Not about Greg’s rapier wit or ability to stay on point. After all, what’s more relevant to my financial standing than his keen observation that “fat girls are more fun”?
It got me thinking about debt bloggers. Greg’s palpable disdain of debt bloggers is a recurring theme in his posts. He pens his poisonous diatribes about our problematic accumulation of student loan debt; our years of thoughtless credit card use; and our over-indulgent spending on weddings. So, is he right?
Are we the scourge of the personal finance community? Are we merely a symptom of today’s credit-bloated, consumerist society? Are we the under-paid and over-educated, using our post-secondary powers to vomit our spoiled, entitled viewpoints all over the internet?
Maybe.
While Greg can’t seem to stop talking about this, ad infinitum, on his blog – he might have a point.
Sometimes. But only once in a blue moon sometimes.

Every once in a while, I’ll come across a blogger that’s a truly cringe-worthy example of what he’s talking about. They continue amassing vast amounts of debt buying bigger houses, boats, and vehicles and post regularly about how they saved ten dollars by clipping grocery store coupons. Then these same people post semi-hysterical, persecuted comments about how they’re being “judged” when a reader disagrees with something they’re saying.
Honestly, I’ve only come across one or two of these bloggers in my six months of reading half a dozen posts a day, every day. I haven’t been blogging all that long but my sample size of blogs I’ve read is large enough. These people are the exception to the “debt blogger” rule.
And more importantly, who gives a shit what these people post? If I don’t like it, I don’t read it. If I think there’s something I’ve learned from these people’s mistakes, I’ll pass it on to my readers. Semi-tastefully. Usually.
Greg shares his view of debt bloggers with his usual flair for metaphor:
There are hundreds of them [debt bloggers], and they’re as indistinguishable as blades of grass. Blades of languid, underachieving grass. Every last one carries student loan debt, student loan debt that went to finance a humanities degree. We can guarantee there’ll be credit card debt too.
I know the company I keep when I say I’m a debt blogger. I’m honoured to share this label with some of the smart, successful ladies and gentlemen I’ve met along the way. Observe:
Debt Bloggers: Success Stories
Michelle from Making Sense of Cents: This “languid and underachieving” blade of grass made over $1300 in extra income in a week – while on effing vacation. She’s paid off her debt and continues building her rockstar side-hustle income to a point where she could support herself and a small African nation without batting an eyelash.
Cait from Blonde on a Budget started out with $30,000 in student loan debt and an uncertain idea about what she wanted her blog to be. She stuck with it and her blog grew in popularity; led her to new job opportunities, and helped her live a more meaningful life. She has paid off her debt and is moving on to bigger and better things.
Crystal from Give Me Back My Five Bucks paid off her $20,000 in student loan and credit card debt in a year. While doing this, she also developed a successful career as a freelance writer and blogger with a presence everywhere from newspapers, magazines, radio, to television appearances. She hustles every day and takes care of business.
Grayson at Debt Roundup settled up $50,000 in debt in four years and established a successful blog in a year that helps thousands of people learn about managing their finances. He does this all while having a family and maintaining full-time employment.
Debt Bloggers: Success Stories in the Making
Wendy from Girl Meets Debt describes herself as a “recovering spendaholic”. She proves you don’t have to be a frugal-Nazi to get it done every month. Wendy has paid over $10,000 towards her debt and shows us we don’t have to weave dryer lint into a blanket to save money while doing it. Thanks for keeping it real, lady.
Tonya joins us from Budget & the Beach and is a fun and friendly gal who shares her inspiring journey with us as a Freelance Video Editor who’s paying off debt. She lives in LA and supplements her income by running a successful blog and freelance writing gigs. I don’t have her numbers but she works hard and makes progress.
Have I mentioned that she looks like a million bucks in a bikini? How’s that for staying relevant? Either way, I would totally go gay for her. But not at all in a creepy way. I hope “not at all in a creepy way” is an option. 😉
Have you spit your coffee all over your screen yet? Hehehe.
Anyway, my point is if I have to be a blade of grass in Greg’s sluggish lawn of indolent debt bloggers – I think I will accept that. I’ve never met a group of smarter, more resourceful, harder-working individuals in my entire life.
Another one of Greg’s biggest complaints is that there are so many of us – saying the same thing over and over again.
Do you people realize how tiresome this gets, this general first-person declaration that you borrowed far more money than you could afford (to achieve an empty goal, no less) and now think that your broke posterior is qualified to write a single word about money?
But there are a lot of other non-debt blog sites out there that talk about personal finances. Many of them he references every week in his Carnival of Wealth.
