How To Stay Debt-Free

For every person who is working full time and living paycheck to paycheck, it has always been the case that being in debt is the norm.

Guess what? It isn't the norm. It's an epidemic that is spreading throughout the country. Being in debt had caused a lot of families to break down, elevated the divorce rate and affected children. Almost everyone who is in debt is digging their own grave 6 feet below the ground. Is this the life you want to have -- a life full of fear, anxiety, stress and misery? Here are some tips on how to stay out of debt.

1. Stay away from malls. Yes, you read it right: stay away from malls. If you just want to hang around or do some window shopping, you often go to the mall while bringing that credit card with you. Before you know it, you have spent hundreds of dollars on things you do not even need. To stay debt-free, you should avoid a place where you can be tempted to splurge on something you do not need.
2. Distinguish from what you need with what you want. There is a big difference between a need and a want. A need is something that you cannot live without and is essential for survival. Food, clothing, and shelter are all needs. But there are many things that we want for ourselves, yet do not need. Assess your spending and avoid spending money on the needs. Through this, you will become more content with what you have and only spend your money on what you need.
3. If you can't afford it, then don't buy it. This is the rule of thumb. It will definitely save your life now and in the future. The problem with most people is that even if we can't afford to buy a certain thing, we use our credit cards to buy it. All it takes is a quick swipe. Before you know it, you have a long list of items being purchased through the use of a credit card and you are slowly drowning in debt. Do not live beyond your means. If you do, it is the beginning of the end financially. The habit will be extremely difficult to stop and your next surprise may be filing for bankruptcy. Live within your means.
4. Pay your credit card bill. Have you defaulted on your credit card payments and the interest is getting higher? Are you debating whether to pay them or not? When you receive your bill, the tendency is often to let the bill remain unopened for the rest of your life. Why hide from the truth? Face the truth; always remember the truth will set you free. When you know how much you really owe, then you will soon realize that you are in a serious situation. Better to face it now than regret your inaction later. Pay your credit card debt. Try to negotiate with the credit card company upon the possibilities of lowering the interest so that you will be able to pay it all. It is all in the power of negotiation.

Always remember that you should be in control of your life, rather than the credit card companies or other creditors. You should own your life and recognize that having too many material belongings, living a luxurious life when you can't afford it, only means that you are hiding from the world. You are projecting a different image of yourself out of fear that the world won't accept you for who you are.

You are not your stuff, car, house or jewelry. You are a person who has a soul and should live a life not defined by fear or anxiety, but rather by self-fulfillment. Being in debt destroys the real you, putting you nearer to your grave. This is not what you want to happen, is it? Now is the time to make sure that you stay out of debt and take control of your life.