Follow Me Out Of Debt | Get Out Of Debt And Get Into Prosperity!

Money is a tool; it has no power over you. The power that seems to be associated with money is based upon emotional connections with money. Some folks love money. They truly put money over and above almost everyone and everything else. Some folks fear money (or a lack of money). They live in a constant state of fear of not having enough financial resources, or they fear a sudden loss of money, usually due to a job-loss event.   Both of these emotions are unhealthy. Money is an inanimate object and should not be looked at with emotions of love or fear. This is how we unintentionally give money power that it simply does not deserve.   A healthy way of looking at money is to realize that it is simply a useful tool for us to give to others, take care of our families, and save for our futures. If we are lacking enough money, we need to realize that we are in a position where we need to gather more of this particular tool in order to do the job or task at hand.   It's easy to support this show. If you are looking f

It's easy to fall into the trap of constantly desiring to be entertained by your smartphone rather than setting aside time to read intentionally. With the plethora of apps and games that are out there to distract us from learning, it's no wonder that we spend a vast majority of our time on our smartphones rather than keeping our noses buried in books.   The unfortunate thing is that many folks don't realize that even once we're done with school, we should never stop learning. Setting aside time every day to read non-fiction books is a well-known piece of advice that comes from many successful people. The habit of learning is one that pays dividends that we won't even be able to imagine until those dividend payoffs have come to fruition. It's incredibly important to get into the habit of intentionally reading non-fiction books each and every day.   It's fine to use your smartphone. I use mine for both business and pleasure. However, I also know that the smartphone can be a source of distraction. With this in m

Most of the habits that we have, whether they are good habits or bad habits, hit us in one of these three major categories: peace of mind, health, and financial security. We are where we are based on the habits that we've established. We need to replace any bad habits with good habits in order to improve our peace of mind, our health, and our financial security.   Any habit tends to form between 30 and 45 days of practice. This includes both good and bad habits. If you want to replace a bad habit with a good habit, it would be best to focus on this for at least a month to a month and a half in order to truly change and cement in your behaviors to make whatever change you are making permanent. You will establish a new pattern in your mind, and this is how you truly transform a simple change into an established habit.   Take some time today and think about some of the bad habits that you need to change in your life. Next, come up with a plan to stop these bad habits that are hurting your health, finances, or pe

It's one of those you-don't-judge-a-book-by-its-cover moments. I found out some amazing details on the life of someone who appears on the surface to be your standard groundskeeper.   What was completely unexpected was that this gentleman was not only the groundskeeper, but he was also the owner of the properties that he was maintaining. He was truly doing what he loved to do and was earning an income from it. He was leasing properties to businesses and maintaining those properties on his own.   This made me think about how we can truly do what we want to do once we're out of debt in order to get into prosperity. We don't need to impress others. We don't need to drive a Lexus, and we don't need to fit in with the crowd. In other words, we don't need a membership to the country club. Instead, we can utilize our resources to further God's kingdom by being a cheerful giver of our time and our financial resources.   While part of this story contains some fictional content, the majority of it has to do with a man w

It's always beneficial to take some time to be thankful and reflect on our blessings. If you're in the process of getting out of debt or working on any other goals, realize that being inline with God's Word is power in of itself. God will provide and will take care of us, so keep that in mind no matter how difficult the journey may become.   Even if you're not a Christian, take some time to reflect and realize what you already have, and be satisfied with that. Don't focus on what you don't have; be happy for what you do have. Once you've done this, work towards improving things. Achieve the goals that you've set for yourself knowing that your plans are good and right.   I'd also like to take a moment to let you know that I'm thankful for you. I'm happy that you tune in and participate in this very personal journey of mine to get out of debt and get into prosperity. I love sharing experiences and stories, and I equally love hearing from you. I love hearing your questions and hearing about your accomplishments.

You can accomplish greater and greater goals and increase your own level of self-confidence by simply keeping the momentum going once you have completed a difficult task. What I'm talking about is that feeling that you get when you feel the pressure to succeed and then gather the inner strength needed to accomplish the goal that you had set out for yourself. When this occurs, the last thing that you want to do afterwards is go into relaxation mode.   Instead, you need to utilize the momentum that you now have working for you to move along towards completing another large goal or task. Throughout the process, you've likely uncovered a newfound strength that you never had or experienced before. Perhaps you surprised yourself and used more imagination and brainpower than you even knew existed. Take full advantage of the momentum swing that you've got going your way, and see just how far this wave will take you.   It's easy to support this show. If you are looking for some great bargains and like to shop online,

We already know that debt crushes our finances, but it also crushes our spirit and motivation. This is especially true when we're buried under a mountain of debt and can no longer afford the minimum payments. Even the most spirited person will feel defeated every once in a while if the debt mountain is enormous enough.   We need to do what we can to get out of debt (or get it under control) so that we can move forward into prosperity. When we first got into debt, it likely snuck in just like any other bad habit. Perhaps we started with a department store card, moved on to your standard credit card, took out an automobile loan, decided to go to school and get some student loans, and it just went on and on from there.   It was convenient, and we were able to get comfortable with the concept of being in debt. Everyone else was doing it, so why shouldn't we? While I may be taking you down memory lane at the moment, the point that I'm trying to make is that the financial institutions behind the credit cards and lo

