Posts Tagged ‘Habit’
Bill Consolidation: Freedom From Debt?
Stated simply, bill consolidation is getting loan to pay for other loans so that the borrower is left with only one loan to finance. Debt consolidation is a step taken by borrowers for the advantages it may allow like lowered interest rates and focusing his payment to a single loan.
This often takes placing a property as collateral. When collateral is guaranteed the interest gets lower because the risk to the lending company is decreased. When the borrower fails to meet his obligations, the lending company forecloses the property as payment for the debt.
People with multiple credit cards often resort to debt consolidation. Carrying multiple credit cards is almost surefire formula to carrying high interest rates. Credit cards are one type of an unsecured loan. As such, credit cards carry high interest rates and people with multiple credit cards are often tempted to spend more than they earn.
One good way of solving this is through debt consolidation. Secured loans from the bank or a lending company (one that is covered by collateral) have less interest rates than the unsecured loans for credit cards. Paying then all his credit cards from a secured loan from the bank enables the borrower of saving from the lowered interest rate. As mentioned, this is a good way of doing it, if the habit of spending more than what one earns is not changed. The process starts again and the interest rates will soon start to climb, sometimes, worse than it was resulting to foreclosure of properties.
There are many ways to consolidate debt. There are for example the student’s consolidation loans and the home finance debt consolidation. But no matter how it is termed, debt consolidation is little more like transferring one unsecured loan to another unsecured loan. The debt is still there and most people thought that by consolidating the loan, something has already been done. Again, nothing has been done if the habit that started it all is not resolved.
A better way to real freedom from debt is, when the debt consolidation has been done and is working, have a plan and stick to it. One of the generic approaches to that are the obvious:
Do not spend on that one single credit card the way you were spending when you have many. This seems to be very obvious and so people who have consolidated their loans starts out fine. After a while, the temptation to spend on loans starts. One of the many reason is that the interests are lowered, the other one is by habit. So once the debt consolidation is on, have the plan not to spend on the things that you can live without and stick to it.
Then, have a plan to pay for the loan that was secured with collateral. About 80% of the time, people who consolidated their loans dos not have a plan to assure the payment for the loan with an extra job and other ways of generating extra income. When emergencies strikes, the most convenient way is again to resort to additional lending and the debt grows back over time, higher interests are charged and the cycle continues.
The best way to get out of debt and gain back that freedom is to consolidate and then have a plan that one can stick to. No amount of loan consolidation will work if the habit that placed one in debt is not avoided.
Correcting Your Debt Problem
Dealing with ones finances is never easy, especially when you have a debt problem. A debt problem is created when you end up spending more money than you spend on a consistent basis. It is certainly possible that one might be forced to operate on a negative cash flow for a short period of time, but if you are unable to turn it around by increasing your income and/or cutting your expenses then having a debt problem is inevitable. Some simple steps can be followed that will help you get your finances back on track and out of the red.
1. Spend Less Than You Make
Financially savvy individuals do not spend everything they make. At the top of their financial priorities is savings. These people are wealthy for a reason. They didn’t spend every last dime they made. Don’t overlook this principle.
2. Make a Budget
The first step to eliminating your debt problem involves creating a budget. A budget is a lot like a diet – neither does you any good if they are not followed. When creating your budget you should map out your monthly cash flow. The cash flows will include both your expected sources and uses of money, also known as your income and expenses. If you do not have a good understanding of where your money is coming from and where it is going you will never be able get on top of your debt problem. Thus it is also important to implement a budget as a tracking mechanism. You should record and track your expenses each month.
Towards the end of each month you should analyze your financial situation. Did you spend more then you made? Where were your biggest expenses? Can these expenses be curbed? As you are analyzing your budget, you have to look for the fat that can be cut away. For instance, if you find you spent a lot of money eating out then you can easily curtail that habit and eat in more. That will save you money and help your bottom line. Your budget should be repeatedly reviewed and fine tuned in this manner each month. Slowly but surely you will notice your monthly expenses decreasing below your monthly income level, creating some extra income.
3. Form a Debt Repayment Schedule
e you have created extra income, you can begin to address your debt problem. Typically you will want to apply your excess money to the highest cost debt first. Say you have debt on 3 credit cards with rates of 20%, 18%, and 12%. To begin with you will want to pay the minimum monthly amount on each card, and apply all the extra income you have each month to the highest rate card (20%). Once you have paid this card off, you will then take the monthly minimum amount you were paying on the 20% interest rate credit card plus the monthly surplus of money and apply it to the next highest interest rate card (18%). Continue on till this card is paid off, and then do the same with the last card.
Make Saving a Habit
When you have paid of your debt problem the next step is to begin saving your extra income. At this point it would be wise to begin taking the amount of money you were applying to your credit card payment and put it into savings. You can continue to live the lifestyle you have grown accustomed to as you create a nice little nest egg for yourself. The key to saving your extra income is being disciplined, and making saving both a priority and a habit.
As you probably know financial stability is priceless. If you want to avoid a debt problem then you must remain in control of your spending habits, ensure that you are saving money each month, and continue to work hard. Overcoming a debt problem isn’t always easy, but it can be done with hard work and discipline.

