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There are three things you aren’t supposed to talk about at the dining room table: Politics, sex, and money.

I have heard horror stories about family members talking about politics at Thanksgiving, and sex can certainly be inappropriate for a dinner conversation…

…but why is money such a taboo subject?

Everybody uses money. The basic principles of money are the same for everyone.

And I’d bet you would like to learn more about how money really works.

So how are we supposed to learn more if we won’t talk about it?

Granted, a “household budget meeting” goes a lot smoother when there is more income than household expenses, but having conversations if money is tight is when it is needed most!

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Here are 3 reasons why people won’t talk about money:

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1. We think income is equal to self worth

We are afraid to talk income with others because we think what someone makes is a true representation of their value.

Someone making 6-figures is thought of as successful, while another making $50k a year is only half as good.

You’ve probably worked with someone who was a horrible person, but made more doing the same job as you. Does that mean you are worth less as a person? ABSOLUTELY NOT! It just means they were able to get more pay – and there are a dozen different variables that play into salary range that have nothing to do with self worth or even moral values.

Another example: I have been blessed with a wonderful new career making more money than I ever have before. Does that mean I’m a better person than others now that my income is greater? NO! It’s completely irrelevant.

If we compare ones self worth based on income alone then we are elevating them to a higher status in our own mind or discounting them to the bargain bin.

#biblelesson: You are INVALUABLE to God. He loves you beyond measure – whether you make more money than everyone else on your block or are underemployed. God loves the homeless and even law breakers. Money has nothing to do with it.

Note: An argument can be made for keeping salaries secret in the workplace. I agree. Don’t talk salary with co-workers as it only leads to problems – for you, your team, and your boss.

2. Money exposes who we really are

I have coached hundreds of people through their money issues and can say with all certainty: What you spend your money on can say a lot about who you are.

When was the last time you said “I deserve ___” to justify a purchase? I did it the other day.

The reasons why I purchased an Ariana Grande album is kind of irrelevant to the problems of the world, but I shouldn’t worry about telling you about it.

Wait. Did I say Ariana Grande? I meant Metallica !

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
– Matthew 6, verse 21

In financial terms, this passage from the Bible clearly states that we spend our discretionary income towards what we value.

Have you noticed how often people talk about how much they saved in the clearance section, but almost nobody shows their entire household budget?

They might brag about the great bundle they got for cable/phone/internet, but won’t talk about how much they put into retirement savings.

The taboo of talking about money ensures we only share favorable details about our finances in order to distract the discussion from getting close to exposing our true money mannerisms.

Debt says a lot about who we are too.

What would you think about a person with a new Apple watch when they have a 5-figure number on their credit card statement?

Yeah. I thought the same thing too. Consumer debt often exposes a lack of will power and attention to ones finances.

It doesn’t matter what financial facade you put on, the truth about who you are – or who you are trying to become – shows up in your bank statements.

Regardless of the facade we put on, the way we handle our money shows who we really are.

3. Fear of judgement

The main reason we don’t talk to others about money is: We fear being judged.

What did you think when you read the example above about buying a new gadget while having 5-figures of credit card debt?

Yep. You judged the situation just like I did.

Let’s turn the tables: What if you were the one wearing the Apple Watch? How does that feel now?

Nobody likes to be judged in a negative manner, so we never talk about our money. When we do talk about money, we only share the shiny bits of information that looks good or buys us sympathy.

BTW: The #1 reason people won’t go see a Financial Advisor is fear of being judged by the numbers. Trust me, if a financial advisor judged their clients on their current money situations then you’d hear all about it from people on Facebook!

The fear of being judged keeps us from talking about money, and the lack of talking about money usually keeps us from seeking knowledge.

Educating yourself on how money really works can make the difference between retiring and retiring early.

Don’t let the fear of judgement keep you from talking about money.

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Take a look at your finances. Do you like what you see? If not, act like a rich person by:

• Reading a book about money
• Taking a class like Crown Financial or Financial Peace University
• Buy some time with a Financial Advisor

I have coached hundreds of people through their money issues and can say with all certainty: Those who seek wisdom and apply it to their finances reduce their stress levels, become more productive in all areas of their life, give generously, and become better people overall.

