Heard About This One??

I heard of something new and exciting that made me want to get back to the blog and tell everyone the news. Have you ever heard of the government helping you to pay off your debt? Well, if you haven't, you better believe it because it is a possibility. As with any good news, of course you'll have to expect there will be a couple of catches but they aren't as bad as you might think.

I truly cannot come on the blog and try to advertise as if I know everything about how it works and this is why I am providing a helpful link below for you to take a look at the information for yourself. The two key things are this; number one possible scenario you would need to be in for the government to even consider giving you a grant to help pay off your debt is that you need to be one of the many people in the world looking to purchase your very first home. We cannot argue the fact that an awful lot of people out in the world are stuck under a mountain of debt but still dreaming to some day be a homeowner. The second possible scenario is that you are one of those brave souls looking to open up your own business.

These are two good reasons the government might be willing to grant you money to help with the debt. Believe or not, the government does want you to succeed so get out there and give it a whirl. As always feel free to leave your opinions and advice below each post. Take care and don't forget the link below to read all about this opportunity.
Click Here To Read About How The Government Can Help You Pay Off Debt

Time To Laugh A Little

Time To Get Back To Work People!

WOW, has it been a long time since I've visited and/or updated my blog...YES! It's been too long and I apologize to my regular readers for the long break. I'll try to pick things up again on a regular basis. This blog, while I hope it helps you, is really my own way of trying every measure possible to get out of debt that would otherwise eat me alive. I've noticed we've had some great visitors to the blog giving some great advice to go along with what I've said. I can't thank you all enough and you know who you are :).

These days when gas prices are absolutely killing us and everyone is scraping to get by, it is even more important than ever to be aware of our spending. I've heard of people quitting their jobs because the price for gas to commute along with childcare expenses is greater than what they make in salary. Can you imagine?Bottom line is, times are tough and we need to get tougher to beat them. This post is about finding all the ways possible you can help yourself get through the difficult financial times. Being a stay-at-home-mom myself, I'm sure I speak for many others out there when I say that it's hard to live on one income but there are tons of ways to make things better and a little easier. Put that brain to work and think of what might be even the simplest ways to make a little extra money. This will help to not only get through the gas price increase but also a little extra to help pay off those debts, which is what the main goal is long term! Some ideas are as simple as offering neighbors who don't have the time themselves to walk their dogs around for $5 or $10 See if you can mow a neighbors yard for an extra $30 a week. Maybe even take in a friend's child over the summer while they are out of school. The ideas are out there, you just have to get up and run with them and make it happen. I'll be trying out some of these ideas myself so take charge and get to work. WE can do this!

Give Yourself A Break

Sometimes I wonder if perhaps this is what got me into so much debt in the first place, but at the same time I cannot help feeling like we need just a couple of our own simple pleasures now and then. It's different for everyone. For some it's a pair of brand new shoes and others it is a night out to dinner and possibly a good flick. No matter what it is for you, I do believe it's important to indulge yourself now and then. The only trick is, don't put your simple pleasure on a credit card!! In my journey so far with trying to get out of debt I've realized that there is a lot of pride that comes in paying for things with cash instead of pulling out that ever so easy to use credit card. It's amazing how it starts to feel like free money after awhile.

Anyhow, what I basically am getting at with this post is to remind all of you readers that getting strict about getting out of debt should not also rob you of your simple pleasure. Indulge a little. Just remember to pay with cash and leave those stinking credit cards at home so you're not tempted to over do it!

Keeping Track Of How Far You've Come

At this point in the game it's a really good time to talk about tracking how far you've gotten with your debt management. One thing I do that I do believe is a great way to get more motivation to keep going is to keep track of the debt as it goes down. I keep a sheet, actually a note file on my computer, that shows me where I started with my total debt. I added up what I owe for every one of my credit cards and then I update it each month with the new balance and the amount I paid that month. It's a great way to watch your debt get paid down. It's very easy to feel like you're literally getting nowhere when you're trying so hard to pay off debt but trust me this will help you see it plain as day and you feel proud when you get to type in a lower amount each month for your total debt. It really does help and it will make you proud. Try it!

