Is your unpaid debt wreaking havoc on your finances? Does the amount of debt you owe prevent you from meeting your financial goals? If you answered yes to either of these questions, it is time to take control of your debt and start the path to financial freedom. The best way to eliminate your debt problem once and for all is to create a viable debt reduction plan. If done correctly, a debt reduction plan will eliminate your debt slowly overtime and give you the freedom to start working on your own personal financial goals, like a new car, special, holiday, a new home, or your retirement.
Create a Budget
The first step to creating any type of debt reduction plan is to create a household budget. You must have a clear picture of all the income you have coming into the house and all the expenses and bills you are paying each month. If you have never had a budget before, you may want to start by tracking your spending for a few weeks by writing down everything you pay for. This will give you an idea of where your money is going and if you are overspending in a certain area, such as food or entertainment. Do your best to cut back on your spending, so you have more money available to pay off your debts.
Check Benefits
If when making your budget, you realize that your income is not enough to cover all your bills for the month, or you are not left with extra money to pay towards your debt, you should make sure you are receiving all the governmental benefits you are eligible for. These specialised benefits can help by reducing some of your monthly bills like your rent or utility bills, or it can bring additional income into the household. Either way it will reduce the amount of out-of-pocket expenses you have to pay and will leave you more money that you can use towards paying off your debt.
Call Creditors
Once you have your household budget in place and know how much money you have available to spend towards paying off your debt, you need to call each of the creditors you owe money to. Based on the funds you have available, work with you creditors to create a payment plan that the creditor will agree to and you can afford. Most creditors will be willing to work with you if you are honest with them and have a debt reduction plan in place.
Consolidate Loans
If you credit is still good and you are eligible for a low-interest loan through a bank or credit union, consolidating all your debt into one loan could be a good alternative. It would only require you to make one monthly payment, which may be more manageable, and it may save you money by charging a lower interest rate. However, if you cannot get a loan with a low-interest rate there would be no real benefit to this plan. An alternative to a bank loan, could be a low-interest credit card that would allow you to transfer all your debt to. However, be very leery of credit card that offers a low-interest rate only for an introductory period. In this case, it may up costing you more in interest in the end if you are not careful.
Set Up Debt Reduction Plan
There are several different methods you can use to set up a debt reduction plan. The first method requires you to pay the minimum balance required on all of your debts, and pay any extra funds you have available on your debt with the highest interest rate. You need to keep paying the extra on the debt with the highest interest until it paid in full. Then you can start paying off the debt with the next highest interest rate. This plan continues until all of your debt is paid off. Another plan is very similar, but instead of paying the debt with the highest interest first, you pay off the smallest debt first until they are all paid off.
It does not matter which plan you use, the most important thing is to create a debt reduction plan that you will be able to stick with. It is advisable to always seek the advice of a financial counsellor who can help you determine what type of debt reduction plan is right for you. Over time, you will be able to pay off all your debt and find the financial freedom you want. Then you can start setting long-term financial goals to help you get the things you really want.