Tuesday,Changes I have made

I have instituted many changes this last year to try and speed up my debt payoff.  There are three very important  things I can tell anyone trying to get out of debt. First, it will take time. Second, it will take some hard work.  Third, you will have to make changes in your life.



    There are so many stories and Pinterest posts about getting out of debt.  They are short, sweet and brightly colored.  You can spend all day reading them and in the end still not have paid off any debt.  They may inspire you, they are also fun to read, but unless implemented they are just short, sweet and brightly colored advertisements.  Paying off credit card debt, car payments, medical bills, and making a house payment involve  time.  Cars are financed for 4-6 years now some are 7 years Ugh!  Houses can take 20-30 years now to pay off.  This is a long time, a long, long time.  Thinking you are going to only be struggling with debt for a few short months is a pipe dream, you will need to be in this for the long haul.

     If you really want to get out of debt you will have to work hard.  You will have to work more.  You will have to find ways to stretch your dollar and they will require ingenuity and sacrifice. This might require you to give up things that make your life easier or more pleasant.

      You might love your cleaning service, but that $88.00 a week adds up.  Cleaning the house yourself is a drag and it means you will have to free up at least 4 hours of your weekly schedule.  It will also allow you to save $344.00 a month, to put toward debt.

     It is much easier to stop and get take out or eat at a restaurant than to go home and cook a meal.  You will need to spend time and effort cooking and cleaning up after you cooked.  Throwing away a few containers or bags from take out is so much easier.  Better yet leaving the restaurant you have nothing to throw away.  If you decide to eat at home, running to the store after work to pick up things to make dinner will save you some money, but now you have the time at the store, the time cooking, the time cleaning up.  The best alternative for saving money eating out, would be to plan a menu, have a good pantry, and cook ahead.  All of those things will take your time,  and guess what?  You still get to clean up!  If you truly want to get out of debt you will work harder, plain and simple.
There is no magic, just effort.


      I think the hardest part of trying to get out of debt (at least for me) is changing your mind set.  You have to start thinking of money in a new way.  For me money has always been something you spent.  You get money, you spend it.  If you run out of money you can spend more on credit.  It is fun to spend money,it is entertaining.  The only thing I ever learned to wait for was my next paycheck so I could spend more money. With this mindset you will eventually reach a point where the money owed is more than the money brought in and this will lead to extreme stress.  You can blame the
government, your employer, your health, your mother, your husband(my favorite) but in reality the problem is probably you.  Change is hard, habits are hard to break and reality is no fun.  If you want to get out of debt you have to change.

     



     Changes I have made in the past years to help me get out of debt.

1. patience, it will take years, how long was that car loan again?
2. learn to enjoy saving money instead of spending
3.  Realizing that you really have enough
4. Stop using money and shopping as entertainment.
5. Play games to save money ( my pig change bank, my money saving chart, snowflaking)
6. Read books on savings money and blogs on saving money
7. Learn to enjoy cooking
8. take satisfaction in seeing how little you can spend to make a great meal.
9. Get joy out of finding ways to save.  Second hand book stores, and libraries are great resources to help you save money.  Learn to enjoy perusing them.
10.  Quit wasting time.  Do something.  If you get the itch to go spend, get busy doing something else.  Make cookies, go for a walk, clean something, develop a cheap hobby that will also become a gift for someone.  Make yourself useful.  Plan a strategy for saving more money.
11.  Little amounts of money add up. So find ways to not waste money.
     a. try not to waste food, cook less or eat those leftovers
     b. plastics, paper, and cleaning items do add up.  Learn to reduce and reuse.
     c. Use what you have, shop your closet, your pantry, your craft cupboard.  I bet you have things in there that you can use today to keep from spending money tomorrow.
     d.  Stay out of stores  (this one really works for me)
     e. Coupon only on the things you will use and need.
     f.  Have a little extra to stock up on a good deal, but only if you really need it.
     g. Use less than the recommended amount (except with hemorrhoid meds buy the good stuff and use as directed:))  nuff said.
     h.Find ways to help others, when you bless others the world and your Heavenly Father open up the heavens to bless you.
12. Stop blaming others, you did this to yourself.  Yes, there were circumstances beyond your control but you made it worse, admit it and move on.
13. Find new ways to earn money if possible.
14.  Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it.

     I could go on and on and don't worry I will :)

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim