My apologies for the delay in getting this post up. I thought that we were going to have one more entry, but she failed to send in her introduction on time as promised. This post will help us decide who will be the next BAD blogger.
I’ve noticed that a lot of readers are basing their like of bloggers based on if they are in a similar situation to themselves. While this is certainly understandable, I hope that you look beyond this when choosing who you think would be the best blogger. No single applicant will be similar to all the readers here. With that in mind, I hope you look at whether you believe that each person will bring up questions and issues (whether or not they themselves have the answers to them) that will benefit the entire BAD community.
I suggest that you go back and read all of the entries again. Take the time to read the comments and the answers the applicant has given. Once you have done this, please comment which applicant(s) you think would make a good future blogger here (please choose up to three). Please take the time to explain the reasons why you believe that particular applicant would make a good blogger.
There are 11 applicants to choose from since one has withdrawn her name from consideration. Below are links to each of the introductions:
Mandi
Thea
Jim
Matt
Debt & the City
Shauna
Stephannie
Jasmine
Juju
Nicole (withdrew)
Ashley
Hope
I will leave this post open through the weekend so if you have anything that you would like to say about any of the applicants, please do so before Monday. If you have any questions of me, also feel free to leave them in the comments. Thank you for taking the time to read all the applications and giving your opinion on who you think would do a good job taking over. It’s greatly appreciated.
Jeffrey strain is a freelance author, his work has appeared at The Street.com and seekingalpha.com. In addition to having authored thousands of articles, Jeffrey is a former resident of Japan, former owner of Savingadvice.com and a professional digital nomad.
Hi Jeffrey, hi community,
that’s a tough choice to make.
I’d definitly vote that we have more then one blogger so that there is less pressure on the individual blogger. I also think there are plenty of interesting stories out there that we were introduced to, so maybe there is an additional feauture that could be added monthly / bi-monthly for the bloggers not chosen this time.
(for example some Q & A for the runners-up with a “Question of the Month”… for example “what’s your timeline for debt-pay off?” , “Tell us about a recent setback and how you delt with it?”, “How much of an emergency fund do you have and how much is it used?” )
The three bloggers I would like to read from regularly:
– Hope
Because I think she’s got an interesting story to offer. I liked how Hope shared the “keeping up appearance” part, because I think that’s what might make plenty of people acquire debt in the first place (by not showing weakness that they can’t afford this brand clothing / the new car etc.) I would also like to learn how she involves her kids in the debt pay of process.
– Ashley
Because I think she’s very open about her strengths and weaknesess. I like her writing style and her willingness to share some pretty personal stuff. And I also like how her husband is on board with the debt pay-off.
– Jim
I think Jim’s story is interesting as well with the family situation and the freelance work (maybe i am over-interpreting and it’s not freelance – but at least it didn’t seem like 9 to 5 to me). I would like him to succeed planning ahead and prevent stuff like the frozen pipe and blown radiator.
i think they all could benefit from the input of the community.
I also like three — Hope, Ashley and Jim. Too hard to choose just one and I wonder if the community would benefit from having more than one.
I love the idea of monthly Q&As! I think it’d be a great idea not only to engage all applicants, but you could open it up to the community and showcase a handful of answers.
Hope – I think first and foremost she is a great writer. I Was impressed with her responses to the comments: “would literally walk through fire to get out of debt”. I think that she adopted two kids after divorcing is kind of fascinating. Just a very interesting story there, and I was taken by her personality.
Jim – Just his personality that came through in his post. I also think it would be great to have a male blogger as there are so many female debt bloggers out there.
P.S. It also just occurred to me that no BAD blogger has ever had kids? Well, no more than a new baby?? So, maybe that was also why I was drawn to the above two posters.
@ Alexandria: As far as I remember Claire did have children (a son and a daughter) that were already in school.
I think Jim was the most organized. And I love all that edgy red hair in his family. One vote for Jim!
I think Ashley had the most compelling voice. She seems eager to share and is a good writer.
Well I obviously will vote for myself
I was one of the few single applicants and that alone brings a unique perspective. We tend to worry more about how to balance being social with paying off debt (it’s not as easy to have a date night in, if you’re single). I also think my debt size is good as it will be paid of a bit quicker and so might be a good balance against the people with larger amounts.
Next I vote for Stephanie.
She wrote a long post yet kept me engaged which is a sign of a great writer. I think she has a good mix of debt and is at the earlier part of her journey so would be a nice contrast.
