From the category archives:

Debt Help

Are you looking for ways to get out of debt? Well, I think you have come to the right place. These articles focus on debt elimination techniques, getting out of credit card debt, minimizing debt damage, and other ways to get out of debt.

7 steps to get out of debt
The 7 steps that I am going to take you through are things that my wife and I have done to pay down our debts. Each article is fairly long, so you can feel free to bookmark it and come back later or you can download it as an ebook. If you are serious about getting out of debt, I recommend that you read each article, even though the first two are a bit less practical than the last five. I believe that they the first two include the keys to successfully getting out of debt.
The 7 Steps to getting out of debt

Getting out of Debt (Step 1) – Realize it is not about you
Getting out of Debt (Step 2) – Open your mind
Getting out of Debt (Step 3) – Create a balance sheet
Getting out of Debt (Step 4) – Quit over-spending
Getting out of Debt (Step 5) – 15 ways to cut expenses
Getting out of Debt (Step 6) – Make sacrifices
Getting out of Debt (Step 7) – Snowball your debt

If you go through these articles and just do some of the stuff mentioned, you are going to be in much better financial shape than you were before. But, I recommend that you sit down with each article and really spend some time with it. The last five articles are going to require some actions on your part. So, spend a couple weeks and make getting out of debt your new hobby and work hard at it! You will be rewarded for your efforts!

Other resources to help you get out of debt

I have written quite a bit about debt on this site, since I have been trying to break my way out of it myself. These are a few other articles that might be worth reading…

Why you should get out of debt
Debt Snowball Software
How to negotiate with credit card companies
The Bible and Debt
Bankruptcy and the Bible
Reducing credit card interest rates
How to control spending
Learn how to say NO to yourself!
How to make a budget
Christians and Debt
6 Tips for a debt free Christmas
Money doesn’t solve money problems
How to quit spending more than you make
29 tips on getting out of debt from the readers
If you want to get out of debt you need Gazelle Intensity!
A good debt reduction strategy
My thoughts about credit card use
Money Mistake: Not paying attention to interest rates!

and if you still need some more articles about getting out of debt you can scroll down for more…

Remember, while I think you should read as much as you can to become informed, it isn’t about how much you learn, but how much you apply. So read up, learn how to do it, and get after it!!

The Secret to Staying Out of Debt: Control Your Spending

by Craig 01.28.2010

Sorry, there really is no secret to staying out of debt. What I’m about to tell you is, in fact, neither fancy nor glamorous. The secret to staying out of debt is discipline. You must control your spending.

How Do You Stay Out Of Debt? Step #1: Identify Why You Went Into Debt… If you are in debt or have been in debt, your first task is to identify the reasons why you went into debt. You cannot ever fight against an enemy that is unknown. The reason is you are always spending too much money. At times the spending is understandable (like a house) or unexpected (medical bills), but debt means you are spending or spent too much money…

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Could We…Should We Pay Off Our Home Early?

by Joe 01.19.2010

“It seems like we will be making house payments forever. We owe $140,000 at 6% interest and are paying $1000 a month. How much sooner could we pay it off if we started paying an extra $100 a month?”
The above is a hypothetical question, but it could be you. There are two answers: the quick one and the dig deeper one. By clicking a few buttons on a financial calculator we discover the quick answer is 21 months; paying an extra $100 will reduce the payoff from 20 years to 18 years and 3 months…

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The Guidelines Regulating Debt Collectors & Your Consumer Rights

by Bob 01.17.2010

I found this great video from the FTC explaining our rights as consumers when it comes to debt collectors and their methods. Debt Collection Agencies are notorious for crossing the line and it is good to know what your rights are and how to deal with them…

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Resources and ways to cut your debt load

by Bob 01.15.2010

The series/eBook basically takes you through all the things that my wife (Linda) and I have done to pay down our debts. When we got married we had about $40,000 of debt. Even though that was a sizeable amount of debt, we had a very strong desire to get rid of it. This intense desire drove us to make sacrifices that seemed pretty uncommon when we looked at those around us. But, as Dave Ramsey often says, “You have to live like no one else (now), so that you can live like no one else (in the future)”…

