How to Live Without Credit Cards
February 21st, 2010 by Austin1/2 of the income but all the bills
A TV commercial for a debt consolidation company aired recently where one woman told us that her work hours got cut in half, but she cannot pay half her bills. If your income were to be cut in half, they wanted you to go to them to consolidate your debts into a lower payment. Paying your bills on time can be a good thing, but if you go into debt doing it, you need to re-evaluate your budget. Paying bills with credit cards is not a wise move. If you were to go to a debt consolidation company, could you really get the same results as you could if you reduced your expenses.
Cut costs
To pay your bills without credit cards, the first thing you need to look at is how much money you are spending every month. You must be authentic with this evaluation! Restaurants and entertainment costs will eat up most of your cash if you are not careful. Also take a look at how much extra money you are spending on the little things that add up. Does your income allow for your current standard of living. Cutting expenses may be hard, but you must do it to have a balanced budget. An example of this is if you live in a larger house than you cannot afford at $ 1,500 per month, you will need to sell your house. If your car payment per month is double what you can afford, sell the car and get something cheaper.
If you cannot afford your house and car, you need to move into a smaller house and drive a cheaper car. If a budget is balanced on paper, it will not work if you do not take action immediately. Take action on your plan to lower your bills.
Debt reduction plan
With the massive credit card hikes that have been charged to many people lately, it is imperative that you pay off your credit card debt as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more money you will lose from paying the interest rates. If you are struggling with your debts, create a plan to pay them off quickly. Cut up your cards and create a debt repayment plan. You do not need credit cards, in spite of what other people tell you. Credit cards do not help you to live within your means, and if you create a sensible budget, you will not need them. People usually get credit cards to handle emergencies. Experts advise you to save at least eight months’ worth of income should you lose your job. Another choice may be to take out an emergency cash loan to get you through until your next payday.
Generate more money
No budget worth its salt is complete without a plan to increase your monthly income. How will you replace your lost income should your work hours be cut or you lose your job. The experience you have from your job may help you find a marketable skill, even during a recession. Look at your talents—do you do something so well that others would pay you to do it for them. If you have extra time on your hands due to a layoff, you may try babysitting, organizing, or even planning parties to earn extra money. Are you a writer? You could actually earn a nice income if you are skilled at explaining difficult concepts. Think about what you love to do and make a list of these activities. If you look at this as an opportunity for growth, rather than a cut back, you may be able to eventually replace your entire income.
Easy going
After creating and implementing your sensible budget, you will wonder how you ever lived with credit card debt in the first place! A budget will be worth nothing if you do not make the effort to implement even the small changes. Long term budgeting will provide space for emergency cash loans!