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At some point in our lives, most of us have borrowed too much. If you're in over your head, don't despair. But make no mistake: You must learn to live on what you earn. First, stop making excuses about why you're in debt. Don't blame the credit card companies or your parents. Put that energy into reducing your debt. Debt can be extremely stressful, so tell someone you're in financial trouble. If you can't talk to a family member or friend, contact an organization that deals with debt reduction, such as the nonprofit National Foundation for Credit Counseling. Then get a handle on how big your problem is. You can start with MSN Money's Debt Evaluation Calculator, or you can sit down with pen and paper. When you have no idea how much you owe, simply establishing a number is a critical first step. Don't avoid the B-word The best way to start reducing debt is to set up a budget. It's not a punishment; it's a way of knowing exactly where your money goe...

I started to come over to my husband's viewpoint. I'd love to knock those repairs off my to-do list, but both the bathroom and the sunroom could wait a year, and we could save the cash instead of borrowing the money. Then again, if the water damage in the sunroom hit the foundation, we could be looking at a $10,000 repair next year, not $5,000. I called Ben Fenton, a local real-estate agent with Coldwell Banker, to get his opinion. It might be worth taking out a loan if the repairs would enhance the value of our home, right? Fenton was cautious. "I get this question a lot," he said. "My stock answer is: When you want to spend non necessary money, like putting up a room, it's really a lifestyle choice for you." Well, at the very least, would those repairs recoup their value when we sold the house? A bathroom upgrade is usually a good investment, Fenton said. But it was hard to know what our home was worth now or what it might sell for down the line. Altho...