I had around a three-hour face to face meeting with Leah and Eric on Saturday. As their adviser, the scariest part of the current situation is that they don’t find it as distressing as I do: Leah is USED to debt and it doesn't bother her. She openly shared that they are in denial.

On the phone, I asked Leah what was outstanding on credit cards. Now that the house is hopefully off their backs, we can start to put together a plan to pay off debt. I started getting really worried as Leah shared the details of her debt. Let's just say it is hard enough for a family to live on the $44,000 a year Eric is now making, let alone trying to put a dent into debt of the magnitude of Leah's and Eric's.

All together, it's over $45,000 -- more than a year's salary!

After reading her blog post this week, I am also further reminded how much I like Leah and her values. The fact that she and her husband chose not to use money that others might need who are in a more desperate situation, speaks volumes to me about their character!

Leah shared with me the way her life used to be. She had regular monthly visits to the chiropractor, the massage therapist, and regular pedicures. Today however, she says she feels completely strapped! She's never felt like this in her life!! She also shared that although she has given up ALL of these previous creature comforts, Eric occasionally doesn't appear to be on board.

One of Leah's ongoing issues—and her biggest one—is the potential short sale of her family’s house in Rhode Island. I am so worried about how this will play out for her and the affect on her credit. Also Leah is so busy taking care of her baby and settling into South Georgia, that it is now in the background instead of the forefront of her mind.

Check out our email conversation from last week, about the potential short sale.