Facebook, Cafe Mom, Private Forum, Blog Add-on, Emails Or ?

We could be starting a movement!

Since my last post on the hush-hush of debt in your later years, I’ve received a fair amount of interest regarding starting a small private support group.  Right now life is a bit crazy with me working a seasonal job, but I wanted to assure those of you who have expressed interest that it did not fall on deaf ears!  We could be onto something here!  From what I have seen, there isn’t much in the way of support groups for those of us battling debt in our later years.  I am a firm believer that support is imperative to success.  It is also one of the very reasons I started A Dime at a Time.  For those who only want to follow my journey, rest assured, my plan is to continue still blogging.  Any support group formed would be in addition to the blog!

While I still think it would be awesome to have a local support group meeting, creating such a group presents a lot of challenges.  Right now the next best thing would probably be an on-line group.  Much like my friend who attends a small TOPS  (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) group for accountability for her weight, my thought is that a “hush-hush” group would be best kept small as well.  Not to say that there couldn’t be several of these hush-hush groups!  We could be creating a movement!  The question now is how to go about creating the first group, and this is where I am looking for your input!

There was mention of a private Facebook group.  I’m on Facebook, but often avoid it as it tends to be a time-sucker.  When it comes to Facebook, is there any such thing as logging on for just a few minutes?  I also question privacy as that is something I know many want to maintain, even within a hush-hush group!

CafeMom is a forum-type of a platform.  It is free to join and may offer more privacy.  Just for kicks, I did create a hush-hush group which you can check out HERE.  I have not added much in the way of content.  It is more so those who are not familiar with the site can check it out as a possibility.

A blog add-on is yet another option.  I know some blogs have forums connected with them.  Having it attached to A Dime at a Time could be helpful, but the concern I have with this is how to give it a small group feel.

Group email might work, too.  The problem I foresee here is that even with a small group, emails along with the responses could take too much time to follow.  Most of us are also hustling to pay off debt and don’t always have the time to reply.

What are some other options out there?  I am open to suggestions!  Let’s do this.  Let’s create a movement of small accountability groups working hard at turning our finances around.  We may have started later than others, but we can still be successful.  It may be difficult to change the overall hush-hush of personal finance, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t eliminate it within our small groups!

Hello.  My name is Lucy. I’m in my 50s, and my hubby and I have a lot of debt.  I am looking for your support and encouragement while we clean up our financial mess!