Drowning In Debt? – How To Become Debt Free – for Free

April 27th, 2009 by admin

Debt Free Oh What A Dream.

Is it possible to get out of debt and remain debt free in today’s society? Well of course it is but it will require a completely different mindset to the one most of us currently have.

Where The Culture Started.

If you are old enough to remember your grandparent’s way back in the 50’s and 60’s and of course any-time prior to that. They did not live on credit. In fact the very idea of buying on credit was something to be a little ashamed of.

Now they did not enjoy the luxuries we now take for granted but were their lives any less fulfilled because of that? I don’t think so. In fact probably the opposite applies. No worries about drowning in debt for them.

I know things are a little different in the US than in the UK but I can recall having credit restrictions imposed on us by the government. A minimum deposit of say 25% or even 33.3% was required to purchase luxury goods on hire purchase (a washing machine was a luxury item!) Motor cars were treated the same way. This was in the mid 1960’s.

The turning point came with the introduction of the “personal loan” followed by the “Credit card”. All deposit requirements disappeared and the consumer boom was on.

Today’s younger generation know little of this of course and cannot understand why they can’t have what they want now!

But don’t blame them. We sowed the seeds. We often lead by example.

How Do We Reverse the Debt Cycle?

Like I said previously, a different mindset is required and to be honest there is already a new mood sweeping across the western world. There is a new sense of extravagance is bad. The very wealthy are curtailing their lavish displays of wealth in the face of other people’s difficult circumstances. This can only be a good thing.

The budget stores are doing well, whilst the expensive ones are closing as people everywhere tighten their belts.

Now it’s Cool to Shop in a Charity Store.

Yes indeed it really is cool. Even celebrities have been spotted coming out of well known charity stores clutching their bags. So you no longer need to feel embarrassed by shopping there sometimes.

Now, How to Get Out Of Debt.

Well there are plenty of web sites and articles detailing the mechanics of what you should do but so often we bury our heads in the sand until it is too late. Obviously the action required depends on individual circumstances. A little debt or drowning in debt?

If you simply want to get out of debt and be debt free and you only have a modest amount of debt, then it is relatively easy. You simply pay as much as you can afford off the most expensive debt (the one charging the most interest). When that is cleared you allocate the money you were paying to the first debt to the second most expensive. This debt will be cleared quite quickly as the payments are so much more now. You carry on this cycle, as each debt is cleared adding the payments you were making to the next debt until all debts are gone and Hey Presto you’re debt free!

Well that’s OK if you only have a couple of credit card debts and maybe a car loan but what if things are serious and you really feel as though you are drowning in debt?

Debt Advice.

If you have serious debt problems like mortgage arrears and court orders, perhaps creditors giving you a hard time. You can get them stopped. Just get some good debt advice.

There is a huge amount of debt advice available on the web but please be careful. A lot of the commercial operations charge huge fees which are often hidden and you don’t need them.

I work for a Debt Advice Charity in the UK and as a registered charity all our advice is free and confidential. There are similar charities all over the US and throughout the western world. Just make sure they are a genuine registered charity, as there are commercial companies cloning charity websites to fool people.

I won’t go into all the mechanics here of the various options but believe me the best advice is to take action. Don’t borrow more or try to consolidate. Get some good debt advice and you will no longer be drowning in debt and one day you may be debt free and happy again.

Jack was a Financial Advisor for many years and now works as a debt consultant for a debt advice charity as well as earning a living on-line.