{"id":2066,"date":"2016-06-01T00:15:31","date_gmt":"2016-06-01T08:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cultofmoney.com\/?p=2066"},"modified":"2023-03-10T15:03:54","modified_gmt":"2023-03-10T23:03:54","slug":"6-steps-getting-debt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cultofmoney.com\/6-steps-getting-debt\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Steps to Getting Out of Debt"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Unfortunately,Having debt is one of the biggest financial stressors and can quickly spill over into other areas of your life. Getting rid of your debt will increase your financial stability and allow you to work on other financial goals which, let\u2019s admit, are much more fun to focus on.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, paying off debt is no easy feat. If you\u2019re ready to officially declare yourself debt free here are some steps for getting out of debt.<\/p>\n

# 1 \u2013 Know Where You Stand<\/h2>\n

Before you can look to your debt free future you first have to look at your past. Start by gathering all of your credit statements and student loan bills and list those debt balances in one place.<\/p>\n

An easy way to do this is to create a simple Excel sheet where you can track your debt pay-off progress on a monthly basis.<\/p>\n

List every single balance you owe so that you have a clear picture of where you stand.<\/p>\n

This step can be one of the hardest if you\u2019ve been living in denial or simply ignoring your financial position. But without knowing the absolute truth you\u2019ll set yourself up for disappointment and failure.<\/p>\n

# 2 \u2013 Evaluate Your Spending<\/h2>\n

Once you have your debt balances listed out and tallied up you\u2019ll be ready to do some more digging.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important that when you set out to make a positive change in your life, like becoming debt free, that you look back on past behavior and recognize your spending patterns. If consumer debt (like credit card debt) is what you\u2019re dealing with you need to take a look at exactly what you\u2019ve been purchasing and why.<\/em><\/p>\n

Aside from looking at the behaviors that brought you to this point (if any) you also need to go back through your past three months\u2019 worth of spending and categorize it. This will give you a quick synopsis of how much you spend on a monthly basis as well as any places that will be easy to cut back on.<\/p>\n

# 3 \u2013 Set Date Payoff Goals<\/h2>\n

This third step is a bit more fun than the previous two. Take a look at your spending versus your income and see how much money you have left at the end of the month. From there you can calculate how long it\u2019s going to take you to pay off your debt.<\/p>\n

# 4 \u2013 Determine What Financial Changes You Need to Make<\/h2>\n

If the outlook from the previous step is frustrating there are other things you can do to make the process go quicker.<\/p>\n

If you want to pay off debt faster you have two options: earn more money or spend less money. (Or do a combination of both.)<\/p>\n

Spend Less Money<\/strong> \u2013 If you decide to choose the spending less option here are some helpful links showing just how you can lower your budget:<\/p>\n