Another Informative Video

Using A Home Equity Loan To Pay Off Credit Card Debt

I've heard some talk recently about people wanting to sign up for home equity loans in order to pay off their high interest credit cards. I wanted to give some advice on the matter and let everyone know this is a VERY BAD IDEA! I'm only giving advice and not trying to tell anyone how they should handle their money but I wouldn't do it. If I did do it, I'd have to be pretty darn bad off with credit card debt and in way over my head. You're basically putting yourself at risk of losing your most precious asset if you end up not being able to pay the bill. I think we would all agree that being in credit card debt is bad enough without having to worry about losing your house on top of it BECAUSE of the credit card debt loan you took out against your house. Try to keep things as simple as possible and look at every possible resouce before you turn to your house. This, in my opinion, should be the very last resort! Managing money is not easy but if we don't learn, we'll never get ahead and we'll always be sinking further and further into debt. Think about it!

Carry Cash Instead Of The Cards...

I mentioned before about the great tip to leave your credit cards at home so you don't even have the option to add more debt to them and this tip goes along with that but I thought it was even better and worth mentioning on it's own. So many people these days use their debit cards instead of cash but it occurred to me that putting away every card you have, even a debit card can really help cut down your spending. The way this should be done is you should set a limit each week of the amount of money you think you will spend for that week. Calculate it all out or even go as a daily guide and then visit an ATM for only the cash you need. This way you won't be able to overspend because you won't have any other option in your wallet. To some it may seem very silly but each person is different and I believe in giving advice that can reach a large variety of people and their different personalities. Try it out and see what kind of difference it makes for you. Share your thoughts with comments below.

It's Time For Another Laugh...

I truly apologize about not having been on the blog very much this month. It has been such a crazy month so far. I hope it isn't a preview of things coming! We are just so busy! Here's a good laugh for you this week. I like to add these videos here and there on the blog to help remind us to laugh out loud as often as possible.

Find Ways To Bring A Little Extra Income In

A lot of times when we hear these ideas about bringing in more money we think it's only possible for those of us who have tremendous talents or that can build a business up from scratch. The fact is this isn't at all true. There are a lot of ways to help bring in a little extra money without being business savvy or having a house full of valuable stuff just sitting around waiting to be sold. I have another blog that gives a lot of great tips on how to make money from home and you might be surprised to learn what some of the options are. I think all of us could use some extra cash now and then so get creative, do the research and start making that money!

www.letsmakemoneyontheweb.blogspot.com

Think Your Mood Can Put You Further Into Debt?

If you answered "No" to that question then you could be wrong. I came across a very interesting article today that shows study results for how people spend money based on their mood. Take a look. Information like this can help us understand why we might be sinking further and further into debt. It just might go deeper than we think.

Click Here To See How Your Mood Affects More Than You Might Have Thought

Pay Off Mortgage Even Quicker Without Paying Any Extra Money

First of all let me say that I'm sorry it's been a few days since I have posted. What a busy week this turned out being for our family. I'm glad it's done and now we can get things back to normal.

This new tip is something I heard of and could not believe but it's the truth. Here is a great way that maybe doesn't put as much emphasis on your actual credit card debt but it's a terrific tip for debt in general. So here's what I heard. By splitting up your mortgage payment into two seperate payments per month you're actually paying it off faster in the long run. Does this sound impossible? Well, trust me it isn't. Check out this site that I have attached below to see just how it works. You'll be amazed the money that you save and how much faster you pay the loan off by following these amazingly simple steps.

Click Here To See How You Can Save Big Bucks On Your Mortgage

Have Your Weekly Laugh

I couldn't resist attaching this video I found today. I love to laugh and this one made me laugh a lot! It's a collection of pranks pulled on people. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Great Motivation For Getting Debt Paid Down

Have you ever sat down and figured out the total amount that you're paying on your credit cards each and every month? One fun and very interesting thing to do is to figure out exactly what that amount is and then have a little daydream about what else you could be doing with that money after those credit cards are paid off. Sometimes even just to think about putting away for retirement or being able to send the kids off to college is the greatest thought in the world, more so than buying that new car or finding an awesome vacation spot. My personal daydream is to no longer live paycheck to paycheck and having money to put away for the unexpected. Simple fun daydreams like this can really help you stay focused on paying those debt down...way down! It's hard to break the cycle when you're possibly so used to satisfying the never-ending desire to buy now and pay later so everything you can do to help keep focused is worth practicing on a regular basis. Go on and daydream. It might be the smartest thing you'll do.

