Mission Possible: Avoiding Debt

Mission Possible Avoiding Debt - picture of hands creating a budget

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Whether you like it or not, it’s difficult to avoid getting yourself into at least one form of debt at some point in your life. For instance, if you ever want to own a home you probably need a mortgage. Regardless of your intentions, a lot of debt is taken on due to poor money management and bad planning.  Fortunately, there are several strategies for avoiding debt altogether.

Make a budget

Paying bills is a lot like tending to a garden. If you consistently remove weeds every month the job is simple and doesn’t take long, but if you ignore the weeds for a while they spread throughout the whole garden and the task becomes daunting. Luckily, there is a tool that makes consistency all the more easy and that is a budget. By creating a budget you can keep track of your money and have a better understanding of the balance between your income and outgoings. Knowing your own personal finances goes a long way in avoiding all types of financial trouble including debt.

Find Frugality

Frugality doesn’t always mean doing strange things like reusing toilet paper or dumpster diving. There are a lot of simple ways to save money every day. Frugality is often just about doing a bit of research before you buy and finding the best deals before you hand over your cash.

Be Smart with Cards

Credit card debt could be one of the most dangerous forms of debt there is. It is so easy to slip into the red just by only paying the minimum monthly payments and continuing to charge. Plus, a small credit card debt can turn into a big one when what you owe rolls over from month to month. The safest thing to do is to pay off your card in full each month in order to avoid a pile up.

Seek Alternatives to Loans

Until recently, individuals who had an idea for a new business would likely visit their local bank to get a loan. However, there are new ways to begin start-ups and businesses through the internet. You now have the option to utilize different aspects of social media to use crowdfunding to start your business. The idea is to get people to give you money in exchange for small prizes or just to contribute to the bettering of the community through your idea.

These are just a few ways you can avoid falling into debt. Trust me when I say that it’s much easier to stay out of debt then it is to dig yourself our of debt once you’re already in it.  If you need help, you can also check out organizations like Consolidated Credit.

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7 Comments

  1. Nick @ AYoungPro.com says:

    Totally doable! It is called discipline. 🙂

  2. We’ve avoided debt after all this time. It does take some discipline, because you have to watch those around you with nice new stuff, but it’s worth it. I love being debt free.

  3. I would say discipline and good financial habits! As the saying goes, where there is a will there is a way, so options to avoiding debt are there, you just have to dig a little bit and be determined to live debt-free.

  4. The biggest deterrent to debt for me is the high interest rates. I prefer buying assets that appreciate at low mortgage interest rates.

  5. Crowd funding can be a great way to raise money especially if you have an idea that will resonate a lot with other people 🙂 The two ways to get rich are to make money and minimize costs. Avoiding debt whenever possible can definitely help with the latter part.

  6. Agree. Sometimes I get caught up in seeing my friends be ”ahead” of me. Maybe it’s because I see them making more money.
    But I have to remind myself that I’m pumped right where I am. The only long term debt I have is my home which is leveraged at only 30% of it’s current market value so I feel ok with the loan.

    I typically love to quote from 8Mile: “They call me Rabbit, but this is a Turle Race”
    It’s just how I feel….

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