Financial freedom does not have to be a dream only for the rich and famous. Read this article to discover tips on creating your own debt weapons and becoming debt free to find financial independence.
Having debt is like staring down the barrel of a weapon. It can devastate your life if you don’t know how to make it go away.
And unfortunately, making the debt go away isn’t as easy as taking cover from it. Hiding from debt will only make it worse over time. Eventually, it eats into your future income, prevents you from owning a home, or even strains your marriage.
Luckily, there are many ways to make go away. But each one is like firing debt weapons. It takes an action to get rid of debt, it doesn’t just away itself. It takes planning and execution – every paycheck is like a weapon you can use to diminish debt.
Keep reading below to learn how you can create and execute a debt repayment plan! It is the first step towards taking back control of your life.
Understand How Much You Owe.
People can have debt in many different forms. Some have debt from student loans or a mortgage. Other people collected too much credit card debt to keep track of.
The first step towards repaying any of it is to understand where it comes from. Yet, while it is good to set up a spreadsheet illustrating how much you owe, there is another part to this that people miss. “If you want to make sure you catch all of your debt, you may want to get a credit report to verify all of the debt and how much you owe,” states Ben Tejes, author of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Arizona and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Florida.
People should understand what they took money out to do. Sometimes, the answer is as easy as to get an education and advance their lives. Other times, especially in cases of excessive credit card debt, the answer isn’t as obvious.
Was the debt racked on purchasing items or was it to pay bills? Was taking the money out worth it?
Being able to answer those questions will help you avoid excessive debt in the future.
Design Deadly Debt Weapons – Make Plans to Repay
After understanding how much you, the next step is to make a plan on how to pay it back. It is great to know where debt comes from. But it all means nothing if you don’t make it go away.
You should make a spreadsheet illustrating your income in the same way you did for your debt. By knowing how much money you take in, you can compare it with how much you owe. Then with that information on hand, you will be set to repay your debt.
You just need to budget for routine payments that are balanced with your income. Paying back debt shouldn’t mean sacrificing meals, but you will need to make some sacrifices. Increase your income if you need to.
Make Sure Your Plan Doesn’t Backfire
Finally, your plan should include a fail-safe. It is not enough to just know how much you are going to pay for each bill every month. You should also make sure that your plan doesn’t collapse if something unexpected happens.
The best way to do that may be to renegotiate your debt. Getting a debt collection lawyer, or a consumer proposal, can reduce your debt to a manageable amount. And you won’t need to declare bankruptcy.
Debt Can Feel Like Staring Down A Barrel, So Be Careful
Most of all, you should be careful with debt. Sometimes, there is nothing you can do to avoid it. But if you do need to take money out, be sure to try and pay it back. Or else no amount of debt weapons will help you.
Otherwise, it can take more out of you than just a few paychecks. It can cost you opportunities throughout your life – like the chance to go back to school or get a home. Digging your way out of debt, but it is like digging yourself out of a grave. It is something you need to do.
And if you need any help getting out of debt, keep reading here.
I know what it is like to lose yourself to your financial situation, and this website will always be here for advice and support. Visit the Finance section of the Everything Entrepreneur Blog to learn more about ditching debt and finding financial freedom.
