Now that I’m closer to having a zero net worth, I’m really itching to pay down my debt as fast as possible. Recently, I’ve taken a look at placing some rarely used items up for grabs on ebay.

I’ve already made some good progress on my items – not a large sum, but still a few hundred to toss towards my debt.

I’m not a frequent user of ebay, but I have used the site enough – both as a buyer and seller – to understand a few of the components that can make for a positive experience:

Hey there, everyone.  Welcome to my blog and welcome to this mid-September edition of the Carnival of Debt Reduction.  Listed below are 7 posts that I found to be interesting and in-line with the content of my blog as well.  I hope you find one or more of the topics as useful as I did.

Lastly, thank you to everyone that submitted an article. Enjoy!

M is for Money submitted a post called Can a Spender Become a Saver?

If you’re reading this post then I’m assuming you want the answer to be yes. It all depends on your mindset going into it – do you really want to climb from debt or do you still crave spending?

The Smarter Wallet submitted a post called Credit Crisis and Subprime Card Traps

Stricter credit card regulation is coming in early February, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t get hurt.  This post goes into some of the credit card options available to those with credit trouble. The deck is stacked against the debtor – I would suggest walking away from the plastic as much as you can, for as long as you can.

Get Rich Slowly submitted a post called Sweating the Big Stuff

An example of cutting larger things from your budget to improve your cash flow (and your life).  Actually a guest post from Sierra at Childwild.com, this story goes beyond the popular “just cut your morning coffee” suggestion that most PF blogs hold as the golden rule.

Financial Highway submitted a post called Basics of Credit Score and Credit Report and How often to Check.

Typically, I check my credit score once, at the beginning of each year, from one of the three reporting agencies.  It’s a good idea to track it – regardless how often though.  This post quickly goes over some of the basics.  My tip: I would never pay for “credit report alerts” or anything else they’re selling – instead, be active and be your own alert.

PT Money submitted a post called 5 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score

Now that you know what to look for in your credit score, here’s 5 ways to improve it.

Budgets Are Sexy submitted a post called Students! Manage Your Debt.

I thought this post was good since my decent in to debt began right after I graduated college.  Having a good (i.e. realistic) understanding of finance and debt management is crucial when you’re starting out – it’s easy to fall behind.

Bargaineering submitted a post called Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover Review.

I’m using the debt snowball technique to attack my debt and I’ve written a post or two on Dave Ramsey, so I found this review of his book and the comment thread to be interesting.

So, I often listen to NPR whenever I’m in the car – and now that I take public transportation most everyday I download their podcast and listen to it while I’m on the T. Last Friday’s podcast contained a story by John Dimsdale titled, Foreign investors pulling out of U.S. Basically, foreign investment in US stocks is down 12% from last year – and that 12% is the most significant downward movement in recent history. While that may come across as not very important to someone that doesn’t have heavy investment in the stock market or a publicly traded company – it ends up being very important to someone that had a lot of credit debt and little savings.

Not all foreign investment is leaving. Foreign companies and sovereign wealth funds are taking stakes in private equity firms and other U.S. companies, but Global Insight economist Nigel Gault says the foreign flight from U.S. securities means in the future credit will be more expensive and Americans will have to rely increasingly on their savings.

Ouch – as if I needed more reason.