So what's the simplest, biggest positive impact "tip" you can take?
Easy: Stop overspending.
I know, I know... society, our "get it now, pay later" culture, advertisers and the allure of "instant gratification" have a strangle hold on you, but hey! The truth is: if you never cure the root cause of the problem, then the problem will never go away!
So what's the root cause of all your debt problems? Spending too much.
How can we cure this problem? The answer is simple. Not exactly "easy", but very simple: Control your spending. How do we do that? First, we must TRACK our spending.
Research has shown that people who do not track their spending on average spend 10% MORE than they make. Sound familiar?
So how do people who over spend get by each month? Enter credit card debt... have any? If so, I would venture to say that you may not be tracking your spending either. Is this the case? If so, take the first step to becoming debt free and take control of your spending.
The best way to get control of your spending is to find a simple way to begin tracking your spending. You must set up a spending plan (budget). It takes choice, action and some self discipline, but hey, so does ALL financial success.
What's in it for you? Well, by tracking your spending you'll recover the 10% of your income that you're
currently over spending and STOP the "need" for you to go further into debt. Just think:
If you make $3,000.00 a month in income, that's THREE THOUSAND LITTLE CHOICES you have every single month. That's a lot to account for, but by DOING IT; you will gain insight into your spending habits. Simply by becoming aware, you will start making better choices.
I personally recommend the Mvelopes Personal Budgeting System - http://startovertoday.mvelopes.com . Try it free for 30 days. If you actually DO it, you will find the tool saving you a lot more than the $7.95/mo it costs to continue.
This is the one thing I challenge all of the people I consult with to do, whether they are asking me for help with debt consolidation, debt settlement, credit counseling, and bankruptcy or even investing, the reality remains the same: we must learn to control our spending. Tracking our spending is the first step to becoming debt free.
About the Author
Jesse Niesen is the COO of STARTOVERTODAY.COM, a Nationwide Financial Solutions Company solving financial, debt and credit problems for clients nationwide. Jesse has led STARTOVERTODAY.COM in helping thousands of people resolve over $20,000,000 of unsecured debt since the summer of 2002. http://www.startovertoday.com