If you’re among the millions of Americans who made a New Year’s resolution to eliminate or reduce your debt, you may be feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work involved in actually becoming debt free.

Luckily, for those of you serious about revamping your finances this year, there are plenty of online resources to help you get there. Here’s a look at some you might be able to use, no matter what your 2011 financial goals.

Eliminate Debt

A recent post from WalletPop.com offers ten pointers on eliminating debt in the new year. Some highlights:

• Ask your credit card issuers for a lower interest rate. According to the post, many new credit card customers are being offered lower interest rates than many current customers get, so go online, find out about current deals and ask for a new rate yourself.
• Take advantage of “debt math.” The new consumer protection laws passed in 2009 required a little box to be displayed on credit card bills that shows how long it would take to pay off your obligation by making only the minimum payment each month. Take advantage of those calculations to motivate yourself!
• Buddy up. Get your friends or family members on board with your financial revamping for added support.

Organize Your Finances Online (for Free)

You’re trying to stop spending your money, right? So why should you have to pay for financial advice? According to a recent post at 20somethingfinance.com, you don’t – plenty of online financial information is absolutely free, including:

• Personal finance software. A number of web sites are devoted exclusively to helping consumers organize their financial lives.
• Free tax software. Why hire an accountant when you can go online and get walked through the process of filing taxes free of charge?
• Free credit report. If you still haven’t visited this web site to check out your official credit reports (for free!), you’re missing out. Log on today to see what lenders see when they consider lending you money.

Save Money in Surprising, “Hard Core” Ways

If you’re in the game of getting out of debt, you’ve likely heard most of the typical money-saving tips over and over, but this post on cutting spending actually had some tips I’d never heard before. My favorites?

• Make your own reusable “paper” towels. The writer recommends buying a few yards of white flannel for less than ten dollars, cutting them into paper-towel-sized squares, loosely hemming the edges and using them over and over. I love that this is eco-friendly as well as good on the wallet.
• Don’t buy new. Unless you’re giving a gift, learn to shop used. It’s amazing how much you can save by being patient and shopping around.
• Leave your comfort zone. I ventured into my town’s international grocery for the first time this week, and found amazing savings on lots of my favorite foods. Of course, this store’s prices for other things were not as good as elsewhere, but for international-type ingredients, it can’t be beat. It’s my new favorite place to shop!

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