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Readers — after almost four years with Wise Bread, I’m moving on. My last day as senior editor of this site is this Friday, July 25. The change is bittersweet, as all good job moves should be. It’s been a delight to work with Wise Bread’s writers and staff, and to interact with you, the wonderful readers. For all of the knowledge I brought to the job, I’ve learned so much more about smart financial moves than I ever thought I could — and much of it from you. You’re an inspiring, ingenious bunch, and I’ll miss you.

We usually like to take the high ground when motivating ourselves. When it comes to getting out of debt, common reasons include "I want to put more money into a college savings fund" or "it will lower my insurance premiums." And yes, they're good reasons. (See also: 6 Harmful Money Beliefs That Are Keeping You Poor)

But what if, for a second, we don't go the way of the good-hearted Luke Skywalker, and instead follow the path of his evil father? What if we use motivations that come from "the dark side?"

Here are 10 dark-side motivations you could use to get out of debt. Feel the power of the force.

Ok, sure, "budget" isn't always synonymous with "rollicking good time." But there are ways to make the process more fun at every stage, from assessing your finances, to setting goals, to meeting those goals, to reaping the rewards. And the more fun you can make the process, the more likely you are to stick with your budget. (See also: Evolve Your Money Management Beyond a Budget)

These ideas may help you to stay on course and have fun, while you are budgeting.

Going through airport security is already an arduous enough process without having to remove your laptop from your bag to scan separately, especially if you make frequent business trips. But aside from simply being an additional annoyance in the process of getting to your plane, it can also be quite dangerous to leave your laptop "naked." According to a study done by Dell, an estimated 12,000 laptops are lost in U.S. airports every week. Luckily, the Transportation Security Administration has developed criteria for checkpoint-friendly laptop bags that do not require you to remove the laptop when passing through security.