Personal Finance - DWD Community

A Decade of Dollars, Discipline, and Dodging Debt in the U.S. Army

April 25, 2025 No Comments

This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series Military Life

I joined the United States Army at the tender age of 20, armed with youthful enthusiasm, a wife, and a baby on the way. I also joined as an E1—meaning I made about enough money to afford socks, maybe. Back then, pay for junior enlisted was even worse than it is today! Still, for all its quirks, Army life had its perks. No matter where Uncle Sam dropped us, we had guaranteed food, housing, and…

Why Is It So Hard to Pay Off Your Credit Card? (Part 2)

April 24, 2025 No Comments

This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series Quicksand

Part 2: Crisis Spending — When “No” Isn’t an Option In Part 1, we talked about the “Yes Trap”—how seeing a generous available balance on your credit card can flip your inner script from “Can I afford this?” to “Why not?” It usually starts with a few small splurges: You’ve had a long week, so you treat yourself to dinner out—twice. You finally grab those concert tickets before they sell out. That coat you’ve been…

Why Don’t We Talk About Money?

April 18, 2025 3 Comments

This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series CIDS

Talking Will Lead To A Healthier Relationship With Your Money The CIDS Series, Part 1: Shhhh We’ve come a long way as a society when it comes to discussing the once-undiscussable. There was a time when speaking openly about race was considered inappropriate. Talking about sex? Off-limits. Identity, orientation, mental health—each of these topics, once shrouded in stigma, have gradually made their way into the light through honest, collective conversation. But there’s one subject that…

Why Is It So Hard to Pay Off Your Credit Card?

April 13, 2025 1 Comment

This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series Quicksand

Part 1: The “Yes” Trap — How Available Balance Leads to Debt Quicksand You’re making payments. You’re trying to get ahead. But no matter how often you chip away at your credit card, it feels like you’re stuck. Why is it so hard to pay it off? Here’s the truth: credit cards are designed like quicksand. Easy to step into. Hard to climb out of. And the deeper you go, the more stuck in it…