My husband an I offset the high costs of living by living a Frugal Life Style. Frugal doesn't equal cheap, it means that if you don't needed it you don't buy it, and if you don't use it you get rid of it. Getting rid of Clutter makes you fell wealthier.
The Dollar Stretcher is one of my favorite Frugal sites. Make sure you subscribed to their weekly newsletter. There are many other Frugal Living sites out there.
If you are in debt and are ready to get out then check out Dave Ramsey. He has workable plans to get you out of debt. No magic scams here, it takes real work and commitment to be debt free.
I use to listen to Dave on the radio or his web site daily, until I realized that he was not living what he preached. People in their fifties and up would call up complaining about losing their jobs, hence putting them into debut, due to age discrimination. Dave said this did not happen, yet he also said the average age of his own staff was only 27 years old. I've not listened since then. However his advice is still good if you need to get out of debt.
Proverbs 22:7: The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Romans 13:8: Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Timothy 6:10: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, in their eagerness to get rich, have wandered away from the faith and caused themselves a lot of pain.
Paraphrasing Buddha:
It is better to control your desires than to have to work your life away to support them.