Finally,
I vote for Ashley. Twins! illness! buying a house! She had a lot of elements going on in her life that would provide lots of topics for her to write about. I’m sure she wouldn’t have a hard time coming up with content.
Those are the 3 I am most drawn to.
Hey guys! Since it is listed that I withdrew, I thought I’d let everyone know why. That one single post and all of the comments were a crazy blessing. I sat down with my fiance at the end of that week to show him what everyone was saying. We had a long talk. And he insisted (and I agreed) that we use a large chunk of the savings we had amassed for our home down payment to pay off my student loan. That was the largest chunk of my debt, with a $1400 LASIK finance bill and a $3100 credit card balance remaining. I will pay my LASIK bill completely off with today’s pay period and should have the credit card balance knocked off in less than six weeks. I withdrew as I will be debt free! It’s HARD seeing that hard-earned savings diminish so much and we’ll have to work like crazy to replenish it ASAP but you all inspired my fiance AND myself. A small testament to this blog and the readers that make up this community 🙂 I look forward to following the next blogger(s)’s journey!
This is amazing Nicole! I am happy for you! Just imagine what you can do when you won’t be paying on debt! Good luck!
Woooo!! Good for y’all!
you must feel so free! And the thing about savings is that, if life happens, you can pause for a month or 2 and it’s not a huge deal….but not so with credit cards! Here is to STAYING debt free!
PS. your savings will grow faster than you imagine
Wow Nicole – that is wonderful! And I’m so happy to hear that’s why you are withdrawing. That is exactly the inspiration that I think most of us come to this blog for. I also want to applaud you and your fiance for working together and making good decisions despite it being tough to see the money go from one dream to the debt. Congrats! You are definitely on your way to becoming very successful in so many aspects of your life!
This is fantastic Nicole. Good luck tackling the rest of your debt and eventually becoming a homeowner.
I was throwing back and forth on whether I should comment here or not. Here’s the thing, when you are running for election are you able to still vote? Hell yeah, you do! With that said, I consider myself pretty honorable, so here are my choices on who should be our next blogger.
Hope – She really hit a homerun with her post. Her post was very intriguing and I am not saying this because she was the first contestant. She had wit, which I loved. And personally I would love to network with her about her business. Plus I have been also trying to instill great personal finance values in my children. (Well at least the daughter for now) Just so she doesn’t end up like us.
Ashley – I loved the fact that she showed us her picture, I feel most connected with her because of this. We all do stupid things when we get out on our own (My story is much much worse) It is most important to see how we are growing from them.
Shauna – I would love to see how she takes everyone’s suggestions and puts them into motion. How she will talk to her husband is also going to be tough. I want to know more!
I vote for Stephannie, Ashley, and Shauna!
While I don’t feel comfortable voting because I’m one of the potential bloggers I do want to share my thoughts on the future of this blog. I personally do like the idea of potential multiple bloggers because:
If one blogger can’t continue to post we’ll still have others to follow.
Reading about a variety of situations may help more people be able to tackle their own debt issues.
It makes it feel more like a community of folks working together.
There were some great conversations back and forth between potential bloggers and others in the community. I would love to hear the opinions of those that commented on the intro posts.
I vote for Mandi, Jim, or Debt & the City. I know you said not to look for people with similar stories to my own, and I feel like these three have very different stories that don’t involve student loans. I am really not interested in another student loan story that doesn’t involve other debt. I especially don’t want to read about someone racing to pay off a mortgage. That seems like a “luxury” when I am struggling to pay off dumb credit cards. Same thing with student loans. They just don’t have the same stigma or regret that good old credit cards do. Plus, the interest is deductible to a point, so enormous student loans are often excused or shrugged off by society.
First off all…I sincerely wish all the applicants the best of luck and fortune in their adventures to become debt free. Even if not chosen, I hope that continue to work toward their goal.
My votes, in no particular order….
Jim – (love the hair! Mine used to be pink, purple, and black!) – I think there is way more to the story that we haven’t heard yet, and I would like to learn more. Additionally, I think they have alot of life choices that are on the horizon, and those have a great chance of changing everything. It will be interesting to see it play out. I hope if he is chosen that his wife also participates.
Stephannie – I liked her style, and her admittance that she was young and stupid (but in all fairness….we ALL had a stupid stage….). Although her debt (not including her mortgages) is lower than some others…the types of credit (CC, furniture, etc) are interesting. Getting out of debt includes sacrifices, and it will be interesting to see if she really is ready.
