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

Are you having a difficult time with applying theories and strategies on how to get out of debt? Are you feeling frustrated because of all of the cookie-cutter advice that's being spewed out there from the gurus? Well, you're not alone.   The simple truth is that hearing or reading about what worked for someone else doesn't make it your own. You don't feel a sense of ownership when it comes to the solution because you haven't made it personal. It's time to change this by doing two important things that will help you to be more specific about what will help you to paint a clear picture to make your get-out-of-debt strategy your very own.   First, you need to ask yourself how you got into trouble. Think back and reflect upon what caused you to get into debt in the first place. How old were you when you first started to use credit cards? What caused you to decide that your only choice to own a vehicle was to take out a loan? What other debt-related steps have you taken up until this point in your life? Knowing h

You can save a ton of money at your local dollar store. If there's one in your area, and you haven't had an opportunity to check it out yet, I highly recommend that you do. We've actually made a list of items that we'll only buy at the dollar store when we need them because of the money that we'll consistently save on those items.   For example, we've saved money on greeting cards, home decorations, balloons, party supplies, cleaning supplies, school supplies, and more. Comparing prices at other well-known discount stores still proves that the dollar store is easier on the budget. The best part? The inventory does change, so each trip that you make to the dollar store may save you even more money if you find other things that they carry that you may have on your list to purchase elsewhere.   Have you enjoyed this podcast so far? Would you mind providing a review for this show? It's super easy. Just go to http://followmeoutofdebt.com/review and follow the simple steps to subscribe to the show, rate the show, a

Many of us have become used to using plastic for a large number of our purchases. When we choose to use plastic over paying with cash, the result is that we don't feel the transaction. Because of that, it's easier for us to spend more than we would if we were using cash. This applies if we use a debit card as well as a credit card.   The bottom line is this: using cash is not the same as using plastic. We actually feel the transaction when we hand over cash. We are mentally aware of the loss of cash as we are spending it. This is likely because most of us have made our first income and were paid with cash. We learned an established connection with cash from a relatively young age. When we are old enough to sign up for credit cards, that same connection doesn't translate over when using plastic versus using cash.   Start learning to use cash again. You can do this by selecting a line item in your budget and opting to use cash for the month instead of your debit card (or credit card). Be aware of how it feels t

Believe it or not, a credit card company actually did me a favor. I almost fell for the zero percent introductory APR trap. Thankfully, we were denied the credit card. The reason for the denial is irrelevant; the point is that we were seriously close to making a terrible mistake with our finances, and I am thankful that we were never approved and will not receive the card.   With our backs against the wall to pay off this high interest rate credit card that we had originally planned to transfer to a new credit card, we are now extremely focused to get this credit card paid off and the account closed yesterday. We can't wait to be done with this credit card, and we never want to make the same mistake again. Not being able to simply transfer our balance to another credit card is a blessing in disguise. We now feel the pain of the higher interest rate which in of itself establishes the needed sense of urgency to pay this off as quickly as possible.   If you are in a similar situation right now and are contemplat

Today's episode is based on a small snippet from the book, Cold Hard Truth On Men, Women, and Money by Kevin O'Leary. The ten items mentioned on this episode will help you to avoid paying interest as much as possible throughout your lifetime. This is a good thing; generally speaking, if you pay less interest, you have the opportunity to earn more interest through investing and other vehicles geared towards your goal of getting into prosperity.   Have you enjoyed this podcast so far? Would you mind providing a review for this show? It's super easy. Just go to http://followmeoutofdebt.com/review and follow the simple steps to subscribe to the show, rate the show, and leave a review. It only takes a few minutes, and it helps others to find this show so that they too can get out of debt and get into prosperity. We'll start a movement, and it all begins with you leaving a review!

There is a lot to be said about giving our kids opportunities to earn money based upon age-appropriate jobs that they can do around the house. I think that kids should have standard chores that they are responsible for, but they can work above and beyond what's expected of them to earn their own money. It helps them to establish a healthy work ethic and provides a way for them to learn where money truly comes from.   With that said, this is also an opportunity for a teachable moment. We can help kids to learn the three main choices that they have to make with their newly-earned income: save the money, spend the money, or give the money to a charitable cause. They will eventually be able to make their own decisions with money, and they will understand the importance of being in control of their finances from a young age. What a great way to establish lifelong habits!   Have you enjoyed this podcast so far? Would you mind providing a review for this show? It's super easy. Just go to http://followmeoutofdebt.com

Eating out is a common occurrence nowadays. We likely eat out more often than we realize for the simple convenience factor alone. At the time that we choose to dine out, the meal doesn't seem to cost much. However, if you add up the number of times we may choose to eat out in any given month, that amount can equal a lot more than we even realize.   This goes without saying, but the money used for eating out could be used in other areas of our budget. Eating out is expensive. If we eat out less, we'll likely have more money to apply towards our debt payoff strategy. I don't know about you, but I'd rather pay off debt faster as opposed to eating at a restaurant more often than I know that I should be.   Along with eating out being bad for our budget, it's also bad for our health. Eating out typically equates to more calories per meal. This is due to the enormous portions that restaurants are now providing to make it seem like you're getting a good deal with the increased prices of dining out nowadays. Also, the