Money should not be a taboo subject. Fear of judgement should not keep us from asking for help.

Start having conversations about money today with your spouse or trusted friend. They are just as afraid to talk about money as you, so let’s just put all the cards on the table and get it over with 🙂

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Want to start reading?

These are my 5 favorite books about money:

1. The Millionaire Next Door – Dr. Thomas Stanley
2. Total Money Makeover – Dave Ramsey
3. Rich Habits, Poor Habits – Tom Corley
4. Richest Man in Babylon – George S. Clason
5. Wealthy Barber – David Chilton

Also highly recommended:

• Broke Millennial – Erin Lowry
• I Will Teach You To Be Rich – Ramit Sethi
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki
• The Automatic Millionaire – David Bach
• Your Money or Your Life – Vicki Robin

You can do it even faster with the education available to you today!

Looking back, it was a slow crawl to get to about a $1M net worth in 20 years.

If only I knew then what I know now.

In the year 2000, my wife and I essentially had about $25k in liquid assets: Retirement accounts, savings accounts, our household checking account, etc.

Of course, we also had a mortgage. But we were good with our credit cards…most of the time 🙂

We started with a NEGATIVE net worth of $100,000.

In 2006, I got serious about money. We paid off our last consumer debt – a 5-figure car loan.

I was done with debt and have never looked back.

We started saving more because, well – when you don’t have any debt you can either spend more or save more. Saving more was a priority, so we increased the amount going into our 401(k)s and saved about 6-months worth of expenses in the bank.

As it typically goes with investing, we rode the market up and down. Most of the first couple years the market kept going up.

Then the Great Recession hit in 2008. I was committed to stick to our plan – even when our investments dropped 45% in one year!

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My $100 a month *experiment* in its 7th year:

Coincidentally, I opened my first Roth IRA the same month the market hit bottom – March 6, 2009. My Roth was an *experiment* because I wanted to see what $100 a month would do over a very long period of time.

In the first year, my 100% investment in stocks (no bonds, I wanted to be as risky as possible in my experiment account) grew from:

2013: $1,437
2014: $2,632
2015: $3,799
2016: $5,446
2017: $8,020
2018: $8,247 (not good)

to now: December 23, 2019: $11,720

Over time, 84 deposits of $100 each has turned $8,400 into $11,720.

Can you imagine what our other accounts are like?

Remember, this is an account where I only invest $100 a month. Everything gets re-invested so it grows more and more value.

This is a very small portion of our net worth. However, it proves the point that you need to get started and invest consistently over time.

Note: Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. In fact, you can see how I deposited $1,200 in 2018 but the account only grew by $227. That’s because the market took a dump in December 2018 and my account value dropped a ton.

But I’m not investing for the short-term.

Which is the point of this whole article.

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How we started “not being average” and started being rich

We started out like the average American couple: Married, mortgage, two cars and a newborn.

We took average vacations: Not too frugal and not too lavish.

We paid off our credit cards (most of the time) and put a little money into our retirement accounts – at least enough to get the match.

…because that’s what everyone else does.

In 2003 I began learning about how money really works – and it didn’t take long before I realized we were living the average American lifestyle.

To be honest, it wouldn’t take much for us to become abnormal.

I started following Dave Ramsey’s principles and became hooked on budgeting, living on less than we made, and killing off our debt.

A lot can be learned just by listening to his radio show.

Those were the building blocks of my informal education on personal finances. You can certainly follow in my footsteps and find even more free financial literacy lessons in all kinds of ways today.

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Staying invested when the market is good and bad

This year, the market has hit all-time highs over a dozen times. In fact – at the time of this writing – the DOW is hitting another record of 28,551 – more than four times the DJI was just 12 years ago!

The market has gone up precipitously, but it can only be temporary.

Which brings me to my next point:

The next big market drop is going to be MUCH scarier than the last!

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Net Worth Time-line:

Our net worth in the year 2000, including the value and mortgage of our house, was a negative $86k.

