Be disciplined to avoid the plastic card snare
Getting out of debt is not easy in the beginning. You will need people around you for the occasional lift. It is tempting to think that you can do it alone. You need at least five people to motivate, encourage and support you.
It is important to have your partner, spouse or parent on your side. No one is as capable of derailing you and causing you to lose the grip on your financial hope like your partner. Remember, just yesterday or two months ago, you were together riding down the “credit card lane”, spending like there’s no tomorrow. Today, you want to draw up a budget and cut spending? What happened to you? It doesn’t add up. On the other hand, a supportive partner will be by your side as you both want to get out of debt so you can build a better future.
You need a “jerk” to scoff at you when you tell him or her that you no longer use credit cards or store cards. This is your so-called friend who criticises you for not wanting to go drinking and eating out every other day. It is a family member who says you are a cheap skate and unrealistic about living your life without debt. Remember, no one cares about you when you are wasting your money and doing things that don’t really matter much. It is only when you get into the game of being smart and make changes that you will begin hearing the “boos”. Don’t worry, just focus on your goal. You need someone to motivate you to move forward.
You need a friend “who gets it”. If you are single, you need someone to talk to when you’re feeling down and going through the ups and downs He or she must be able to call you to order when you ’re getting off your trail. I’m not talking about a negative person, but someone who will tell you the truth.
You need a colleague who “gets it”. If you are working full-time, you spend most of your working hours in the office, so it’s important that you have someone who understands what you are going through. This colleague will be prepared to skip an expensive lunch and pack lunch from home just to enjoy lunch-time with you. They will not judge you if you don’t have money to Don’t try to keep up with the Joneses when you can’t afford it contribute for a colleague’s birthday cake at work.
You need the Joneses. You know them right? They have everything – the big car and big house, and they brag about the holidays they take and everybody wants to keep up with them. Little do you know that the Jones family is also drowning in debt. It’s just that they are covering it up well with a smile and fancy cars and you ignorantly assume they are coining it. You need the Joneses to inspire you not to be like them. They might not know it, but they provide an example of everything you don’t want to do while you are getting out of debt.
Trying to get out of debt by taking up new loans is not a good idea. It’s like putting petrol onto an already burning fire.
For advice on financial matters, write to me at info@bedebtfree.co.za