Paying off credit card debt can seem overwhelming and overwhelming at times. The good news? You have started to accept the idea of ​​living without debt!

The challenge? Where to start! You have collected a great deal of credit card debt over years of living an uncontrolled financial lifestyle. What seemed like an innocent expense at the time, a coffee here or a night out at the movies there, ultimately added to a difficult place to be. Perhaps your credit card balances were maxed out or closed. It is entirely possible for your interest rates to rise to 20 percent or even more. In addition to the pain would be the penalties derived from the missing payments.

The unenviable process of borrowing from credit card debt and the potentially devastating consequences of lifestyles, to which many have often become extremely accustomed, can put great strain on health, relationships, and quality of life. lifetime.

To anyone who has found themselves struggling and struggling with credit card debt and tried, let alone succeeded, we salute you. We have helped thousands of consumers break through the chains of heavy credit cards and other unsecured debt and have witnessed countless stories of success along the way. One thing is for sure, usually, when there is a will there is a way, and while it won’t be easy, rest assured that winning the fight will bring such sweet and rewarding relief that it will make all the efforts worthwhile!

This guide to beating and overcoming credit card debt has been designed to help you as motivation or future reference as you meet the challenge head-on.

TAKE FULL OWNERSHIP OF YOUR DEBT

Don’t underestimate the power of looking in the mirror and taking responsibility for something you can change. Credit card debt, and the way it tends to slowly spiral out of control, almost always starts with bad choices, and that’s okay. It happens to thousands, if not millions of people around the world every year. The most important thing to keep in mind is that when something goes wrong and produces poor results, you can actually improve it by choosing a different and healthier approach.

While this lesson can be applied to many different facets of life, it is extremely relevant to successful credit card debt removal. Rising credit card debt actually became a problem when the first statement came in and you couldn’t pay it in full. Credit cards, when used responsibly and for a purpose, can be a good thing. The caveat is that the balance owed should never have been delayed beyond the first payment due, even in cases where a hefty zero percent interest rate is offered for several months, as that ultimately delays the inevitable for many. persons.

It may sound tough, but we firmly believe that taking full responsibility and ownership of your credit card debt will get you off on a positive footing. Considering how many negative feelings and ultimately the overall negative lifestyle impact that comes with overwhelming credit card debt, taking the initial sting of accepting responsibility early on will make your way toward a debt-free life is considerably smoother.

 

LIVE BY A BUDGET

As Money Fit Education Administrator Todd R. Christensen routinely reminds attendees of the personal-finance workshops he presents, budgeting is for anyone who wants to not only stabilize their finances but also anyone who wants to avoid it altogether. debt-related problems.

Developing and living on a family budget isn’t just about balancing a checkbook. It’s about being prepared for all expenses, including items like car repairs, a trip to the dentists, and more. Strong budgets take into account financial goals and priorities, track actual spending down to the last penny, and help you identify where you have unnecessary spending.

With a budget you live with, you’ll be armed with your actual spending history and will most likely find extra dollars to help pay off your credit card debt. If you find an extra $ 20 per month, which would generally be low, you can apply it to your debt and speed up the payment process. Budgets are beneficial to everyone because of the extremely valuable information they apply and the stability they can provide, as well as the funds released that may have remained hidden.

 

SETTING GOALS: SMART

If you want to make real progress, you will need to set financial goals. With the right kind of financial goals, you will feel comfortable and confident in your progress. However, if you don’t have a solid plan, a goal is just a dream. That’s why we recommend SMART goals.

You may have heard of SMART goals. While there is a traditional version of SMART goals that is taught around the world, the following is a modified version: specific, meaningful, achievable, rewarding, and timely. Let’s follow these steps to create powerful personal finance goals.

S pecific: Write down what you want to do, buy or achieve. Include details that answer questions like “Who is involved?” and “Where is this activity or product?”

M eaningful – A goal must be important to you. It could be a beach vacation, a picnic in the mountains, or a set of new tires for your car. If it is important to you, it will be motivating and you are more likely to stick with it.

A ttainable: Keep the amount of money required for this modest goal, which generally requires $ 1,000 or less. If the amount becomes much more than that, you are less likely to see it as a realistic goal.

R ewarding (Rewarding): Imagine achieving the goal. Write down a few words or phrases that you think will describe how you will feel. You can write something like, “I finally feel like a burden is lifted off my to-do list when I remove this goal.” Give this step a little time. Consider why you want to achieve this and explain it.