Matt – he has alot of student loan debt….so do lots of people. He is interesting because he is not married yet….I say yet, because he is living with someone….so maybe wedding bells are in the future. Again, life events derail things….I would like to see it play out.
Ashley was a strong contender as well.
I agree with Shauna. I don’t feel comfortable voting with my name in the hat. But, I do want to wish everyone luck in being chosen and more importantly getting that debt gone! So excited for the stories to start soon!
I vote Jim – great voice and I very engaging!
1. Mandi
2. Stephannie
3. Juju
My votes are for:
Stephannie: I can really relate to her story.
Ashley: She has a compelling story and I really like her writing style.
Jim: Love the chart he included and his organization!
Hi Jeffrey & BAD community,
Before the new bloggers begin could we have an update on Tricia, Beks and Claire. It would be fun to see where they are now!
I think it would fun to have three bloggers. My vote would be Ashley, Hope and Jim. I would suggest to give each a day of the week to post. (ex. Ashley – Monday, Hope – Wednesday, and Jim – Friday) That way it is not to much pressure on them. I wish everyone the very best on their debt free journey!
Have a great weekend!
Tricia has been active in the comments this past week. She said an update is long overdue!
I will contact them and see if any of them is interested…
Hi Monica – I’m working on an update 🙂 I just looked back at my past one to pick up from there and realized it was a little over two years ago. Yikes! How times does fly…
Hey Tricia,
Was wondering if you were doing any blogging at all since you left?
That would be great Tricia! I’m really looking forward to it.
I suggest that you go back and read all of the entries again. Take the time to read the comments and the answers the applicant has given. Once you have done this, please comment which applicant(s) you think would make a good future blogger here (please choose up to three). Please take the time to explain the reasons why you believe that particular applicant would make a good blogger.
1. Jim – Love the fact that he is a long-time reader, handled the comments well. Very interesting story. Would love a male voice as well.
2. Hope – Would walk through fire to get out of debt — that is the kind of determination I can get behind! Very honest and responded well to comments. Interesting perspective too.
3. Stephanie – Not a lot of comments on her post (probably because not as detailed as others), but engaging writing style.
I would vote for 2-3 bloggers. Don’t want to site to be overwhelmed with voices!! But maybe check ins from other bloggers as well as “Ask the Reader” posts where people can write in for advice, just like these 10 applicants basically have done without the commitment of blogging! The community is so strong here, would love to tap into the advice of the readers!
Rachel I think that is a great idea! I do have to agree with you that the BAD community is strong. There are many things we could do that could bring the engagement up to the next level, your suggestion being just one.
I have been reading here since the original blogger owned it, before it was sold to Jeffrey. I read a lot of the posts but not all of them – my request is you get someone who will actually post and be transparent. The past blogger didn’t do that well. I like when I see a FULL budget and expenditures. That is transparency. Plus you’ve got to have both spouses in support or it just won’t work (thinking of previous bloggers in that regards).
Best of luck – we are only 8 months from being debt free and I can’t wait!
My top 4, in no particular order, these are just the four that stood out to me, and I can’t narrow it down…
– Ashley
– Jim
– Shauna
– Stephannie
I’d like to see three bloggers, each blogging a minimum of twice a week. More for us to read but not more for the blogger to do unless there’s a lot for them to say and they want to blog more.
I love Rachel’s idea of Ask the Reader posts. Those could go on the 7th day. That way there will always be a new post to look forward to (driving traffic to the site.)
I’d like at least one male voice. I like the idea of a mixture of single, married/living together, and a mixture of ages (20’s and 30+).
It would be nice to see a mixture of jobs/education/income. Debt reduction when you earn $45K per year is way different than when you earn $85K. Blue collar work with little hope for quick advancement is different than a professional who may have school debt but a good chance at paying it off from future earnings and a self-employed person may have school debt that didn’t translate into a job so they had to create a position for themselves.
I choose Ashley, Jim and JuJu.
It was really hard to choose, all of the these potential bloggers have interesting stories.
Good luck to everyone!
Coming out of lurkdom to give my votes:
1. Ashley — I liked how upfront she was about former bad habits. Between being somewhat underemployed and having baby twins, lots of room for growth and interesting changes. Has the resources to do something about debt. Mixture of credit card debt, car debt, student loan debt. Variable income for her husband and PT work for her creates budgeting challenges that will be interesting to hear about.