Try Making More Than One Payment Every Month

A lot of people don't think about this but it's a very good tip and like so many other things, you will be amazed how much faster that debt gets paid down by following this simple step. I'm sure we've all experienced the pleasure of getting a little extra money when we didn't expect it. Yes, I can hear you now, "NOT ME!" The thing is though, it's not always about getting a little extra money but rather just using a set amount of out of each paycheck (because a lot of us are paid twice monthly) to put on your credit cards. It doesn't have to be a lot, just a little something extra and you are suddenly paying that debt down even faster. Just think of all the interest payments you could save yourself! Try it out for a month or two and see how it works and share your comments.

Share What's Working For You

Everyone is welcome to leave their comments at the end of each post on my blog. I'd like you to share what is working for you on your way to getting debt free. You can also ask questions and communicate with other visitors. So get started and leave your comments. Take care and God bless.

Here is a little something to make you laugh. This is a real video of a man that was arrested for DUI. See just how ridiculous he is!

Use That Tax Return To Pay Down Credit Debt

Okay, today's post is a difficult one for all of us big spenders out there. Let's face it, it's really hard to get a handfull of money and not go out searching for the best and biggest thing to spend it on. I ask you to imagine this though, whatever amount you get back on your taxes that could be immediately applied to your credit card debt, think how long it might otherwise take you to come up with that kind of a payment. Some of us are lucky enough to get a couple of thousand dollars back on our tax returns and that kind of money put directly on credit cards makes a huge difference in the long run on our payoff time. The most idea thing would be to take a percentage of your tax return and put it into a savings or IRA and then apply the rest to that nasty debt. It might hurt a little at first but you'll be thanking yourself later!

A Good Laugh...

Here is our joke cartoon for the week. Remember to keep laughing. It's good for the soul.

Don't Carry Your Credit Cards With You

Okay, today's post is going to sound like a no-brainer to a lot of people out there but as I've talked with many it appears that people still aren't grasping what a huge difference this one trick all by itself can do for helping to get credit card debt under control. Have you ever thought about simply not carrying your major credit cards with you every where you go? I had this tip first given to me by a friend years ago and I thought to myself, "You're joking, right?" I ask you to think about it though. If we really lived day to day as if we didn't even have the credit card (which is a heck of a lot easier to do if you don't have it ready at hand all of the time) then suddenly you would start learning to tell yourself, "I don't really need that and I cannot afford it anyways". This is a trick you will need to start training your brain to do no matter what if you want to win the war against credit card debt. We have to get back into the frame of mind where we tell ourselves, "NO!". I will admit, this is a very hard one for me as well but I'm going to do it right along with you and maybe we can help each other out by sharing our experiences. Leave your comments at the end of each post and let others know what is and is not working for you on the road to getting debt free, or at least trying really hard! Until next time, God bless and put those credit cards away in a drawer at home. For some people you cannot just cut them up so this is the second-best thing. Do it and see what kind of a difference it makes for you.

Not Always A Good Idea To Close Credit Card Accounts

This is a really terrific peice of advice I picked up recently that I didn't know about for years. Often times I figured it was a good idea to keep up with closing old credit card accounts that I wasn't using because I thought it was a good way to keep control of it all. Well, to my surprise I have since discovered after talking with others that this isn't always a good idea. Apparently some creditors see closing accounts as a sign that you cannot handle the different accounts, in other words, you aren't responsible enough with them so you need to get them closed out and canceled for good. Yeah, I was shocked to hear this too because like I said, I always thought it was just good credit card mainteanence. You should definitely always talk with your creditors before you close out any accounts and be sure whether or not closing that account would put any kind of negative effect on your credit. And remember too to be sure if you are being charged annual fees just to keep a credit card open. Those accounts, when not in use, I would say close no matter what because you certainly do not want to pay out of pocket just to keep a card open. That wouldn't be very smart at all. As I say with everything, always double-check with your creditors first before you make any big changes. Don't be afraid to ask questions because it directly affects you!