T Emily (Oportuna): Enter the month and year you want to achieve this goal. Writing “six months from now” is not enough. Every time you see the goal in the future, it will still tell you that you have another six months. That’s not good enough. Write down the month and year you want to achieve the goal and make sure there are no more than twelve months to go. Beyond twelve months, for most of us, time becomes too long. It becomes too easy to see as long as “long”. When you keep the deadline short, you are more likely to go to work immediately.

Try to use the SMART method when setting your financial goals. You’ll probably be glad you did!

 

AVOID EQUITY LINES IN-HOME CREDIT OR DEBT CONSOLIDATION LOANS

In one go, you could eliminate all of your unsecured credit card debt. Gone would be the worries of having multiple payments, cards that charge high rates and fees, or both. On initial consideration, this may seem very tempting, but as we’ll explain, HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) or Debt Consolidation Loans can cause enormous financial stress in the long run.

Consider this, if you swap your unsecured credit card debt for a line of credit attached to your home equity, you’re essentially betting that you won’t have a problem with repayment, putting your home as collateral. The worst-case scenario would be that you lose your home because you took on unsecured debt and secured it with your home.

Money Fit advocates for and provides debt consolidation to people in need. We do not promote the use of debt consolidation loans. At first glance, debt consolidation is the act of consolidating multiple debts into one payment. This can be an effective strategy when done without a loan. Once you take out a large loan to pay off multiple small loans, there is a massive risk of running your initial credit card debt right where it was, only now you have to deal with a large debt consolidation loan. If you haven’t remedied the source, which is generally bad spending habits, and you’re still on a debt consolidation loan, you should avoid using your newly paid credit cards at all costs.

 

CUT YOUR CREDIT CARDS

A powerful and symbolic approach to dealing with credit card debt is to start by cutting it off and removing your access to use it. It can be a difficult step to take, but once the cord is cut, you can begin to depend on the cash you have from your income. No more loans and payments more than necessary. No more staying in a vicious cycle that repeats itself constantly; charge, pay the minimum, charge, pay the minimum, charge, pay the minimum and never have an impact on the balance of the cards.

You have already accepted responsibility for runaway credit card debt. Now, in a defiant display of power, he has cut credit cards and made himself enormously strong. When you wage war on credit card debt, you effectively agree to never trust it again. You will not need the plastic when you arrive at your destination debt-free.

 

START SELLING BY SELLING UNUSED OR NON-NEEDED ASSETS

Take a look, maybe you have things that you no longer use or need that you could sell and apply to your credit card debt? Maybe you could hold a garage sale or sell online? You might be surprised how some of your items that you no longer need or use would be worth to someone else.

Doing this can give you a good lump sum to apply to your credit card debt and provide a next-level boost when starting your repayment.

On a side note: don’t touch investment dollars like retirement accounts to pay off your credit card debt unless you talk to an investment planner and possibly consider a 401k loan that allows you to pay interest yourself. While it can be tempting to eliminate a good chunk of debt right away, you should proceed with caution, especially when it comes to your retirement financing. Selling a 401k could cause problems due to the IRS imposing early withdrawal penalties, not to mention falling short when it comes time to retire.

 

PAY THE SMALLEST DEBT FIRST (SNOWBALL METHOD)

The debt snowball method, which aims to attack the smallest balanced credit cards first and then apply that payment to the next card in line, is a preferred method of repayment for people managing their card debt. credit on your own. The snowball method, while potentially a bit more expensive than the alternative debt avalanche method (attack higher interest rate accounts first) provides an extremely important component of motivation to pay off credit cards.

Psychologically it can be very important to see progress when we embark on a mission as challenging as paying with credit cards. Smaller rewards, like removing the first card off the list, can provide a great charge of positive energy and the motivation to keep pushing.

Debt management plans, such as the program offered by Money Fit through the organization’s nonprofit credit counseling services, tend to combine strategies and often attack the highest interest rate payments first. However, the person who relies on the debt management plan is often more concerned that balances are going down overall and not as much of a need to see the progress of the individual account as those who are paying on their own.

MICROPAYMENT MATTER: MIX THE SNOWFLAKE METHOD WITH THE SNOWBALL METHOD IF POSSIBLE

In order for the snowball method to take off and eliminate the debt at a faster rate, we recommend mixing it with what has been coined as the snowflake method. It is not an alternative to the snowball method because it still depends on attacking the smallest balance first until it is removed.

