I, for instance, am going to pay Sweetie back that five bucks I owe her. Someday.

Do you find yourself more and more wondering about debt consolidation or other financial relief?

Even as the economy starts turning around, you might find yourself still struggling to make ends meet, or even falling behind on bills that you can't pay. Lots of people are still out of work, or might be in the near future, and, of course, there's rising costs for all sorts of things.

Now might be the time to consider attacking that debt before things get worse -- or to help them get better. And there are lots of tools for you to consider when you decide to finally sit down and do something about all the money you owe, everything from debt consolidation to credit counseling to bankruptcy.

It's important to make sure that you understand, first, how essential it is to properly manage your debt. Minimum payments may mean you'll NEVER pay off credit cards. But making higher payments might hurt your ability to buy groceries, and missing payments can destroy your chances at a student, car, or home loan.

Once you're set on managing your debt, it's important, too, to get proper advice. Talk to someone who knows what theyr'e doing and who will sit down and get specific with you about YOUR problems and ALL the solutions: Ask them about each option, and what they recommend or don't recommend.

And then, if it's right for you, pick an option like debt consolidation and do it -- but do it right. Debt consolidation can be a good step in reducing debt or clearing up credit. A debt consolidation loan can reduce your payments and pay past-due bills to avoid mounting late charges or penalties. But a debt consolidation loan has its own downsides, and make sure you know about those.

Places like Debt Consolidation Connection can be one place to start: They'll take your information for free and help you begin. So make sure you know all your options and have all the information you need, and make sure you deal with your debt today, not tomorrow.