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How To Stay In Control Of Your Debt |
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Written by Webmaster
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Wednesday, 08 October 2008 |
By Alexander West
 Staying in control of your debt, will take willpower. If it was easy then you'd be doing it right now and feeling comfortable. However, even though it is not easy, you can take back control and begin to put an end to the financial hardships you are facing. No longer is your only way out through bankruptcy.
You have a few options you can look into. You can get a debt consolidation loan or use a debt management company to assist you. You could also contact government organisations or charities that can advise you on becoming debt free. No matter which road you decide to take you need to have a plan of action.
You should set goals for yourself. You can begin by figuring exactly how much you spend of your money on things that are not necessities. For example, how many days a week do you stop at your favorite little coffee shop on your way to work? Instead of doing this, spend a few dollars and buy a travel mug. Bring your coffee from home to work with
you. Spending a few dollars to save yourself even $10 a week is worth it.
Take this new found $10 a week and put it into a savings account for a rainy day, or even emergency money. Having liquid funds available at your disposal can be beneficial to you keeping your piece of mind. Because you would have normally spent this money on yourself, you should save it for yourself. Try to avoid using this savings account for bills, it should be used only for an emergency.
You should also write down all of your monthly responsibilities. Such as mortgage, car payments, credit cards, food and utilities. This will give you a better idea of the money that needs to leave your checking account on a monthly basis.
Now, you should figure out exactly how much you bring in on a monthly basis. Include your child support or any other type of income. Subtract the amount of money you need to send out in bill payments from your income amount. Is your amount left in the positive or negative range? If you are still in the positive range, you should be able to make all of your financial obligations each month.
Again, you should look at some of the other places you are spending your money. If you are eating out for lunch at work, you should calculate how much you spend on a weekly basis doing this. Do not recalculate the coffee money, you already have a plan for that money. If you go to the movies and have dinner in a restaurant keep track of this amount too. Cut back on all of these extras for one month, at least. This can save you quite a bit of money. Use this extra money to pay some of your bills. Add a little extra to some of your higher credit card bills.
Alexander West holds the Financial Planning Certificate. One of his passions is learning and teaching people about finances. You can read the rest of this article, and join others getting on top of their finances at Click Here
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 October 2008 )
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