The average American has over $8000 in credit card debt. Making minimum payments and not accumulating any more debt, it would take you 30 years to pay off the card and thousands more in interest. That's why an important part of any family budget is to reduce and pay off that debt as soon as possible. Here are some ideas to get you on a road of no more credit card debt.
Fewer Cards
Your first goal in reducing your credit card debt is to avoid accumulating more debt while you work on paying the current debt off. After all, what good does it do you to pay $200 toward your credit card and then use it to make another $200 purchase. A good way to avoid using your cards is to get rid off most of them. If you have a current balance owed on the card and it isn't feasible to transfer the debt to an account with a lower interest rate, simply cut up the cards to avoid using them again. Close the credit card account as soon as you have paid it off.
Your ultimate goal will be to only have one or two credit cards for online purchases and emergencies. You will only be using it for non-emergency purchases that you know you can pay off within 30 days.
Freeze Your Assets
Most of us like to keep at least one or two credit cards around for emergencies. The problem is we end up using the cards to buy a new pair of shoes, take our spouse out to dinner or buy that new TV we really want. If you are prone to these types of impulse buys on the credit card, try freezing them.
Yes, I am serious. Take a gallon sized Ziploc bag, drop your credit card in it and fill the bag with water. Stick the bag in the freezer. Within a few hours your credit card will be encased in a block of ice, making it less convenient to just grab it and buy something. At the same time you know you can thaw it out in a few hours if you really need it.
No More Impulse Buys
How many times to you go to the store with a particular item in mind and end up buying a few extra things you didn't even know you couldn't live without? I'm taking about impulse buys.
We go to the grocery store and are presented with all sorts of special deals and easy grab-and-go offers at the end of isles and at the cash register. We go to the mall to buy a white sweater and end up with a pair of earrings or new boots as well.
Storeowners have figured out exactly how to push our buying buttons and get us to purchase items on impulse that they know they couldn't sell us if we took a moment to think about it.
Before you make a purchase, take a moment and consider if you really need this now. For larger purchases sleep over it. You'll be surprised how many deals don't look quite as good anymore the next morning.
$20 Is All It Takes
We've talked at length about how to cut down on spending and using your credit card, now it's time to start paying off the debt you currently have. All it takes is $20 to get you started. Of course if you can come up with an extra $100 or even more, go for it.
At the very least I want you to come up with an extra $20 a month and add it to what you are currently paying toward paying off your credit card. Start with the card that has the highest interest rate. If you are currently paying about $100 a month toward that card, increase it to $120 until the card is paid off. Then use those $120 a month and add them to what you are currently paying toward your next card. Can you see how quickly this can add up and get you out of debt - especially once you have the first card paid off? By consistently doing this you can be out of credit card debt for good in a few years.
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