DebtGoal is committed to helping consumers make their way out of debt, and maximizing their personal finances.  As such, we wanted to create a fun way to share “thrifty” tips that will help consumers save money and achieve their financial goals.

You may be planning to see the new movie out today: Confessions of a Shopaholic, where the lead character gets deep in credit card debt due to a shopping addiction and an eye for high-end fashion. I have to make my own confession that I cringe whenever I see the trailer, especially the part where she chips her credit card out of the ice with her high-heeled shoe.  I’m not sure what’s worse, the mockery of freezing your cards or the damage she’s doing to her Jimmy Choo.  Either way, I have to shield my eyes.

Not everyone gets out of debt as easily as she does (check out the movie for a story that is entertaining, if not realistic) – so to help support thriftiness, DebtGoal.com is launching their “Confessions of a Thrift-a-Holic” Contest today. The contest will take place on the DebtGoal Facebook page and will award the person with the most creative and impactful “thrifty” tip with $250 to help pay down debt.

Below is a more detailed outline of how the contest works. We’d love for you to participate by spreading the word, and posting one of your best tips on the DebtGoal page about smart, creative ways to get thrifty!

“Confessions of a Thrift-a-Holic” Contest

How it Works:

1. Become a Fan of DebtGoal on Facebook
2. Finish ONE of the sentences below in 75 words or less (on the DebtGoal Wall below):
   • The best thrifty habit I have is…
   • The smartest thrifty decision I made is…
3. The deadline for submissions is March 13th. DebtGoal founders will review all wall post submissions and select the top 3 responses based on two criteria:
   • Creativity of your thrifty habit/decision
   • Impact (i.e. the amount of money saved)
4. The top 3 posts will be highlighted on the DebtGoal Facebook page and blog on March 18. All fans will can then vote on which they think is the best!
5. Voting will close on March 31, and the post with the most votes from DebtGoal fans will win $250, to put towards paying down debt.
6. The winner will be announced on April 1 to kick-off National financial literacy month!

For contest rules, visit http://www.debtgoal.com/blog/thriftaholic-contest-rules

Scott Crawford is CEO of DebtGoal.com, a do-it-yourself system for getting out of debt and lowering your interest costs.  DebtGoal.com incorporates all of the techniques discussed in this post and can help users understand and get visibility to and manage their debt finances.