Debt Dunk

Holidays can be a big strain on a budget. We all want to buy the best for are families. It is a time when money seems less important than buying gifts for everyone we know. However, it is one of the biggest times of the year to prove that you have changed your spending habits.

If you do not have the money saved up for Christmas, it is time that reality will slap you in the face. This is not the time to run to Bank of America or Capitol One. If you have to buy your kid a $20 gift instead of that $100 video game, guess what? You kid will have to learn to enjoy that $20 gift. The important thing is that you are working on getting out of debt.

My wife and I set a budget of $300 for everyone this year. This included my mother, her parents, some nieces and nephews, her two brothers, and us. We stuck pretty close to the budget except we went a little over for unexpected gifts that arose where people needed a helping hand. However, we paid cash for everything and we spent a lot of time online earning free gift cards and such to add a little extra to the mix. We also cut a little out of our regular monthly budget to cover the overage. The key factor is, we stayed with in our means and paid cash for everything.

It is not a good thing to wake up in January wondering how you are going to pay for the gifts that you bought in December. Christmas is a time for sharing, caring and giving. It is not the time to spend till you drop and sink your family’s finances. You will start to enjoy the holidays again when debt is wiped out and you will not have to struggle all year to pay for the gifts.

Unless you are a multimillionaire or the United States Government, you must live within the boundaries of what you earn. If you do not, at some point, the creditors will come knocking and you will lose sleep and the financial security you and your family needs. Once you are debt free, you can put a little more towards Christmas and holiday gifts. Until that point, spend as little as possible and stay within your budget and you will start to put the joy back in the holidays.

Merry Christmas to Your Families and may you spend your New Year cutting up credit cards and dunking your debt!

Debt free does not mean dishonest. You made the mistakes and it is your job to fix it. If you honestly borrowed the money, you should do everything you can to pay it back. However, there are times that it may not be possible at the moment so you need to prioritize your finances.

The first key is to take care of your basic needs. These include eating, shelter, transportation, and household needs. I am talking about needs! This does not include the top brand steak, cigarettes, and other wants. You should feed you and your family on what you can afford. If you are deep in debt, you can not afford New York Strip and other more luxury items. Once you cover your basic needs, it is then time to tackle your debt.

There are many schools of thought when it comes to debt. The best plan I have found is Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps. You save up a $1000 for emergencies and then start paying off debt from smallest to largest while paying minimum on the rest. If you do not have enough income left over to pay even minimum, you need to find ways to earn extra money or stop paying.

If your income is too low at the time, I would pay the secured debts first and stop paying the credit cards and other unsecured until you can get your income up or sell something to free up money. You can come back later and settle with the credit card companies. If you can afford, pay everyone now!

You need to have a clearly written budget laying out where all your money is going. Income and expenses should be equal. If you have more expenses than income, sell something, get a second job, or lower your expenses. You need to live with in your income or change something. Many people, including me, realize that you have more money than you think if you write it all down and stick to a budget.

The key is, nobody is going to fix you debt mess for you. You borrowed the money and you went into debt. It was partially the fault of the leeches who feed on society by pushing easy credit. However, you and I made our own debt bed. It is up to you to tackle it with all the energy you can muster in order to clear up and dunk all the debt. Cut up the credit cards, borrow nothing else, and pay off what you owe as quickly as possible. I am in the boat with you and I know it is tough but it can be done.

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This blog is here strictly for one reason. I hate DEBT! It is the biggest misconception placed on society. Did I buy into it? Of course I did. I was raised on the great concept that to get credit, you have to have credit. So at age 18 I was working for Sears and applied and got my first credit card from them.

I went out and purchased a VCR and then a new television. This was great; it was instant gratification at its finest. Buy now pay later. It was the American way right? Who cares that I was paying minimum payments at 24% interest. I had the great entertainment. It only cost me $22 a month. Well I learned that at that rate. I little $1000 I borrowed would only take 111 months. Holy cow! That was almost ten years. That great TV and VCR would be all at age 28. That was a huge wake up call. It was going to cost me $2442 for that TV and VCR. Worst part was, the VCR was refurbished because when I was 18, VCR were almost $1000 new.

I paid off that credit card as fast as I could and would love to tell you that the story of my credit cards ended there. Even with my new found knowledge at 18 of interest rates, I followed the normal society and charged and borrowed. That is what normal people do right. No that is what creditors want you to believe. I learned more and more as I grew older and made tons of stupid mistakes but all that has changed and that leads me to this point.

This blog will hopefully inspire you, kick your butt a little, and educate you in the matters of debt. My mistakes and my education will hopefully save you before you make the mistakes or help you if you are sinking in debt. Feel free to jump in and be part of my journey to wipe out all debt!