Because interest rates are calculated using an average daily balance formula, you can save money on interest by paying as soon as extra money is available.

Here’s a hypothetical situation, let’s say that during your budget you see that you are wasting a considerable amount of money each month buying a large specialized mocha on the way to work each morning. Instead of spending $ 5.00 on coffee, you would make a one-time payment to your credit card with the lowest balance. Do it 5 times a week and that’s an extra $ 25 that week for that card.

Some might think, why not wait until the end of the week and submit the $ 25 payment? Or wait until the end of the month and pay an additional $ 100 on the card? There are two reasons to send the payment as soon as the money is not spent. First, once the money is sent to the creditor, it cannot be spent. Effectively close any reason for not having it available at the end of the week or at the end of the month. Second, interest rates are calculated using an average daily balance formula. You can save money on interest by paying as soon as the money is available.

If you keep those payments smaller, you will eventually get out of debt sooner and the effort will be well rewarded. You will have to stay exceptionally motivated to pull it off, but get into a routine and it won’t be a problem.

 

FIND ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INCOME

At the end of the day, after the entire budget is completed and plans are made, your current income may not allow you to meet your credit card payment obligations quickly enough. To expedite the postponement, you may consider finding a part-time job, a weekend job, or even working from home in your spare time.

If you are in a one-job home where a partner stays at home, maybe they can help you in the short term?

It doesn’t sound nice, but at the end of the day, the added income could be extremely rewarding. The ultimate goal is to give up the burden of debt for the rest of your life. It can be difficult to visualize, especially if you’ve struggled to make minimum payments for a considerable period of time, but it’s worth it. The freedom you will gain to really start living life on your own terms will be worth the sacrifice in the short term and could open doors you thought were closed, such as being able to travel or even start your own business. Maybe you want to help a child in college? The opportunities become almost endless.

 

STAY RESILIENT, FIND A MOTIVATIONAL SOURCE AND ADD ON THE

It sounds simple enough, but the truth is that time has a menacing way of removing the immediacy or urgency of things. That can be a blessing at times, but it can also be a hindrance. When you take on the task of paying off your credit card debt, you want to be vigilant at all times. You won’t be perfect and you shouldn’t expect to be, but you always want to keep an eye out for the prize.

Find a source of inspiration and, of course, use it. Maybe you’re following a personal finance expert like Money Fit author and educational manager Todd R. Christensen? Maybe it’s as simple as keeping a photo of your loved ones close by and using it as motivation when the going gets tough? Regardless of what you wear, know that you are not alone and that you can surround yourself with positivity and encouragement. Debt is no longer as taboo a topic as it once was. People have learned that supporting each other is good for everyone in the long run. Don’t fear judgment. You are the one with financial freedom and overall peace of mind on the line.

Once your payment plan begins, we recommend that you do not look back unless it is a reminder of what not to do if you sense that you are falling into old habits. You know what got you into this mess, there’s no reason to beat you up for it. Keep your mind and your goals forward-thinking and the sky really will be the limit.

You have our best wishes as you embark on your journey. In assuming your debt, we invite you to use Money Fit as a resource, regardless of whether you are a customer or not. As a non-profit organization with over 20 years helping consumers live debt-free, we have made it our mission to help each individual conquer their debt by providing educational resources and encouragement.

If the prospect of paying your debt on your own is daunting and you want to be considered for inclusion in our debt management program, we invite you to provide your information online so that one of our certified credit counselors can get in touch, or you can call us toll-free during normal business hours to schedule your free consultation.

 

Bankruptcy as a Last Resort

As we address the issue of paying off your credit card debt, we want to make sure we address your bankruptcy filing. Our goal is to help people overcome their financial problems by repaying their debt in full (which is why we do not recommend debt settlement as an option) so that they can protect and build their credit score. Over the course of a person’s life, a positive credit score can be extremely advantageous over a poor one.

That being said, there are reasons why bankruptcy is available. If you have not filed for bankruptcy in the last 8 years, you will need to speak with a highly qualified and qualified bankruptcy attorney. While Money Fit provides bankruptcy advice and debtor education, we are not attorneys and we do not provide legal advice. All information is provided for consumers to use for research as they seek to learn how to manage their debt and should not be construed or construed as legal advice.