The Red Zone

Hi,
Over the years, I've noticed that many of my clients with severe debt problems have fallen into one or more red zones. Today I'll talk about entertainment red zones. A common topic in the entertainment red zone is going on what I call "a credit vacation". Vacationing now, and paying for it in the future, results in compounding existing debt problems while creating new ones. It is important that people be aware that credit vacations can cause unforeseen future problems.
Let's examine the every day little red zones people might slip into:
1) Airports. Everywhere you turn, you pay exorbitant prices for goods and services. Parking, eating, drinking, gift shop items etc., cost you much more inside the airport than they do off site. Hopefully you're on an expense account and the above danger is a moot point.
2)Sports events. Sometimes we associate the cost of a baseball game with the price of the tickets. We don't factor in the costs of parking and concessions which many times can equal or exceed the cost of the tickets.
3)Transportation. Downtown parking is a red zone which can be avoided by parking in a commuter's lot and taking mass transit into the urban center.
These are just a few examples of common red zones. Identifying your personal red zones is a necessary step in planning your debt management strategy.
Tomorrow we'll talk about the pile of grocery receipts.
Until then,
Alan