“Service”, the Spirit of Tradition Eight

Thought for today: DA helps compulsive debtors get better.  It does this when members help other members. DA also has service workers, who take care of administrative and legal requirements of operating a Non-Profit Organization. A member shares: “In DA, we have a clear division of labor.  Members share their experience, strength and hope.  We share our numbers with our Pressure […]

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When Is Pride a Character Defect?

Thought for today: The word “pride” means “deep satisfaction in our own achievements, or those of others”.  It can separate “us” from “them”, making “us” come out better and “them”, worse off.  In this sense, “put down” pride is destructive, and the extent to which we entertain it, we destroy peace. A member shares: “I used to believe […]

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Who Says We Can’t Negotiate Our Own Debts?

Thought for today: Who says we can’t negotiate our own debts?  People who mean well will sometimes encourage an “easier, softer way”, but they don’t have to live with the punch-drunk feelings left from exorbitant repayment plans. Others will caution against a bad credit rating, but do they know all the facts of our debting? […]

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Working Together

Thought for today: Fear kept many of us from getting help with money problems.  It was depressing to run out of money all the time, and be berated about it.  Victimized by debt consolidation scams, nasty creditors, and condemning family members, we grew to not trust anyone anymore – least of all ourselves! We thought we were the only […]

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When Is A Second Job Worth It?

Thought for today: There are times when we need to take on extra work to increase our income and make a workable Spending Plan.  After some time in recovery from compulsive debting, and after getting a prudent reserve, we can consider letting go of the extra work.  When the time is right,we can let go of the extra […]

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Sane Money Habits

Thought for today: Compulsive debtors have distorted thinking about money.  They can feel ashamed about this, which leads to isolation that keeps them from getting help. A member shares: “I used to beat myself up when I had anxiety about money (which was always).  I thought it was a sign that I was weak-willed.  That […]

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Creative Vacationing Ideas

Thought for today: This post is about getting away, but it’s not about particular destinations.  (There are plenty of articles about those things.)  It’s about deciding to get away, and not spending a fortune to get there. Vacations, for those of us addicted to overwork and/or underearning, can get overlooked or avoided.  But this can change. The spectrum of distorted thinking runs from “anorexic” (never […]

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Creative Vacationing Ideas

Thought for today: This post is about getting away, but it’s not about particular destinations.  (There are plenty of articles about those things.)  It’s about deciding to get away, and not spending a fortune to get there. Vacations, for those of us addicted to overwork and/or underearning, can get overlooked or avoided.  But this can change. The spectrum of distorted thinking runs from “anorexic” (never […]

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Why Is D.A. Anonymous?

Thought for today: Anonymity protects the fellowship.  We can feel safe knowing that what we say in a meeting stays at the meeting.  Debtors Anonymous‘ Tradition Twelve reinforces this idea by stating, “Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.” A member shares: “My financial and spiritual recovery in […]

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How to Be Mindful About Money

Thought for today: We need to find a source of strength to help us get through money situations.  If we can find a Higher Power, we find new awareness and perspective about compulsive debting, overspending and underearning. A member shares: “Money is the reason I came to DA.  I couldn’t handle it without anxiety.  Even just holding […]

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