Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Get Rid of Credit Card Debt Once and for All

People are getting tired of the downturn in the economy the credit card debt, but it is not improving. If you have credit card debt and can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel then these tips should help you get back on the right track. You just have to be honest with yourself and the people within your family.

1.Asses your credit card debt honestly. It’s not good thinking “it’s ok, I’ll pay this off in a few more months...” Get down to raw figures and actually look at how much you owe in total. It might blow your head off, but at least you’ll know. Now you can manage it realistically. The next step is to find out what your biggest financial drains are a month. If there is anything you can cut out, great, do it. If it means drinking “Rola Cola” for a year instead of Coca Cola it isn’t the end of the world.

2.Next you must do a budget that doesn’t rely solely on more credit. Paying off credit cards and loans with more credit cards and loansmeans you’ll die in debt. You have to determine where the problem is and change it, instead of rolling everything over every month. You don’t lose weight by continuing to eat cake. You don’t get out of debt by continuing to spend the same amount of money.

3.Start saving. I know saving seems crazy when you need to pay off debt, but money that is saved is your money and can get you out of problems in the future. Put a small percentage of your wage each week in to a savings account.

4.Pay off the most expensive credit cards first. You can’t take baby steps here. What’s the use paying off the easy cards? You’ll still have a black cloud over you.

5.Don’t spend more than you earn. Stay in a few weekends a month. Don’t buy anymore clothes for this year. If you need brand name clothing, fair enough, but why brand name food? You’re eating it not wearing it. Turn off all the lights when you leave a room, unplug electrical equipment on standby, use public transport. When you think about it, there is a lot you can do to cut your monthly spending and it doesn’t always have to be that way. When you are out of debt you can up your lifestyle a little.

6.Seek professional help or credit counseling, they can guide you on the best way to take action and put everything in a clear and easy to understand manner.

7.To fight the temptation, once you have paid off any credit cards, cancel them and dance on their grave. The ideal is to end up with one credit card that you only use when you have to and use your debit card for everything else. The key to getting out of credit card debt is to be honest with yourself and make a plan. You need to understand your situation and have a plan of action before it can change.

8.If it all seems too much to manage seek debt consolidation services where your debts are taken on by an organization and you are left with one big loan or card. It doesn’t necessarily make it cheaper, but it is a damn sight easier to manage.


Disclaimer: The information contained in this website is provided as an information service only and does not constitute financial product advice. None of the information provided takes into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. You must determine whether the information is appropriate in terms of your particular circumstances. For financial product advice which takes account of your particular objectives, financial situation or needs, you should consider seeking independent financial advice from a Financial Services Licensee.

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