5 STEP PLAN FOR TACKLING YOUR CREDIT CARD DEBT
Congratulations. You’ve found the complete credit card debt help attack plan. With this plan you will be able to finally tackle your credit card debt and eventually become debt free.
MATERIALS YOU NEED
If you’re truly looking for credit card debt help, these are the materials you’ll need to fight your battle with debt:
Scissors: yes, you’re going to have to cut up those credit cards, but only if you have multiple cards. It is good to have one on hand in case of dire emergencies (and 25% off the latest plasma screen TV doesn’t count as a “dire” emergency).
Household Budget: this is the core of your plan. You want to establish a household budget so you can determine what your income is and what real expenses you have. To learn more about establishing a budget, check out the Bills.com household budget guide
Debt Consolidation Loan (optional): not all credit card debt situations call for a debt consolidation loan, but some definitely do. We’ll discuss ways to determine what tools you need to use for your specific debt problem later.
Determination: this is a must. If you really want credit card debt help, you need to be determined. You’re going to have to make sacrifices and it’s not going to be easy. Determination is the key to success
TIME TO PREPARE FOR BATTLE!
STEP 1 – ANALYZE YOUR SITUATION
As was mentioned before, each debt situation is different, especially when it comes to credit cards. Some people have thousands of dollars on one card. Others have 5 different credit cards each with their own increasing balance. Others have retail business cards (i.e. Sear’s cards, Nordstrom’s cards, etc.) that are tied directly to a specific retailer. In any case, what you want to do is identify exactly how much debt each card is carrying and
then add it all up. This will give you an idea of exactly how much you owe.
STEP 2 – REMIND YOURSELF ABOUT YOUR DEBT – CONSTANLY!
After you’ve analyzed your credit card debt and know the exact total, you need to always remember that number. Write it on a piece of paper and tape it to the refrigerator door. Put it in your purse or your wallet. Keep it in your car on your dashboard. You need to constantly remind yourself that you have a lot of debt. This will help you stay motivated. As you start paying it down, change the number. The goal is to one day be able to throw away all paper reminders because there is no number to write down (because you’re debt free!).
STEP 3 – START CUTTING CARDS
If you have multiple cards with multiple credit card debt, cut all of them except for the one with the lowest interest rate. The best way to avoid using your credit cards is to make them useless. You should have at least one credit card on hand for dire emergencies but go ahead and cut the others. Cutting the credit cards won’t make your debt disappear, but it will lessen the likelihood of you spending more on them.
NOW IT’S TIME TO FIGHT!
STEP 4 – CREATE AND STICK TO YOUR BUDGET
Now it’s time to show those credit cards who’s boss. What you want to do is establish your household budget using the Bills.com household budget guide. The goal is to identify your income, your “must pay” items, and areas you can cut back (i.e. trips to the movies or restaurants). Once you’re
budget is established, STICK TO IT! This will be difficult at first because in many cases it requires changing old habits and lifestyle behaviors. However, if you want to get debt free, you need to make sacrifices. No pain, no gain.
STEP 5 – START PAYING OFF YOUR CREDIT CARDS or GET A DEBT CONSOLIDATION LOAN
The final step is to start paying off your credit cards. Based on your budget, figure out how much you can afford to pay each month. It has to be more than the minimum payment if you want to seriously tackle your debt. Stick to this schedule until your debt is DONE! It might take years to accomplish, but it’s better than letter your debt fester on for years and years to come.
Multiple Credit Card Debt Option – A Debt Consolidation Loan
If you have multiple credit cards all with enormous interest rates, call each company and see if they’ll lower your interest rates for you. If they won’t, consolidate your credit card debt with a loan. This type of loan allows you to payoff your credit card debt and rolls it over into a loan payment with a better interest rate. Find a debt consolidation loan today.
BUT WHAT IF MY DEBT HAS GONE INTO COLLECTIONS?
If your credit card debt has already gone into collections, you need to act fast. A debt consolidation loan is one option, but you do have a few more. Check out quick debt solutions you can take advantage of today.