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The 10 most common new year’s resolutions – is yours on here?

by Bob 01.04.2010

I did some researching to find out the 10 most common new year resolutions – these are them! I am not much of a supporter of new year resolutions, I don’t like waiting around for a specific date to make positive life changes. That said, I guess some people don’t really think about making positive life changes until the new year rolls around…

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The Ingredients Necessary For A Healthy Financial Plan

by Craig 12.31.2009

With a new year and a new beginning who doesn’t want to have a healthier financial plan?
A Secret Family Recipe For A Healthy Financial Plan
1/3 Portion Motivation
1/3 Portion Education
1/3 Portion Perspiration
Determine your financial goals. Be sure to set an achievable timeframe for reaching your goals…

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Becoming debt-free with Dave Ramsey’s plan

by Guest 12.26.2009

Recently, I had a conversation at work with a co-worker of mine about getting out of debt. He introduced me to Dave Ramsey. I never heard somebody who made so much sense before when it came to personal finance. I have to say that listening to the audio book “The Total Money Makeover” has literally changed my life. The first time I listened to it, I was just sitting there kicking myself as he was calling out all the stupid financial blunders I’d committed like everyone else out there without even thinking about it…

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New credit card legislation coming soon – interest rates rise, limits go down

by Bob 12.22.2009

But we all know that racking up Christmas debt is really easy to do. But this year because of the new credit card legislation (starting February 2010) it is particularly a bad idea. Bob Brooks has a couple reasons why it is extra important this year to avoid credit card debt it if at all possible. According to Brooks, consumers who carry their credit card debt over to February of 2010 will be in for a big surprise because of…

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The bondage of debt

by Guest 12.19.2009

Debt is ruining the lives of many individuals today. As a whole, our society has bought into an idea that borrowing from the future to live today is a sound financial strategy. Unfortunately, the bills are coming due and for many, these bills are unable to be paid. The problem with debt is that it puts someone into bondage. I don’t believe that this type of bondage and this type of lifestyle is what God desires for us.

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How I Escaped The Rat Race

by Bob 12.14.2009

A little over a year ago I ventured out into self-employment after spending much of the previous decade in the “Rat Race”. For most of that time I was a glorified pencil-pusher in the corporate abyss of a Fortune 500 company.
Now that I have spent over a year working for myself I can’t imagine doing anything else. For as trapped and held down as I felt before, I feel the opposite extreme of the joy of freedom. Just to be clear, self-employment has it’s own challenges and difficulties, but I honestly think they pale in comparison to what I went through while spinning my wheels in the Rat Race.

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5 Tips For Dealing With Your Medical Debt

by Guest 12.06.2009

Doesn’t it seem like even a check-up and a physical will have your wallet screaming for mercy these days? It doesn’t require major surgery and scans to rack up a pile of medical debt in this day and age. At some point or another many of us might even deal with a major health issue that requires exams, scans, check-ups and quite possibly surgery.Hopefully your health insurance provider will pick up the majority of the costs, but what do you do about the remaining amount that you owe? Or worse – what if you don’t have insurance?

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Delayed gratification – Is it worth it?

by Guest 11.17.2009

The following guest post was written by CPF reader Amy Sullivan.
We live in a country resounding “Instant Gratification!” as its lifestyle cadence call. But despite the fact debt has become a badge of the American dream, some folks are going back to saving money and paying for big-ticket items with cash. With this new concept, [...]

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Survive a Financial Crisis: 12 Tips For Married Couples

by Craig 11.09.2009

Job loss. A lay off. Fraud. Getting fired. Robbery. Legal Issues. Credit card debt. In a moment, any of these instantaneous events can shatter your financial plan. At times these events do not come alone, but they come in groups – event after event. Unfortunately, life is filled with disappointment, frustration, and surprise. So what [...]

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Learning how to be content

by Bob 11.03.2009

I don’t believe that contentment means settling for mediocrity. But rather it is being satisfied at whatever place in life God has us at, while trusting that He does have our interest at heart and that he does want to bless us and see us succeed.

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