2. Stephannie — I liked how frank she was about how she got into debt. Some interesting choices to make regarding the three houses they own. She also has a mix of debt — car, more than one mortgage, medical bills, which I think makes things more interesting and provides more topics for discussion.
3. Jasmine — she has some interesting choices to make regarding her living situation, has a mix of debt, and a fairly short timeline for payoff. I was generally more drawn to the bloggers with families (more topics to blog about) but her situation was the most interesting to me of the single bloggers.
3. Jim — I was extremely engaged by his story and how he presented it. He and his family have a LOT of challenges but I would love to see them be able to tackle them!
It was really interesting reading each applicant’s story and I’m excited for the new bloggers to start tackling their debt! I agree that we need a male voice and someone who is willing to put it all out their in regards to their full financial situation. I think Ashley had the most complete financial background story so I would be interested in hearing more about her journey.
My top vote is Ashley, although I really liked many of the bloggers presented! Her writing style was very engaging and I really appreciated her willingness to share all of her challenges.
I would suggest for all bloggers that transparency in terms of budget/ income/ debt be required because otherwise it is really hard to follow the story and make suggestions that make sense.
I also really like having a post a day here and so would suggest 3 bloggers who post twice a week as others have mentioned, and definitely think the QA on the 7th day would be interesting.
I’ve been reading BAD since Trish was trying to get her Prosper loan.
I’ve read the applicant’s stories but not all of the comments/responses. Here’s my list:
1. Hope – I think her story is very interesting. I like the fact that she’s trying to juggle finances as a single parent plus having teenagers going through the financial trials with her will be very interesting.
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2. Jim – His story also seems interesting. Love the family picture
3. Debt and the city – I think this would be a different perspective on the debt stories we’ve had so far on BAD
I wish all of the candidates best of luck in eliminating debt and becoming debt free.
I vote for;
Matt
Debt and the City
Stephannie Tanner (reminds me of Full House. Is it intentional or coincidental?)
I vote for:
Jim
Stephanie
Hope
All three of them represent, to me, what I think the spirit of this blog is all about: they want to get out of debt, they make enough money to get out of debt (but not so much that it is almost silly to think their “struggle” to get out of debt is giving up luxuries like travel and eating out regularly), they each have responsibilities outside of just themselves that they have to consider. I also feel confident that they have the time management skills to devote enough to this blog, the thick skin that is definitely required, and a writing style that matches the history of this site.
I also appreciate that all three were really willing to put everything out there, even the really bad stuff. Finally, I am not opposed to the idea of more than one blogger. This past week has been quite adventurous with all the activity and I have loved it.
Cheers!
-Meghan
This has been tough because there are so many good choices to select from!
My vote is for:
Shauna – I love that you updated us as to where you are just a week after posting your intro. You took some of the suggestions right away from just the comments and began the process of pushing harder. Lots of motivation and more success to come I think.
Ashley – Life has thrown you some curveballs – some good, some not so good, but I think you seem to have a good head on your shoulders. I am a little concerned about the “interesting financial relationship” though I have to admit.
Hope – I love the single mom aspect and I think you have a lot of drive and passion to get out of debt. You are already working hard and I think the accountability will be great.
I would also love the idea of multiple bloggers on the site. It not only keeps more readers but it gives us multiple situations to work with and impact our lives as well.
Matt is the one I find truly compelling. He seems like he’s truly committed to paying off his debt and will keep up with the blog. Also, his debt wasn’t incurred by frivolous shopping sprees or trips, which I can respect and relate to.
I liked Jim, Ashley, and Hope. I think all 3 would be a great fit because they all seemed very open and transparent, but at the same time could handle the tough comments. I think you need a tough skin to open yourself up to these critiques.
Is Matt the only one who’s debt isn’t from over spending on credit cards and from not saving enough to get through emergencies? If so, he’s my only choice. Not everyone in this country goes on unnecessary shopping sprees and undeserving vacations, which is why I relate mostly to him. He has a legitimate debt spawned from the need to get an education and there’s definitely more than a couple people in a situation like his.
I would be really interested in Jim and Ashley’s journeys. I appreciate their candid stories down to the photos. It shows how invested and willing they are too share their stories.
I do hope that if three are chosen, one is a bit younger and/or still single. As debtor pointed out, there are different priorities and considerations when you’re trying to become debt-free while still in the stupid 20s phase or only have yourself to consider. It also allows for some more creative ideas for debt reduction as it’s all about how far you and you alone are willing to go to be rid of it.
