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Last time I told you about using a budget to keep yourself from spending more money than you have.
That is a basic discipline most people do not learn these days. Nobody ever teaches them. Banks certainly don't, because they make good money on credit card fees and interest charges.
But let's be honest...discipline is a great challenge for most of us.
Do you exercise regularly? Do you ever eat too much? Do you sleep in? Do you let your garage get so full of stuff that there is no room for your car? Is there stuff in your closet that you have not seen for years?
Yes, it happens to all of us. That is why we need some help with discipline now and then.
I have already told you how to impose a little discipline on your financial life by using a budget. But there are two other things you can do right away:
1) Take your credit cards out of your wallet and cut them up. If you owe money on them, you will still owe the money, but you will not be tempted to use them to pile on more debt.
2) Pay cash for everything (checks count as cash).
That is why three little letters can save your life. Those letters are "A," "T" and "M".
Think about what goes on psychologically when you use a credit card.
You are in the store and you see something you want. It costs $325. You do not have that much cash in your wallet...but you spy your credit card.
You know you have some room under your limit on that card and you really want this thing.
What do you do? You buy. It would take nearly super-human self control for most people to resist the urge.
So do not even give yourself the chance to screw up. Do some wallet surgery, remove your credit cards and cut them up. Now what happens when you want to buy something?
You see that $325 thing you want to buy, but you do not have that much cash in your wallet. You have a debit card for your checking account, but you know there is only $15.31 in there. What do you do?
You walk out of the store. You do not buy. You do not have an option, unless you steal what it is you want.
That is discipline. Sure you cheated a little bit by cutting up your credit cards, but hey, this is war!
Do you see how easy it is to fix your financial life? The reason most people do not do it is that they either do not want to or do not know how. I can fix the second one.
I created my Avoid The Credit Crunch handbook specifically to help people know exactly what to do to get their financial lives on track.
To whet your appetite a bit, inside the book...
* I will give you simple techniques for how not to overspend
* I will tell you how to pay down the credit card debt you have got as
fast as possible...and finally sleep easier at night
* I will educate you about your credit score and how to keep it high...
which will make your life easier than you ever imagined, in all sorts of ways
* I will help you steer clear of the scams and mistakes that can leave you hopeless as you are struggling to get out of debt
My book is just the tool you need if you are tired of hiding from your creditors and fearing the telephone. Aren't you sick of it? Then do something about it!
Theresa Barbero wants you to benefit from this valuable guide.
Reprinted with permission.
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