It's advice that you hear in various forums: pay yourself first. But when is this an appropriate strategy? What if you're just making ends meet, living paycheck to paycheck? How would you go about saving up some money by paying yourself first?   First of all, this is a decision that you have to make for yourself based on your particular circumstances. If you are barely able to get through a month without running out of money, now may not be the time to start saving money by paying yourself first. With that said, you should still keep this in the back of your mind as a someday goal, because I really do think that paying yourself first is a great idea.   Most resources that mention paying yourself first recommend 10% of your take-home pay. It's also recommended to set this amount to be placed into a savings account at a separate financial institution from where your checking account is located automatically, usually through direct deposit. If 10% is too much of a challenge, it may still be a good idea and a ben

I'd like to let you in on a little background about how I started out, where I came from, and why I'm so completely focused on this journey to get out of debt and get into prosperity.   I'm not a guru. I'm just like you. I have made mistakes, and I'm wanting to better my life by putting together plans to complete certain goals. Many of those goals center around getting out of debt. I see this as being a major important factor to financial health and happiness. Of course, this will also naturally lead to goals that focus on getting into prosperity. And I absolutely want you to come along on this journey with me.   It's a brand new week. Let's get things right. We're going to be talking about stuff in the coming days and weeks that will help to re-center our focus. Follow me out of debt, and let's get into prosperity!   It's easy to support this show. If you are looking for some great bargains and like to shop online, check out http://followmeoutofdebt.com/deals. When you purchase something using that link, eve

This mini-episode is an extension of episode 253. On that episode, I mentioned that I had presented an offer on my personal Facebook page for my friends to be able to get their computers repaired for just $25 bucks. I was only taking the first 25 people who responded, and the number of people who had expressed interest truly surprised me.   I started thinking that my audience would likely love the opportunity to get a discounted rate on computer repair as well. With my 20+ years of computer repair experience, I can definitely help fix your ailing computer.   What I will do is limit this to the first 25 people who respond to this offer. Simply go to http://followmeoutofdebt.com and click on the Contact button. Fill in your name, e-mail address, and include computer repair in the subject line. In the message area, briefly describe the problem that you are having with your computer (PC or Mac), enter in your phone number if you wish to be contacted by phone, then send the form. The first 25 e-mails that I receiv

Did you know that 85% of wealthy folks read two or more self-improvement, career-related, or education-related books every month? This is an interesting statistic and one that we should be paying attention to if our eventual goal is to grow rich.   You don't necessarily need to read two books every month right off of the bat, but I would highly recommend setting a goal to read at least one book per month to start. If you think that you won't have time, try to integrate your reading time with other activities. If you've got kids (even teenagers), spend some time going to the library or sitting outside on a nice day and reading together. Read while you're at the gym. If you don't have time to sit with a good book, start a free trial with Audible to see if that might be a good alternative for you.   For most of us, education will only take us so far. The key to success is continuing education, and I have found that there is a plethora of relevant and good information to be found in books. This is a habit that wi

It's that time of the year again! Yes, Christmas is right around the corner. We're being bombarded with advertisements, which in reality probably started a couple of months ago. Stores know that we're gearing up to spend some of our hard-earned money, and they will aggressively try to capture our attention so that we're walking right in through their doors.   Did you know that this time of the year causes a large amount of stress for a lot of folks? Did you also know that credit card usage spikes dramatically at this time of the year? People are going into a brand-new year with more debt than they had before. People are willfully putting themselves into a hardship situation because they feel obligated to buy gifts that they simply cannot afford.   I believe that you have more ways to give than just with your finances. We give of our time, money, as well as other resources. For example, some of us know how to make crafts. Giving these as gifts will cost less as far as the amount of money needed for supplies fo

What if the starter emergency fund runs out? What do you do if you're hit with another emergency? Sometimes you're hit with a double-whammy (or maybe even a triple-whammy), and when this happens, what do you do?   Well, you do have the option of using a credit card. If you decide to go this route, you'll want to have a plan in place to pay that amount back and get it back off of the credit card as quickly as possible. However, a better plan might be to earn some money quickly through a little ingenuity and imagination.   Find what it is that you're good at, and put it out there on social media to sell it as a product or a service. Be sure your price point is low enough to grab the attention and actions of others but still high enough to earn you a decent amount of money in the short-term. Remember, you need money now. That is your overall goal. Think outside of the box, and do what you need to do in order to get past the lack of an emergency fund or a shortage of available resources in your emergency fund and