I really enjoyed hearing everyone’s stories this week and am looking forward to following whoever is chosen on their journey!
Each applicant had a unique story and it’s hard to choose. I wish everyone the best of luck becoming debt free. The bloggers I could really identify with ….
Jim- He has unique challenges and is on the right path. His answers were honest and he is willing to take advice from the community. He also encouraged the other applicants. I liked that.
Stephannie- Loved her writing style & sense of humor! I like that her husband is on board. Team work is important when tackling debt.
Hope – She expressed the shame and stress that comes along with debt. True emotion. She seems the most determined to follow through to the end.
Good luck to all!
I liked Stephannie and Ashley the best.
My votes are for
jim
Shauna
Ashley
I can relate to these three bloggers. They made the typical mistakes that we all make and are ready to clean it up.
I vote for Hope. I’ve been thinking about her ever since she posted.
My vote goes to Ashley, she is the person that I found easiest to read and believe that with her husband on board there is nothing that they can not achieve. Good luck to all the bloggers.
I vote for Jim, Hope and Marti. There are already too many stories of young people without kids fighting student debt. I feel for them, but don’t really relate. I can relate to those also trying to see to their children’s future while juggling everything else. It’s not as cut-and-dry as just getting rid of fancy cell phone plans and not going out with your friends as often.
I would like to hear more from Hope.
My votes go to Ashley, Hope, and Jim. I would love reading about any of their stories.
My votes are for Ashley, Jim and then Stephanie/Hope tied for third. Ashley is a good writer, has various types of debt, a good savings history and I enjoyed reading her story. Second is Jim-is very serious and has an interesting story. I’d love reading about both of their journeys. In third place, it’s a tie between Stephanie or Hope-both bring interesting situations and I enjoyed their stories. For me, the main things I consider is that people are serious about paying off debt, that they are open to sharing their situation/finances and that I enjoy reading about their journeys.
Jim- I liked the title (and the sentiment of the title), his writing style, his voice, his story, and judging by the fact I keep seeing him pop up in the comments it feels like he’s very dedicated to this.
Stephanie- felt very relate-able and I liked her answers to the questions in the comments of her post.
Ashley- I liked her writing and the way she broke up the post so it wasn’t just one giant wall of text. I also related quite a bit with the spending too much money on travel 🙂
Jim -he seems very well-organized and transparent. His family’s amount of debt is a serious matter,of course, but reasonably small enough to tackle long-term without loosing steam. He’s also living on a very fixed income, which I think is encouraging to other debt-payers in smilar situations. Several of the other bloggers were very interesting as well. My main hope is that the blogger be open and transparent as that’s the only way this community will learn from him or her and vice versa.
I enjoyed Stephannie’s entry the most. I liked her writing style and felt she was very relatable and open to sharing her storing and receiving help. I also like that she has mixed types of debt and is at the start of her journey, and she seemed to interact well with the community. Ashley would be my second choice. I think it would be fun to hear more about the mistakes she made to get to this point and then the changes that she makes to become debt free. She also had a fun writing style and unique voice. I’m looking forward to seeing who gets picked!
I vote for Ashley, Stephannie and Jim. I think they are all terrific writers. Jim seems especially active in comments and eager to start his journey here.
My vote would be for jim. With his income and family situation it is going to take a bit of creativity to reach his goals and I think it will make for an interesting story. He was also well organized, and had a compelling writing style.
I think like all the candidates I have read all the applications with keen interest and have been sadly amazed that I can relate to every one of them in one way or another. I, of course, hope that I will be one of the chosen bloggers and think it would be nice to have multiple ones, not only for the different perspectives but also more regular posts.
Whomever is chosen, I will enjoy reading and following along, good luck to everyone!
Well the weekend is up, I am sure Jeffrey will be posting something in the upcoming day or two. 🙂 So not much more to wait!
I totally agree! Obviously I hope I am selected, but it really has been amazing how I can relate to much of what the other “applicants” have said. I also love the idea of multiple bloggers! I can’t help but think that, if I were selected, I would miss reading the blog (since I would be a contributor). Having multiple bloggers would make it so much more fun because then I could continue as a reader in addition to being a contributor. I haven’t commented much while this deliberation has been ongoing, but I’ve been a little OCD about reading everything and just cannot wait until the contributor(s) are announced! (*fingers crossed*)
I totally agree with y’all, Hope and Ashley!!
Nate and I are going over some final stuff and should have answers by the end of today