Paying your credit card bills on time isn't enough. You need to scrutinize these bills and find out just how much your interest charges are costing you each and every month. You could have one credit card or several credit cards, but the process is the same. You need to take a good look at your latest statements and find out how much you are really paying for the credit cards that you own.   If you have higher interest rate credit cards, including department store credit cards, you could be paying hundreds of dollars a month or more in interest alone. This is a scary revelation, especially if it's something that you haven't really thought about or noticed before.   Don't worry. Once you research this information, it's actually a good way to get a reality check for yourself. If nothing else, this will motivate you to get out of debt as quickly as possible. I know personally I found out that one of my credit cards was costing me almost $100.00 per month in interest charges alone. That's just one of them! These

If you've been at the same place of employment for a while, you're probably setting your sights on getting a promotion, and why shouldn't you? With added responsibility comes an increase in pay, which means more income that you can use to get out of debt and get into prosperity that much faster.   These top ten ways to get a promotion will help you to stand out from the crowd. Even if you don't get the promotion right now, these ten tips will still help you to stand out in your current position. This could mean better raises when it comes time for job performance reviews, even if it doesn't mean a promotion at this time. You'll still be considered a valuable employee, and your raises will reflect this truth.   Have you enjoyed this podcast so far? Would you mind providing a review for this show? It's super easy. Just go to http://followmeoutofdebt.com/review and follow the simple steps to subscribe to the show, rate the show, and leave a review. It only takes a few minutes, and it helps others to find this sh

If you are married and in the process of getting out of debt, is your spouse enthusiastically supporting you? Imagine if all married folks, at the same time, enthusiastically supported one another. If this is true in your world, you can't lose. You'll always win with goals when the two of you are working together as enthusiastic teammates. If you're not there quite yet, don't worry. You will be someday; it's only a matter of time.   When you realize the moment that this actually happens between you and your spouse, hold on to that moment. Nurture that moment. Make sure that it doesn't go away without being properly addressed and acted upon. Your spouse may not approach you to tell you that you've been right this whole time, hanging their head down in shame, but that's okay. That wasn't the goal. The goal was for your spouse to come around by realizing that life is better without debt. Life is worth working hard to get out of debt. Life is all about freedom from debt and breaking the chains once and for all, a

Today is all about hosting your very own garage sale in order to earn some quick cash and get rid of stuff at the same time. Believe it or not, there is a process to planning a successful garage sale. I'm talking about this entire process today, and the tips included here should help you to best plan for your upcoming sale event. You'll earn the most money possible by strategically placing your merchandise a certain way as explained on today's episode as well as learning some other unique tips to really draw in a good crowd.   By the way, you'll have to expect people to touch your stuff. It happens, even with the breakable stuff. Expect people to haggle the price down. It's all a part of the psychology behind garage sales that I explain in detail on this episode. So once you've done the work to get your garage sale ready and organized, just sit back, relax, grab a cool beverage, be friendly, and sell some stuff this weekend!   Have you enjoyed this podcast so far? Would you mind providing a review for this sh

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Does most of your financial life seem to be spinning out of control? Do you find yourself burying your head in the sand and hoping that by some miracle everything will just go away?   You're not alone. However, keep in mind that it's critical for us to get a handle on things first and foremost. We have to realize the importance of this, and we have to attend to whatever is going on that is causing us to feel overwhelmed and out of control. Those circumstances won't change, regardless of whether we choose to bury our heads in the sand or not.   Getting a handle on things begins with the budget. This is the core and center of everything financial. You'll want to start by collecting all of the bills and organizing them into separate piles for each separate amount owed. If you have duplicates, keep them all together in the same stack. You're doing this to get a visual perspective on the job that you have ahead of you in order to get these bills into your budget to eventually be paid.

Have you ever experienced a phenomenon known as getting out of debt fatigue? It's a real thing, and it happens to the best of us (myself included). When we're focused on a goal like getting out of debt, most of us are in for the long haul. This isn't a simple two or three month process. This will likely be something that will go on for a number of years, and it's going to require a lot from us.   I like to compare getting out of debt to running a marathon or even a half-marathon. I'm not a runner, and I don't plan to ever become a runner. With that said, I do understand that most runners will eventually experience fatigue at some point during the marathon. Do they stop entirely? No, of course not. They will slow down the pace for a bit, then they will pick back up again. The goal is to finish the race, and all of this is quite similar to getting out of debt. Not everyone finishes a marathon, and similarly, not everyone gets out of debt. Those that do have truly accomplished a phenomenal feat.   Have you enjoy

