December 14, 2007

Kathy Prochaska-Cue, a UNL Extension family economic specialist, proposed the original idea for the Web site, known as Pay Down Debt. The site, located at http://paydowndebt.unl.edu/, contains a simple-step system and worksheets to help users plan to work toward reducing debt and increasing savings.

"The ultimate bottom line goal of the plan is to help people start saving for long-term goals," Prochaska-Cue said.

Pay Down Debt uses a 10-step system. Each step gives advice on how to work out of or prevent debt. The site also offers worksheets that can be saved online with security and privacy. The worksheets allow someone to record and analyze his or her own financial situation.

For the three years that the site has been up and running, Prochaska-Cue said people responding from the Web site have had an average of $18,000 in total debt. The site has been able to help people plan to get those debts paid off. Prochaska-Cue said she has received good comments on the Web site verbally and from evaluation forms available at the site.

Prochaska-Cue recently held demonstrations on the Web site before two meetings of the University of Nebraska Office Professionals Association.

"There's some good worksheets on there," said Peggy Jeffries, a project assistant for 4-H, who attended one o the demonstrations. "You can go become more aware of what your debt is or isn't." Other main contributors to the site were Leanne Manning and Sandy Preston, extension educators. Gary Zhu, a software design specialist in UNL's Communications and Information Technology unit, programmed the Web site.

Prochaska-Cue said she hopes to find funding for another Web site for use in conjunction with Pay Down Debt that concentrates on savings.

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