THE COLOR OF MONEY: The challengers are changing -- but not without some pain

There was a moment of silence when I told Carlesa A. Washington, a 24-year-old recent college graduate, to drop the Internet service she gets on her cell phone.

Her bill is about $75 a month. She pays an extra $20 to access the Internet. "You don't need e-mail on your cell phone if you're in debt," I said. "What do you want more, a home or to e-mail your friends?"

"A home," she replied.

Washington is putting up with my demands because she has volunteered to take part in the Color of Money Challenge. This is the second in a series of columns in which I've promised for the next year to help four people -- two single women and one couple -- achieve their financial New Year's resolutions.

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