Money isn't good. Money isn't bad. It's simply money. It's a tool that we utilize, and it doesn't have the capacity to be good or evil. Many folks misquote a well-known Bible verse and will tell us that money is the root of all evil. However, the Bible doesn't say that. What it does say is that the love of money is the root of all evil; in other words, it's the action of putting money over and above everything else that is the root of all evil. I completely agree with the Bible verse, but I completely disagree with the misquoted version.   Only the actions of the individual who is utilizing money as a resource can be deemed as good or evil. If someone donates to charitable organizations, most of us will agree that the action taken was good. If someone gambles away their money or uses it to purchase drugs and alcohol that causes them to mess up their lives, we will agree that those actions are bad. However, the money stays neutral, regardless of how it is being used. It doesn't take on a good or an evil qualit

You've got to put some fun money into the budget. Personally, I didn't do this for a long time. As a matter of fact, I didn't realize the importance of budgeting for fun money until just recently. When fun money was not budgeted, we would simply go over budget just to squeeze some fun into our lives. Most of the money spent was unplanned, so we likely spent more than we would have if we would have just budgeted to have fun on purpose to begin with.   The money that you budget in this new category is money that you set aside, thoughtfully, to spend as you wish. It allows you to insert a little fun into the budget, even if you find budgeting to be a task that is far from fun. It's also guilt-free money; you don't have to feel guilty spending the cash, because you put it there on purpose for the sole reason of having fun with it.   You don't need to be extravagant, either. You may not be able to imagine adding more money to your budget right now, especially if you are living paycheck to paycheck. However, you do

Will your interest in the purchases that you make on a credit card or by taking out a loan outlive the interest that you'll pay? In most cases, probably not. When I was younger and less financially savvy, I would see something that I liked, buy it, and eventually got bored with it. I put most of these purchases on credit cards to the tune of two almost maxed-out credit cards. I paid interest on these purchases for quite a while, and I'm sure that I lost interest in these items well before the time that it took for me to finally pay these purchases off in full.   Don't make the same mistakes that I did way back when. If you can't pay cash for a purchase, at least take some time to consider the purchase that you're going to make before you swipe the plastic or sign on the dotted line. Realize that interest paid on a purchase means that you will always pay more than the purchase price that you're considering. The only way that you get the deal promised to you is if you are paying with cash.   The question that y

Everyone else has credit card debt. Everyone else has car payments. Everyone else has a 30-year mortgage. Everyone else will not have enough saved up for retirement. Everyone else has student loan debt.   This is an excuse that is used by a lot of folks to justify past financial decisions and even present financial decisions. If everyone else is doing it this way, then it must be fine, right? Absolutely not. The masses can do things a certain way, but that doesn't mean that way is appropriate for you or you and your family. It doesn't mean that if you follow the crowd that you'll be okay. To be honest, if people are justifying that they won't have enough saved up for retirement, that should scare you. You should want to immediately go in the opposite direction when you hear about not having enough for retirement or hear about paying off a mortgage much later in life.   Be outspoken. Be different. Be unique. Stand out from the crowd and do your own thing that will lead to getting out of debt and into prosperit

It may seem like a strange question, but I have to ask you: what is your ceiling? In other words, what is the self-limitation that you have set for yourself as far as how much you can earn? Is it $50,000.00 per year? Is it $60,000.00 per year? Is it less? Is it more?   Regardless of the limitations that we may put on ourselves, we need to push through that ceiling. We need to realize that while we may not become millionaires, we should never sabotage our earning power by focusing on these completely fabricated limits that we've set. It's time to break through that ceiling once and for all and increase our earning power! The time-tested way to do that is simple to state but difficult to implement. It requires three things: hard work, perseverance, and determination. There are no secret systems to wealth; hard work, determination, and perseverance will always win the day.   Have you enjoyed this podcast so far? Would you mind providing a review for this show? It's super easy. Just go to http://followmeoutofdebt

Think about the last time that you were saddened or angered by some event. In most cases, the event wasn't serious enough for you to care about it in ten weeks from now. Perhaps you wouldn't care ten days from now. It might even be something that you forget about completely ten hours from now. So, why do we bother reacting to these events in the first place?   There are plenty of other self-sabotaging reactions that we have to various situations that steal our happiness. I go into detail on seven ways for us to be happier, including tips on staying out of argumentative situations and seeking wise counsel when the hard times come up. Hopefully, once you implement some or all of these seven solutions to allow for more happiness in your life, you'll feel better all of the way around and will be able to handle situations that come up without them causing unnecessary extended bouts of unhappiness.   Have you enjoyed this podcast so far? Would you mind providing a review for this show? It's super easy. Just go to h

If you're in the process of looking for a new home, you may want to consider a smaller home. A smaller home has many benefits, including a smaller area to clean and maintain. Of course, a smaller home will likely equate to a smaller house payment as well as less that you'll owe for real estate taxes.   There was a time when bigger was better, but nowadays with the public hearing about tiny houses and similar fads, people are starting to understand why smaller may be the way to go. You'll save time, money, and you'll likely have more opportunities for bonding with your spouse and kids.   Have you enjoyed this podcast so far? Would you mind providing a review for this show? It's super easy. Just go to http://followmeoutofdebt.com/review and follow the simple steps to leave a review. It only takes a few minutes, and it helps others to find this show so that they too can get out of debt and get into prosperity. We'll start a movement, and it all begins with you leaving a review!