Showing posts with label Credit card debt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Credit card debt. Show all posts

Monday

The Secret to Finally Paying Debt Quickly

If you've struggled with debt for any amount of time, you know how it can feel like you're in a big black hole, you just can't seem to dig yourself out of. Balances never seem to go down and you need to keep tapping into credit cards just to make ends meet.

There is plenty of debt advice out there and you may have tried things like debt consolidation, making large payments to your debts to try to pay them faster and other methods that just don't seem to work. Things just keep getting more and more difficult to manage.

But it really doesn't have to be that way...

If you've been able to keep up with your minimum monthly payments until now, there is a solution for you. And it's remarkably simple if you follow the appropriate steps laid out for you.

I'm talking about the "Pay Debt Quickly Kit" that shows you how to:

- Pay debt off faster without having to make any large payments.

- Get what you want from your creditors to pay off your debt faster and even improve your credit score.

- Make drastic changes in the way you think about and handle money without feeling like you're deprived in any way.

The kit includes everything you need to get to debt-free faster. From software that helps you quickly and easily calculate your precise debt-free dates to strategies to take control of your finances and even work with your creditors so that you benefit, instead of them - this kit has what you need to eliminate your debt.

Learn more & get debt-free at: Pay Debt Quickly

Everything is available for instant download and you don't have to wait for anything to come in the mail. That means you can start sleeping better and stop worrying about your debt, starting
RIGHT NOW.

Friday

I'm in Debt and Can't Get Out...Help!

A diagram showing the front side of a typical ...Image via Wikipedia In today's economy many people are taking on more credit card debt than they can handle, or what was once manageable has changed due to circumstances that makes their debt hard to repay.

Does this sound familiar to you?

Why are so many people in too much debt?

Most of the time it is through no fault of their own. They may have incurred the debt sensibly, but lost their jobs or become ill and were unable to work. Then they find themselves saddled with debt that they can no longer afford.

Or, by using poor financial management which causes many people to end up over their heads in debt. An increasing number of people keep multiple credit cards, which essentially multiplies their debt. Although they may be able to keep up with the minimum payments, interest keeps them in debt for many years. Also, many credit card companies are often willing to extend credit that the borrower may not make enough money to pay back.

How do you keep your debt manageable?

Compare credit cards for the best possible interest rates, and keep your open accounts to a minimum. One or two credit cards should be plenty. No one needs a pocketful of credit cards.

When paying back your credit card debt, try to pay more than the minimum payment due and this will prevent interest from accruing. If at all possible, pay the balance in full each month. This will save you lots of money and keep your credit in good shape. Stop charging if something comes up and you need to charge more than you can pay back in a month until that balance is paid off.

How do you get out of debt?

All is not lost though if you're already in more debt than you can handle. The key is realizing that there is a problem before it is too late. It will take discipline, but you can get yourself out of debt on your own in most cases.

Step 1: Stop taking on new debt.

Step 2: Work out a personal budget.

Start by making the minimum payment on everything each month. Put any extra money toward one debt until it's paid off, and then moving on to the next. Choose one of the following ways to pay off your debts: highest to lowest interest or by lowest to highest balance.

You may need some assistance if you've tried to manage your debts on your own but are having trouble coming up with any extra money to put toward them, or even enough to make the minimum payment. Talk to your creditors, explain your situation and see if they would be willing to reduce your interest and payments. If that doesn't work, credit counseling and debt consolidation are options.

It can be very scary when you find yourself getting into too much debt. But it is often possible to regain control of your debt on your own. If not, help is available. Don't be afraid to seek it out.
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Tuesday

Five Tips on How to Live Within Your Means

Living within your means is a liberating way to live your life. It means no debt – debt is one of the most common causes of relationship stress. Living within your means gives you the freedom to save money for special things rather than always scrimping to pay your bills.

Unfortunately, many people don’t live within their means. They live above it, way above it. This happens for many reasons. Maybe they just don’t keep track of their expenses and purchases are made without thinking. Maybe they’re trying to keep up with their friends and family. Maybe shopping is a misguided form of therapy. Whatever the reason, the end result isn’t a happy one.

If you feel that you could do more to live within your means, here are a few tips to help keep your life on track and your financial status right where it belongs:

Tip #1: Keep track of your spending. It is important to know where your money goes. Once you have an idea of what you’re spending your money on, you can begin to control it.

Tip #2: Buy a used car or at least keep your new car for more than a couple years. A new car depreciates the moment you drive it off the lot. Sometimes it depreciates as much as 50%. A used car already has that depreciation figured into the cost.