After drawing the line in the sand on debt, our net worth was $139k – almost a 180 degree turnaround by 2006!

The Great Recession hit, but we stayed the course. Our net worth still grew to $175k by the end of the decade (2010).

We were determined to continue investing in our retirement accounts, opened a tax-advantage account for our daughter’s college, and even paid off the house early.

Currently, we estimate our net worth (including the value of our property) to be close to a million dollars.

Let me ask you this: Do you think we will be more scared of the next market drop even though it’s unlikely to be less severe than the last?

You bet your bottom dollar we will be! There’s much more at stake!

Losing 50% of $200k probably won’t seem as scary as losing 25% of a $1M!

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The Comfort of Living a Debt-Free Lifestyle

We are prepared for the next drop. We don’t owe anybody AN-Y-THING!

No car loans, no mortgage, and we have money saved for our daughter’s college. I don’t even have a credit card. I’m completely free of any obligations to anyone.

…and that’s what I want for you!

No matter how bad the market gets, we have our house and transportation taken care of.

I want you to seriously consider paying off all your debt.

Do it now while the market is good. And do it when the market isn’t good – because it won’t matter how much is in your brokerage account when you still have to make the car payment.

I’ve been completely debt free for over 4 years now, and consumer debt free since 2007. Replacing an air conditioning unit in the hottest week of the summer isn’t an emergency when you are debt free and have 5-figures of cash set aside for “unplanned expenses”. It’s not fun, but it’s also not devastating!

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You can do this faster!

Until recent years, the traditional advice was:

• Have emergency savings
• Pay off all consumer debt
• Invest 15% of income into retirement
• Save for your kid’s college
• Retire at age 59 1/2

But there’s a new movement taking hold of young people today.

It’s called “The FIRE Movement”, which stands for “Financial Independence Retire Early”.

I grew up in a time when we only focused on the FI part of FIRE.

Retiring early wasn’t talked about, although it wasn’t a new concept. Lots of people stopped working before Social Security kicked in.

Today, the movement is introducing people of all ages to the concept of saving as much money as you can today so you can quit the day job before 59 1/2.

Personally, I won’t stop working until I can no longer physically serve my clients. However, I’m sure you can see the attractiveness of having an “F-you” fund and being able to re-create yourself because money will no longer be an obstacle.

People are turning 12 years of working, saving, and investing into an early retirement. Blogs like EarlyRetirementExtreme.com and MrMoneyMustache.com shocked people into this “new” idea and are credited with starting the movement.

We can’t ignore one of the first books to talk about retiring early: Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin from 1992.

Now there are hundreds of FIRE blogs and podcasts educating and encouraging people to take control of their finances, and the result is they are taking control of their lives.

Can you imagine being completely debt free and able to retire in a dozen years? These young adults are doing it, so certainly you can too!

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Simple ways to get started

If you don’t do something today then you won’t have the advantage of making time work for you.

Compound growth over time is a powerful force. Knowledge is the key to unlocking that potential:

Reading Resource:

Book by by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin:
“Your Money or Your Life”, which was revised by Vicki Robin in 2018

Stock series by JL Collins: https://jlcollinsnh.com/stock-series

Blog post by Mr. Money Mustache: The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement

Audio:

Podcast by Choose FI: https://choosefi.com

Audiobook: Playing with FIRE by Scott Rickens

Other Financial Independence podcasts often credited by those in the FIRE community include Afford Anything, Fire Drill, and the Mad Fientist’s “Financial Independence Podcast”.

Conferences and communities:

FinCon: Not necessarily a FIRE conference, but FinCon is THE place where those who create content around the topic of money meet once a year. FinConExpo.com, which will be in Long Beach, CA September 30 – October 3, 2020.

Financial Freedom Summit: A 3-day event in St. Louis, May 1-3, 2020

Local meetups: Find a local group https://apps.choosefi.com/local-groups

Facebook group: Once again, Choose FI has something for you: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChooseFI

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How will you start to work towards financial independence?

Will you be reading about FIRE or listening to personal finance podcasts?

How will you begin your 20 year journey to complete financial freedom and possible early retirement?

