I could argue rather successfully that I, the Dollars & Sense guy, make people spend more money rather than save it. It's supposed to be the other way around, I think. I'm always telling people where the latest and greatest sales are, but I make you spend before you can save.
Author and syndicated columnist Mary Hunt is a little purer. She helps people cut their spending, often dramatically to get out from under a debt burden. Having been buried in credit card debt many years ago, she's the voice of experience.
Unfortunately, I think her advice gets a little tough-love-y. She assumes that everyone declaring bankruptcy is a deadbeat, even though many people are in over their heads due to job loss and catastrophic medical bills. (To be fair, Hunt dug her own way out without declaring bankruptcy.)
Still, her advice for the debt-ridden is usually sound. Currently, many of her books are half-price, including Debt-Proof the Holidays, Debt-Proof Your Marriage, Caring for an Aging Parent, Financially Confident Woman, and Live Your Life For Half the Price. Take a look.
