Do you want to become debt-free? In the current economy, American consumers owe $1.1 trillion in debt. While debt is common, it is very stressful and can put your whole life on hold. However, there are ways to help yourself get out of debt that are easy to keep to.
Check out 10 easy ways to become debt-free.
1. Pay Off High-Interest Debt First
Getting out of debt is hard – and even harder if your debts have high interest. Try to pay off your high interest debts first, as this makes your debt slightly cheaper in the long run; if you are paying $50 interest a month on one credit card, and $30 on another, paying off the first will make it easier to save and pay off your other debt.
2. Look At Your Income And Expenses
Take a good look at your income and outgoings. Write down how much you make a month, and all of your outgoing expenses; rent, bills, travel, food, entertainments and little treats. You may be surprised to see how much you actually spend on things you could live without.
Doing this will show you how much money you have after your expenses to pay off debt, and it is a great way to show you what you are already spending too much on.
3. Create A Budget And Payback Strategy – And Stick To It
Once you’ve looked over your income and expenses, you can focus on creating a budget that pays off a set amount of your debt every month. For instance, if you earn $2,000 a month and you spend $1,500 on life expenses, you can pay off $500 of debt every month.
A good way to stick to this is to pretend you earn $1,500 a month – that way it doesn’t feel like you are losing anything.
4. Get Rid Of One Luxury
Everyone enjoys a treat, whether you enjoy a daily coffee or subscriptions to your favorite magazines.
Work out one treat that you could live without, and cut it out. As you still have most of your treats, this should be easy to stick to. For instance, if you stop buying a daily coffee at work for $3, you save $15 dollars a week – and $60 a month.
5. Consider Maximizing Your Salary
If you earn more, it will be easier for you to pay off your debt in quicker time. You could take on a second job, but if you don’t there are many other ways to earn a little extra; the amount of home owners in the United Kingdom taking on lodgers has doubled in recent years. Other options include selling on eBay, babysitting or freelancing.
6. Make More Than You Spend
Many people struggle to save, and can end up spending more than they own. Recent studies reveal that in 2010, 73% of Americans spent less than they earned, but by 2012 that number had fallen to 66%. Many people struggle with this problem, so make sure you know every month that you made more money than you spent.
7. Improve Your Credit Score
Improving your credit score is a great way to ease your debt, and work on paying off other debts. As your credits score improves, the interest rates you pay become lower. For instance, your interest monthly payments could sink by $20, saving you $240 a year. You can improve your credit score by paying your bills on time and not opening other credit accounts.
8. Anything You Don’t Spend, Save
If you have money left over at the month, don’t treat yourself to a new handbag – treat yourself by reducing your debt a little further. Thinking this way will make you debt-free faster, getting you back to a financial situation you are happy with.
9. Be Disciplined
Try to avoid borrowing any more money or taking on any more debts until you have repaid what you already owe. This can often cause people to become disheartened, which could result in them losing their motivation and not keeping up to their re-payments.
Stick to your budget, and think about if you actually need to get in more debt – what is the money for? Is it essential?
10. Stop Thinking About It
Don’t spend every day obsessing over your repayment plans and budget – this can stress you out and make you feel like you are not in control of your debt. However once you have a payment plan in place, you can stop thinking about it and start just paying it. You are chipping away at your debt every day, so relax and try not to think about it. Good luck!
Featured photo credit: Imcreator.com via imcreator.com
