Research Hiatus!

I'm in the process of reading books about money management, but most importantly books and materials regarding living more simply. I found today, for instance, that most books regarding personal money management tend to have titles like "Become a Millionaire in 7 Easy Steps"...(I'm paraphrasing), or they are giving advice for investing wisely. Not exactly titles for the average Joe out there. These are not the types of materials or advice I'm looking for in my journey - I'm looking more for sustainable money management and living in simplicity. Not that I want to live in a tent and eat grasses for the rest of my life...but there is a kernel of wisdom in all the information out there regarding voluntary simplicity that I want to hone and develop in terms of managing and staying out of debt. We are living in uncertain economic times, and I'd like to feel (and know!) that regardless of the fluctuations on the global market, that we will be safe and in a position whereby we will not be horribly negatively affected by whatever comes our way.

So again, please bear with me while I do a bit of research and wrack my brain for creative solutions that don't require investing heavily in the stock market, money markets, mutual funds, or in exploitation of any kind.

As far as my own financial picture goes at the moment - I've given up all but one credit card. At the moment my husband has hidden them away, while I try to come to terms with the idea of actually cancelling them. We are currently concentrating on paying down the high interest credit cards, while making minimum payments on low-interest lines of credit and low-interest credit cards. We really can't absorb any more debt without serious consequences, so I'm more than willing to change my habits and lifestyle to accommodate a real change of status for us.

And yes - while my husband is much better with credit cards, there is the little factoid that I'm the one who takes care of most of the family stuff...like birthdays, Christmas, any travel we do, special occasions, and so on. So while it looks like I've racked up a lot of debt, the truth is that it is actually a lot of family-related things. My husband and I are both very generous people with donations, gifts, charity...you name it. We are both now trying to cut back with many things, while still being charitable! It is a shared responsibiltiy, and we're taking it very seriously these days.