Tip #3: Don’t be afraid to grocery shop with coupons or stock up on items for sale. Personally I love it when the grocery offers "buy one get one free items", particularly when the items are large ticket items like meats. Not only do I save tons of money but when I can’t figure out what to make for dinner, I can just open my freezer and I have options.

Tip #4: Do buy quality clothing items, not quantity. When you’re shopping for yourself, don’t make whimsical clothing purchases or follow the latest trend. What’s better? Spending $40 on a pair of jeans that will be out of style next season, or spending $50 on a pair of jeans you can wear for five years?

Tip #5: If you have a credit card debt, develop a plan to get out of it. A debt elimination plan begins with reducing your interest rate. A phone call to your creditor can usually start the process. Next, stop the charging on those credit cards and get busy paying them down. Pay more than the minimum balance or you’ll never get it done. A great way to manage the process is to develop a monthly budget. Your budget will contain your income, expenses including debt and your savings.

Living within your means is possible! It is empowering to have complete control over your money and your finances, certainly less stressful than letting your money control you!









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Two Methods to Become Debt Free

Many people are struggling with credit card debt. Unfortunately it doesn’t take much to derail your credit. A few missed or late payments on any credit card or loan can cause creditors to start calling and bring a world of stress into your life. If you are in this situation, here’s two methods on how to get your credit back on track and eliminate credit card debt to become debt free as quickly as possible:

Debt Free Method #1- Pay off highest interest credit card first:

Step #1: List all of your credit cards, including your outstanding balance, your interest rate, the minimum payment percentage and the minimum payment according to your latest statement. Yes, this could be painful and may strike a chord of panic in your chest. Don’t worry. This is the first step to gaining control of your finances and becoming debt free.

Step #2: Once you have that list, highlight or circle the credit card with the highest interest rate. This is the card you’re going to attack first.

Step #3: Add up the minimum payments for all of your cards. This means if you have five credit cards, what minimum balance do you owe on each and what is the total of your minimum balances?
Step #4: Create a personal budget. Yes, this may sound like a scary word, but a personal budget will tell you exactly what you have to spend each month and how much you have to pay off your credit card balances.

Step #5: Pay the minimum balance on each credit card you have EXCEPT the one with the highest percentage rate. On this card you will pay as much as you can on top of the minimum balance. So if your minimum balance is $25, and you’ve budgeted to pay an extra $50 toward your credit card debt, you’ll make a payment of $75.

Step #6: Once your balance is paid off from your highest credit card, move on to the next highest credit card percentage rate. Now you will add the extra $50, plus whatever the minimum was on the card you paid off, to the minimum that is due on the next card. (Example: $50 + $25 + $25 = $100) Continue the process until your debt is paid off.


Debt Free Method #2 - Pay off smallest credit card balance first:

Step #1: List all of your credit cards, including your outstanding balance, your interest rate, and the minimum payment percentage and the minimum payment according to your latest statement.

Step #2: Once you have that list, put them in order of smallest balance to largest balance. The card with the smallest balance is the one you’re going to attack first.

Step #3: Add up the minimum payments for all of your cards. This means if you have five credit cards, what minimum balance do you owe on each and what is the total of your minimum balances?
Step #4: Create your personal budget to see exactly what you have to spend each month and how much you have to pay off your credit card balances.

Step #5: Pay the minimum balance on each credit card you have EXCEPT the one with the smallest balance. On this card you will pay as much as you can on top of the minimum balance. So if your minimum balance is $25, and you’ve budgeted to pay an extra $50 toward your credit card debt, you’ll make a payment of $75.

Step #6: Once your balance is paid off from that credit card, move on to the credit card with the next smallest balance. This time you will add the extra $50, plus whatever the minimum was on the card you paid off, to the minimum that is due on the next card. (Example: $50 + $25 + $25 = $100) Continue the process until your debt is paid off.

Pick a method that will work for you, put it into practice and before you know it YOU can be DEBT FREE!

Tip: Call your credit card companies and see if you can lower the percentage rate. If they will not lower your credit card rate, consider shopping around for a card with a lower rate. If possible, transfer the balances on your high rate cards to cards with a lower rate. Keep in mind that you will likely incur a fee for this transfer. Make sure you cancel the card that you just transferred the balance from. You certainly don’t need the temptation of a card with a zero balance to ruin your progress.

Are you ready to finally live debt free?
Click here to learn how to get out of debt and on the road to financial freedom today!
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I'm Back!

 After many life-changing happenings, I am finally at a point to start updating this site again.   Many new articles to come! Elisabeth