grows ever more urgent as the average American family struggles each year to pay $1,200 in interest alone on revolving, unsecured debt.

While Hunt's previous books have echoed some consistent themes--debt bad, saving good--they've addressed a hodgepodge of different areas: building financial confidence in women and kids, doing Christmas without a stack of credit cards, tips for gourmet cooking at low cost. In Mary Hunt's Debt-Proof Living, Hunt finally puts together a financial primer for all--whether retirees trying to decide when to start drawing Social Security or teenagers ready to sign for their first college loans. Security, according to Hunt, is built with simple tools: tithing, saving, paying off debt, creating a contingency fund for emergencies, driving used cars, owning a home, having insurance.

Although Hunt's "been there, spent that" zeal and warmth have turned her into the Ann Landers of personal finance, she's not just an agony aunt for spendthrifts--business experts will find her a savvy marketer who's using her name and story to build, somewhat ironically, a very effective brand. That doesn't negate her sincerity, however, or the fact that her advice is sound, her formulas work, and her Rapid Debt Repayment Plan has kept increasing numbers of families out of bankruptcy. And finally, Mary Hunt's Debt-Proof Living is just a joy to read--its clarity and lack of condescension make it a perfect gift for anyone just starting to understand the basics of money. --Barrie Trinkle

From the Publisher
This All-New and Revised edition of Debt-Proof Living reflects changes in the economy and consumer credit industry, while retaining all of the relevant content that has kept this book a bestseller since its original release in 1999.

About the Author
Mary Hunt is the founder and publisher of the monthly newsletter Debt-Proof Living, formerly Cheapskate Monthly, and is a respected authority in consumer debt and financial responsibility. A popular speaker and contributing editor to Woman's Day Magazine, Mary's daily syndicated newspaper column, Everyday Cheapskate (United Features Syndicate) appears in 600 newspapers. Mary appears regularly on national television and radio shows, and is featured in newspapers and national publications. And award-winning author, Mary has written 14 bestselling books, most recently Live Your Life For Half The Price. Mary lives with her husband in Orange County, Calif.

Customer Reviews

Easy to read, easy to follow, easy to succeed
This is a great book. I found it very easy to read. Mary speaks from personal experience and it's like have a close friend right there with you in the trenches. We've begun to implement her plan and I can already see a difference in our monthly expenses. It's not an instant fix, but then we didn't get in this financial hole in a day either. Steady progress without any steps backwards, that's our goal.

Thanks Mary for taking the time to share what you've learned with the rest of us. You're making a difference one family at a time!!!

Debt Proof Living
Fantastic book! If everyone in the country read it and did what Mary recommends, this country would not be in the situation it is!

Everyone should read this book!
After reading this book and implementing Mary's plan, my husband and I were able to organize our credit and shorten our payments from 15 years down to 5! We are two years into it, and only have three more to go before we are debt free. I cannot express how great this book is. Mary addresses how to live without using credit, how to pay off the credit you do have, and how to make sure you don't need to fall back on credit in the future. She suggests in the book to use her website to plan your payments on current debt. It costs $20 to enroll, and I would highly reccomend it. It allows you to plug all your debt into the worksheet, and it tells you which bills to pay first, second, etc to get the debt payed off the fastest. Well worth the $20!