Money Groups

Last year, 24-year-old Katie Dunsworth decided it was time for her and her friends to stop spending, start saving and get richer. Katie saw Oprah's Debt Diet show and decided to take action. The show motivated Katie and four friends to start a money group and get smart about their spending, saving and investing.

They call themselves the Smart Cookies. As a team, the women set up weekly meetings, confess their debt, make a plan to "pay it down" and start investing. "Really the one thing that came across is we need to be held accountable," Katie says.

Each member originally had their own goals to achieve. Katie wanted to stop putting things on her credit card and save for her upcoming wedding. Robyn, a social worker, wanted a better paying job. Andrea wanted to relieve the stress her debt was causing. "I was the one in the most debt and it was something I was definitely ashamed of," Andrea says. "It was something I wanted to take charge of in my life."