Cheapskatemonthly.com - Living without debt

This online and print monthly journal is designed to help people get rid of debts and financial costs through a net of support and inspiration, plus some concrete plans, tips, debt calculators and financial planning tools. But, as everybody knows, nothing is free in life, so you will have to pay for each service you get, although the site strongly emphasizes the fact that you are not spending but investing in freedom from your creditors. Also, the site features a series of columns and articles by its CEO, Mary Hunter (an ex-debtor herself) on things to do instead of going on a shopping spree or sound consuming tactics (did you know that plan nurseries have 50% discount in September and October because they need to make room for Halloween pumpkins and Christmas trees?)

"It all started quite innocently with a promise. As a child I was a daydreamer, a future planner. I grew up embarrassed that I had to wear hand-me-down clothes and things purchased at the second-hand shop. I, the Scarlet O'Hara of the 50s, vowed that I would never be poor and that my children would never wear clothes from the thrift store. There! Just like waving a magic wand I guaranteed my adult status and that of my children. If only I would have been wise enough to make a similar vow regarding a way to pull it off.

Within days of my wedding I cautiously suggested to my new husband that perhaps we should look into getting a gasoline credit card. After all, we were now in a different social strata and every real family must be prepared for unforeseen emergencies. We needed to get with the program and stop depending on cash so much. We needed plastic! Harold went along with the idea and before I knew it we received two shiny new credit cards, each one bearing our individual names. Wow! "Free" gas whenever I wanted! No longer would I have to dig around for loose change in order to pump a few gallons into my car. I could fill up whenever the mood struck and I knew that never again would I have to be concerned with the mundane issues like the price of gas. I carried clout and it felt good. Being a married woman was quite prestigious!"

This site's strong marketing style and neat design are clearly target-oriented, and the kind of language and communication tools they use surely do hit its audience.

Cheapskatemonthly.com is not a counselling page, rather a business portal, but it might not be clear to all of its users, especially with all the testimonial- supportive-inspirational content it offers. At times one gets the hint that such kind and warm advice is nothing but old-school guilt/reward aggressive marketing tools that aim to get their customers to buy things and apps that might not be the best in their case. It seems reasonable to wonder why this people started spending too much money in the first place and try to help them out, not get them to spend even more!