Debt is one of the most common and devastating things that people find themselves in life. It saps your energy and decreases your control over the future. Basically you are a slave to your debt literally and it has a way of winning out. People get into debt for all sorts of reasons. Some make poor decisions but most people are just plain unlucky and get hit with an unexpected and huge bill at just the wrong time. The great thing is that many of the people who offer debt help have been over their head in debt before and know exactly how to get out from under that crushing load. They know that you aren't stupid and will treat you with respect as they lead you along the proven path to freedom in your budget once again.
So my advice to you, if you are just starting the downward spiral and want help avoiding compounding your errors, or you have already hit rock bottom and are desperately looking for a way out, get someone you can trust and who knows what they are doing to give you good debt help. What I want to do now is give just a few tips that any sensible debt advisor would give you to get you on your way to financial security.
First form a budget that fits your income and stick to it. This is the most simple thing to teach in debt help, but turns out to be the most powerful because people have never learned. People have no idea how much is coming in and how much is going out and absent mindedly spend more than they make. It is a natural phenomena and the only way to avoid it is to map it out clearly so you can see the effect of your decisions clearly.
The second tenet of debt help is that everybody needs to come up with a way to keep track of your budget on a day to day basis. How else are you going to know if you can make a purchase within your budget? You need to have running totals in order to stick to your budget. There is a lot of simple computer software that is getting easier to use each year as they figure out ways to automate things. This takes out all of the math that can screw people up and also provides a clean crisp organization for those who are challenged organizationally.
Third credit can be your friend but turns out to be most people's enemy who are seeking debt help. Credit gives you flexibility and often many incentives but it also is very expensive if you get on the wrong end of the equation. My advice to you is to first not have credit until you have disciplined yourself enough to stick to a budget and then only use it like you would a debit card. This allows you all of the positives of credit without burying you alive.
So my advice to you, if you are just starting the downward spiral and want help avoiding compounding your errors, or you have already hit rock bottom and are desperately looking for a way out, get someone you can trust and who knows what they are doing to give you good debt help. What I want to do now is give just a few tips that any sensible debt advisor would give you to get you on your way to financial security.
First form a budget that fits your income and stick to it. This is the most simple thing to teach in debt help, but turns out to be the most powerful because people have never learned. People have no idea how much is coming in and how much is going out and absent mindedly spend more than they make. It is a natural phenomena and the only way to avoid it is to map it out clearly so you can see the effect of your decisions clearly.
The second tenet of debt help is that everybody needs to come up with a way to keep track of your budget on a day to day basis. How else are you going to know if you can make a purchase within your budget? You need to have running totals in order to stick to your budget. There is a lot of simple computer software that is getting easier to use each year as they figure out ways to automate things. This takes out all of the math that can screw people up and also provides a clean crisp organization for those who are challenged organizationally.
Third credit can be your friend but turns out to be most people's enemy who are seeking debt help. Credit gives you flexibility and often many incentives but it also is very expensive if you get on the wrong end of the equation. My advice to you is to first not have credit until you have disciplined yourself enough to stick to a budget and then only use it like you would a debit card. This allows you all of the positives of credit without burying you alive.