I was provided with a different perspective by one of my valued listeners about working for Rev.com, and I wanted to share that with you today. I have a feeling that the listener of the show who had e-mailed me is not the only one who has been frustrated with Rev.com, and in all fairness, I think that it's appropriate to discuss those frustrations on this show.   I have touted the benefits of working for Rev.com in order to earn a little additional income on several previous episodes. I have said several times that you won't get rich quick (or even slowly) using this as a revenue earning tool. Rev.com simply isn't paying out tons of money, and because everyone has different abilities, the individual experiences seem to vary quite a bit.   Tune in today to consider some of the cons on the pros and cons list of Rev.com. I personally don't mind Rev.com, and it has provided opportunities to earn some additional revenue when it has been needed, but as I had mentioned above, your mileage may vary.   It's easy to su

When it comes to money, you don't want to hide things from your spouse. The two of you should be on the same team and on the same page, and the quickest way to destroy that unity is to hide things from your spouse.   Perhaps you want to avoid a money fight. Perhaps you want to protect your spouse from what you feel might be unnecessary worry. While that's a good reason on the surface, it's not going to help you in the long run. Your spouse needs to know as much (or close to as much) as you do about your family's financial situation. Simply put, they can't help you if they don't know.   Of course, there are more serious issues that may be at hand. This could be in the form of an addiction, such as a gambling addiction. It's never easy to admit to something like this, but you do need to start this process with your spouse. Hopefully, the two of you can do what's necessary to get help before a serious problem brings on serious consequences.   It's time to have that difficult conversation with your spouse. It's t

What did you do this weekend? I decided to earn a little extra money on the Rev.com platform. I mentioned this opportunity on episodes 159 and 192. I was also busy cleaning up my budget and getting things ready for the upcoming month. I wanted to make sure that this upcoming month's budget is lined up as it should be, and I've made some corrections and improvements in the budget from previous months.   We've all had situations where we may have, simply put, screwed up the budget. Maybe we didn't want to look at the damage right away, but eventually you do have to poke your head up from being buried in the sand. Even though it may not be pleasant for us to have to realize to what extent we've trashed the budget, it is still considered to be an opportunity. It's an opportunity to learn from mistakes. It's also an opportunity to get better at this whole budgeting thing going into a brand-new month because, as you've heard before, practice makes (close to) perfect.   If you'd like to learn more about Rev.com, che

If you've got plans this weekend, first you'll want to make sure that your budget is ready for those plans. Many times, the weekends can be a budget-killer. We tend to spend more carelessly on the weekends than any other time of the week, and because of this, we will typically end up trashing the budget in the process.   This particular episode is not only coming out on the day before a weekend, but it's also coming out on the last weekend of the month. With that in mind, you shouldn't just be focusing on having fun this weekend, but you should also be setting some time aside to do your budget for next month (if you haven't done so already).   If you're single, then doing your budget should be easy enough for you to take care of. Simply set some time aside and get busy. If you're married, there might be a challenge to this process if your spouse doesn't particularly like doing a budget. Perhaps it's you who doesn't like doing the budget. Whatever the case may be, there's nothing wrong with one spouse taking t

What do you do when you're going through lean times? Lean times fall upon all of us at one point or another. When you are in this type of particular situation, you've got to do things that may be outside of the norm or outside of your comfort zone. You're lacking resources, and you need to make up for the difference by whatever means necessary (that are legal, of course).   The obvious thing to do is to get a part-time job to bring in more income. Think about your strengths and use them to your advantage. If you're a natural salesperson, walk into your local car dealership and ask if they need help, perhaps even on a part-time basis. If selling cars isn't your thing, visit a retail store and apply to work evenings and weekends. As a bonus, see if they have any commission sales positions available to fully utilize your sales background.   Of course, going the route of a part-time job is not always a good option. Perhaps there aren't part-time opportunities right in front of you or perhaps scheduling might be a

This episode is all about PMI: Private Mortgage Insurance. Private Mortgage Insurance is money that you pay in addition to your monthly house payment to protect the lender in the event that you are unable or unwilling to continue making payments on your mortgage.   Typically, PMI is only necessary when you are unable to come up with at least a 20 percent down payment at the time of purchase. There are some creative lending products that may help you to avoid PMI, however, they are usually only beneficial to the lender. They are typically in the form of a second mortgage or other loan with a higher percentage rate than the primary mortgage loan. I don't personally recommend this. I would do what you can in order to come up with a 20 percent down payment before you consider purchasing a home.   I do understand that sometimes it's not possible to do this, so you may need to pay PMI (or perhaps you are already paying PMI). If that's the case, I would recommend to find out from your lender the date that the PMI wi

When it comes to conversations about money between you and your spouse, you have to find common ground first and foremost. In most situations, married couples aren't typically on the same page at the start of things. Both parties feel that they have certain needs that should be met, and until the two of you are able to both win, you won't have much success.   This is one of those situations where silence is a bad thing. If one or both of you are being silent about how you feel and what you think is right, communication will start to break down. Once it gets past a certain point, it will be difficult to recover from unless you hit the big red reset button and simply sit down to engage in a cool, calm, and collected conversation with your spouse.   What I recommend is to find common points or common ground by talking about some of the issues at hand that affect both of you. Start talking about retirement savings, college funds for the kids, or any other goals that you both want to have success with accomplishin