My Debt Relief Plan

Sadly, debt is something that plagues the lives of many. From sleepless nights to marital discord, debt can cause a great deal of heartache It also contributes to one of the greatest killersstress. To keep yourself from falling into the horrific trap, here are 10 creative ways to establish a budget and eliminate debt.

1. Get everyone involved. While it is essential to work together with your spouse on budgeting to either get out of debt or to keep from going into it, why not make it into a fun family meeting to educate the children about managing money? Budgeting doesnt have to be a tedious task, and you and your family dont have to feel deprived.

2. Get organized. Make a list of everything you spend for a month. If you think it will help, purchase a special notebook for each member of your family to write down what each person spends every day during the month. This will serve as a foundation on which to build your budget. Once you know where your money is going, you can determine what can be eliminated in order to save.

3. Allow yourself a little room in your budget. Dont budget everything down to the last penny. Give yourself a little wiggle room, in case something unexpected comes up or you spend more than expected on a needed item.

4. Try to always use cash. Dont rely on credit. If you dont have the funds, then you probably dont need to buy it anyway. If it is an emergency, borrow money from friends or family, but try to avoid using credit at all costs. Otherwise you will go even further into debt.

5. Avoid department store or other merchant accounts. Many times, these types of accounts cause people to spend more than is necessary, and the interest rates are out of this world.

6. Open a savings account. This is an extremely important budgeting tool. It is crucial to have the right mindset towards a savings account. When you put money into it, dont think of it as losing that money. Think of it as gaining control over your finances and having a cushion for unexpected expenses. Having a savings account is responsible money management.

7. Determine how much money from each paycheck you can put towards savings. This may be a small amount like $10 or a larger amount like $100, but whatever the case, you should be putting away something. Dont be stingy and dont cling to unnecessary expenditures. If, while you are keeping track of your spending, you realize that you spend $20 a week on coffee, make a decision to put that $20 into savings. Youll be surprised how fast it adds up.

8. Cut back. Eliminate the things that you dont need. For example, if you have a cell phone plan with several features, make it basic or get rid of what features you dont need so you can save money. You may even decide that you dont need a cell phone at all. Review your familys list of monthly expenditures and cross off anything that isnt absolutely necessary.

9. Use envelope budgeting. In other words, create an envelope for each budget category, such as groceries, entertainment and clothing. Put enough cash in each envelope to fit your budget. Then spend the amount of cash and only that amount on each category per budget period (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc.).

10. Pay as many bills online as possible. This can eliminate concern over whether or not your bills were received on time, and can even save money since you will not have to pay for stamps.

Follow these ten strategies and you will be well on your way to escaping the debt trap. If you are diligent and determined, you can get out of debt and stay out of debt for good!