Budget Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt

One of the fastest growing problems among the younger generation is credit card debt. More and more individuals are living paycheck-to-paycheck and they have to bridge the gaps in their finances by using high interest credit cards. Credit card debt is certainly not fun and it's something that can quickly ruin any hopes and dreams of becoming financial secure in your financial future. Getting out of that debt isn't easy, though. It requires meticulous planning and the ability to both create and maintain a strict budget.

When most people hear the word budget, they get scared. A budget shouldn't be a scary thing, though. Every financially responsible individual operates on some sort of financial plan in order to make sure that their finances are going the right places. In a way, a budget lets you tell your money where to go instead of, at the end of the month, wondering where it went. Here are some tips on how to effectively set up a budget to get out of credit card debt.

Write it all down

Before anything else can be done, you have to understand exactly where you're at. Lay out all of your credit card debts on a table and get the facts. Even though the numbers might be ugly and scary, it is best if you understand exactly how much money needs to be paid off. Note the total balances, the minimum payment amounts, the interest rates, and the due dates on each credit card. Once you have this information, you can move forward with a proactive budget plan.

What can you eliminate?

There are two ways to increase the amount of money that you can give towards credit card payments. Either you can make more money or you can spend less money. Since it's unlikely that your employer is going to double your salary anytime soon, the more realistic option is to eliminate some expenses. Take a look at where your money is going and try to cut the fat on some things. Are you spending an exorbitant amount of money on entertainment items? If there are things in your current spending that can be eliminated, it's your job to find them and make sure that they are discontinued.

Every dollar accounted for

Take a few hours at the beginning of each month and pull up a spread sheet. On that sheet, make note of how much money is coming in and each expense you plan on funding. This includes food, healthcare, your other bills, and any school tuition. Basically, you need to account for every dollar that is going to be spent. Then, you can have a much better understanding of where the money is going. From there, it will be easy to chart out a plan of action that will enable you to pay off those credit cards sooner.

Be Realistic

You won't pay all of your credit cards off overnight or in a lump sum. Plan how much money you can possibly pay to the debts each month. Figure out how many months it will take to get the debts taken care of on your charted plan. From there, you can make any necessary changes to your budget to make paying off the debts as easy as possible.

Source: Credodebit

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