<P>Today, Americans are saving less, carrying larger debt loads, losing their homes to foreclosure, and filing bankruptcy in record numbers. People are spending more than they can afford, and many feel guilty, anxious, and overwhelmed as a result. </P><P>Moving beyond the advice of financial planners who only treat the symptoms of overspending, in <I>Spent</I> Sally Palaian offers proven plans for taking on a range of personal issues with money by examining those underlying emotional, familial, and societal factors that trigger spending behaviors. </P><P><I>Spent</I> teaches readers to control shopping, pay off debt, develop budgets, and become financially competent through:</P><UL type=disc><LI>Easy-to-use assessment tools designed to pinpoint the severity of a problem</LI><LI>Questionnaires that facilitate the exploration of the root causes of unhealthy financial behaviors</LI><LI>User-friendly exercises created to influence change from within  </LI></UL><P>Palaian's system for financial recovery is designed to not only help excessive spenders overcome their spending habits, but also to help hoarders, financial codependents, and underachievers let go of fears, take responsibility for their actions, and break unhealthy cycles.<I> Spent </I>empowers people in every financial predicament to disentangle their financial messes to achieve lasting, positive change and a healthy view of one's true value in life. </P>