Don’t Quite Your Day Job @ dqydj.net
Hull Financial Planning @ hullfinancialplanning.com
Make Money Your Way @ makemoneyyourway.com
Mom & Dad Money @ momanddadmoney.com
Spring Personal Finance @ springpersonalfinance.com
All Things Finance @ allthingsfinance.com

I could go on but the takeaway message is there are plenty of people in the personal finance community that don’t fall into the “debt blogger” category. Despite Greg’s lamentations about the number of us, there are lots of personal finance sites out there that meet his standards of fine upstanding financial citizens that he could read about. For some reason, he keeps slumming it with us debt bloggers. Maybe it’s his version of rubbernecking at a car accident.
But I digress.
As a debt blogger, I don’t think I’m “coddling” my readers by supressing a violent urge to verbally abuse and harangue some one’s every bad financial decision. I also don’t think I’m “spoiling” my readers by side-stepping a desire to call someone’s life story a fecal stain.
But hey, each to their own. Different strokes for different folks? Or something.
The reality is….
Debt bloggers attract thousands of people every day to dozens and dozens of sites across the interweb. Why? Because we share our experiences and they are relatable. Because some people can connect with “I screwed up” a lot easier than ” if there’s a worse preparation for adulthood than being a single teenage mom and then proceeding to incur $45,000 in debt while attending college for a useless degree, we don’t know what it might be.” I guess there an audience for everything though.
We offer support and accountability and vulnerability and stupidity and success. We offer inspiration and insecurity and knowledge and experience and reflection and failure. We offer an opportunity to lead an intentional life. We offer a way to cultivate meaning beyond the next big purchase. We offer a chance to redefine relationships with friends and family beyond ‘keeping up with the Joneses’.
There’s a reason why we’re here. Not everyone is going to like it but we’re here to stay.
To correct or clarify some of Greg’s assumptions:
– We made a profit on the wedding in gifts and contributions
– Work is paying for my education and it will increase my salary by 30% (to start out with).
Commence Pettiness:
Here are my final thoughts to our intrepid hero over at Control Your Cash.
Debt-blogger out.
I was curious and decided to read the about section. She made her money selling real estate during the biggest housing bubble in US history in one of the most bubbly cities (Las Vegas). She then leaves that to become a full time investor in 2005, before everything came crashing back down. I guess only those who happen to catch bubbles at the right moment are qualified to discuss money.
I think there are two of them, actually. There’s Betty, who is the person you were reading about, and then Greg, who is a media/copy editor guy. I don’t know that Betty has a lot to do with the blog.
I’m not sure he has even Betty’s experience with investing. Greg graduated with a math degree and then tried being a sports newscaster for several years before breaking down and trying something more realistic (His take, not mine). Strange coming from a guy who regularly harangues others for pursuing unrealistic degrees or careers….
You crack me up. 🙂 Keep doing what you’re doing! If there’s something wrong with encouraging people to get out of debt by sharing our own stories, I don’t know what it is. I found Making Sense of Cents when feeling down about my student loans (I’m a, gasp, English major. But pursuing your passions is, apparently, completely pointless, so my bad for wanting to be a professor). It led me to creating my own blog, and subsequently, finding your blog! I have never felt so motivated, inspired or supported in my journey to kick my student loan debt as I have in the last two months.
Congratulations on starting up a blog, it’s a huge undertaking! And welcome! Making Sense of Cents was the blog that inspired me to start my own blog.
I’m glad you found me I liked your blog! I included you on my bloglovin feed so I can read your new stuff. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Well said! So many people let that stuff get to them but it’s just pathetic people trying to make others feel bad about themselves. Screw ’em.
Happy to have you as part of the community :).
Hi Erin, Thanks to you as well! Honestly, I can’t tell if Greg is a parody or not – he just seems so cardboard cut-out villain. Almost like he should be twirling his mustache and swishing his black cape dramatically while tying some poor dame to the train tracks. It’s all just so over-the-top…calling people “whores”, “fat” , “retarded” blah blah on a PF site. It just feels very provocative in a staged sort of way. Very curious…
I digress. Yes it is pathetic that people are trying to make others feel bad about themselves. It’s a weird pass-time to devote yourself to really. I hear hobbies help with that…
Thanks for stopping by. 🙂 Always love seeing you around.
Great post, I totally agree with this and thanks for the awesome links. That’ll keep me busy for a few hours.
Hey there, thanks! There are a lot of great sites out there to explore – I hope you enjoy. 🙂