Renee's thread made me think of a movie I saw recently called Maxed Out. It is a documentary from 2005 before things here really tanked. It covers personal debt in the US and how people lose control in various situations or are taken advantage of. It is a bit depressing, but it is eye opening (and I work for a card company). I learned a lot of what not to do. They didn't make recomendations for what to do - I guess that is Suze Ormonds job.