Rebecca Brown's Interview with
Kimberly A. Griffiths
Author of
One Paycheck At A Time

Rebecca:
As most of us earn our keep from one paycheck to the next, I found your book really helpful in looking at the bigger picture of my economic life. How did you come to write your book?

Kimberly:
At one point I had over 18 credit cards all that were at their maximum limit. This shock came after filing for a divorce to an addictive gambler. To my horror, I discovered I was facing $50,000 of cash advances that were used to feed his addiction. The judge felt it was only fair to split the debt & I wound up $25,000 in the red at the age of 22. Shame on me for putting myself into a victim role, but fortunately I learned from it & have moved on. This experience has changed how I view money, manage money, & how I conduct myself in relationships around the topic of money.

Rebecca:
What is the biggest mistake we working stiffs do (or not) with our money?

Kimberly:
We all have great intentions when we go on a budget &/or diet. We feel that we should already know how to manage our budget & weight. The reality is, when you can implement long-term strategies that work for you is when you will be successful.

Rebecca:
Can a person really live in modern America without credit cards?

Kimberly:
Until you are in control of your credit cards instead of the other way around, I think it is a necessity to live without credit cards. Being a slave to the banks is not a fiscally smart move. It took nearly 10 years for me to become debt free. Now that I'm completely out of debt, I use one credit card which earns frequent flier miles. I use it for every possible purchase & pay it in full at the end of each billing cycle. The major difference is, I don't have to have a credit card. I lived so many years without a credit card that it felt very foreign to me when I started using one again. I only use it to earn additional perks -- a big difference from where I once was. It's interesting how banks behave when you are no longer a slave to them. I hope that money management skills will someday be taught in high schools & colleges.

Rebecca:
What is it about living from paycheck to paycheck that makes us downright miserable?

Kimberly:
Living paycheck to paycheck tends to make us very fearful. We know that we may be only weeks away from financial devastation if an illness or a lay-off were to occur. The most frustrating part for me was that I couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel. I was doing everything I could to pay off my debt, but it seemed endless. Like most hard-working Americans, I would wonder where all my money went that I worked so hard to earn. My friends were driving beautiful cars, living in nice homes, & here I was barely getting to the next paycheck. The situation of debt tends to make you feel “less than” what you really are.

Rebecca:
What are your Pay Period Bill Logs?

Kimberly:
The whole book revolves around the timing of when YOU get paid, not when the creditor tells you to pay them. When you start paying your bills on your pay period schedule instead of when you are told to pay your bills, getting out of debt becomes much more manageable. I wish someone had taught me how to get out of debt, but the sad truth is, nobody knew how to help me. After ten years of trying different tactics, I figured out a system that worked for me. I don't want anyone to ever have to eat watermelon & tomato soup for a week because of being broke. I've been there, & it was a miserable experience.

Rebecca:
What do you hope Readers will take away from your book?

Kimberly:
I wrote One Paycheck At A Time to inspire (hopefully!) readers to take control of their financial lives. Many readers email me with their questions & concerns. I invite this dialogue because the more I can help, the faster they get out of debt. The fact that my readers trust their problems with me is very gratifying. If I can help people manage their money, they will have time for more important parts of their life. Focusing on money becomes very boring & tedious. There's so much more to life than money problems.

Rebecca:
Thank you, Kimberly, I learnt a lot about handling my money from your One Paycheck At A Time & I think our Readers will too!

Do catch my Review of Kimberly A. Griffiths's One Paycheck At A Time - I hope it makes you go out & buy yourself a copy!

Rebecca Brown
(Published 03/14/04)