<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"There are so many great things about writing this blog for WomansDay.com. There&amp;#039;s the financial knowledge I&amp;#039;ve gained from working with a personal finance consultant and through my own research, there&amp;#039;s the personal strength I&amp;#039;ve gained through pushing myself to see things not through my own rose-colored glasses, but through a much more realistic perspective and being able to separate wants and needs in a much more informed manner. But the very best thing that I&amp;#039;ve experienced through the last year is knowing that there are people that I&amp;#039;ve inspired. (Even if it was just by sharing my dumb mistakes!) I had a friend that I hadn&amp;#039;t seen in years contact me and told me that she had seen me on Good Morning America and had followed my blog ever since. Divorced, on her own and raising her daughter alone had showered her with some real tough financial times. She had, by her own admission, lost hope. She felt as though she would never get out from underneath her debt and realize her dream of owning a home for her and daughter. In a moment that brought tears to my eyes, she told me that I had inspired her and that she realized that if I could do it, she could too. &amp;quot;Colleen&amp;quot; took on some extra hours at her workplace and used all of the additional money to pay down her $8,000 in credit card debt. That, coupled with a holiday bonus and some birthday money, has brought that amount down to a mere $700. She estimates that she will have it paid off by the end of October. Additionally, she has made a budget and cut out all unnecessary spending and used that money to start building her savings. She is still a ways away from her goal of home ownership, but she figures she will get there within four years. Her determination, hard work and perseverance will get her there, I am sure of it. Again folks, while I&amp;#039;m so glad that all of my ups and downs give anyone hope, it is surely YOU that inspires ME. Your comments, suggestions and support have carried me to a much better place than I was a year ago. My situation is a long way from perfect but it is good and I am very blessed and very happy. Who and what inspires you to better your situation? Share your story with me! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/a40732/you-inspire-me-13440/?src=shelter_footer>