If you are a new Debt Freedom Fighter – welcome! However, even those who have been around for a while may not know the entire Steve Stewart story. I don’t share too much about my personal life, this site is not about me.

However, 2014 has provided me a number of opportunities to be a guest on some prominent blogs and podcasts, not to mention winning the Plutus Award for Best Debt Focused Blog.

Below are some of my more noteworthy appearances from 2014.

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I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Mint.com – the powerful and helpful website for tracking purchases from multiple accounts.

They asked:

• How my wife and I formulated our debt plan
• Why debt is so pervasive in our society
• Where should couples who need to talk about money start (answer: at the dinner table).

Find out why I answered “dinner table” by visiting  https://www.mint.com/personal-finance-interviews/expert-interview-with-steve-stewart-on-getting-debt-paid-off-for-mint

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If you’ve listened to my show this year you know that my favorite new podcast is the Cash Car Convert hosted by James Kinson.

James is also one of my favorite people in the world and I’m glad to call him a friend.

I convinced James to join the April Fools Gang (see below) but was never featured as a guest.

That changed in December when James asked me to be his featured guest on the 50th episode of the Cash Car Convert.

We talk about my story, how much being a Christian had to do with getting out of debt, and – of course – what my first car was.

Listen to the 47 minute interview here: http://CashCarConvert/050

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Probably the most fun thing I did this year – and most difficult – was my podcast April Fools Day joke.

I convinced three podcasters to let me take over their show on 4/1/14 and it was a blast:

• Stacking Benjamins Ep48 (Plutus Award Winning Podcast)
• Starve The Doubts Ep89 (I interviewed Jared Easley for his own show)
• Cash Car Convert Ep23 (from the aforementioned James Kinson)

This was undoubtably the most successful promotion of the year – and the hardest to pull off.

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I first learned about Chris Cerrone from pictures of his recording studio posted on Facebook. It was his walk-in closet.

Chris reached out to me in the early days of his new show to be a guest. Of course I said Yes, but our schedules never matched up.

Finally, after bumping into him and his awesome new co-host, Laci Urcioli, at the Podcast Movement conference we set a date.

The most noteworthy moments were:

• Purposeful spending is an important lesson in the debt-free process
  Chris and Steve explore the dangers of using a credit card for points vs. the moral implications of those programs
  Steve compares using credit cards to abstinence and gives Chris a run for his money on the analogy game

Listen to the show here http://CerroneShow.com/90

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The largest collaborative effort comes from the Money Mastermind show.

Panelists Glen Craig, Miranda Marquit, Peter Anderson, Tom Drake and Kyle Prevost invite a special guest to speak on a personal finance topic via a Google Hangout On Air (video broadcast).

When the discussion of living with or without credit came up they invited me to be the controversial guest.

They weren’t disappointed. Around the 40 minute mark I was asked if one should feel guilty by taking advantage of credit card rewards that are paid for on the backs of other Americans who pay interest and fees.

My answer? Well, you’ll just have to go listen to it and find out – but it’s worth it. (Remember: 40 min mark)
http://moneymastermindshow.com/episode7/

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It wasn’t a podcast or even an interview, but it was an honorable appearance.

This year’s Plutus Awards were presented after the conclusion of the Financial Blogger’s Conference in New Orleans.

Somehow MoneyPlanSOS.com won the award for Best Debt-Focused Blog.

It came as a total shock because 90% of the written content on this website comes from podcast show notes – so it’s really a podcast award with a new name.

You can read a recap of my entire conference experience here http://moneyplansos.com/fincon14

or watch the 2 minute video when I was so shocked that I put my video camera in my pocket while accepting the award

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There are many more, too many to mention,

but I’ll try:

1. Create My Independence Podcast with Kraig Mathias
2. Dadrenaline Podcast with Chris Pilon
3. Smartphones Made Easy Podcast with Rey Brown
4. YoPro Wealth Podcast with Austin Netzley
5. Collaborative effort with Joshua Sheats from Radical Personal Finance

I’m looking forward to exposing more people to the possibility that they can get out of debt in 2015 with the new show I am hosting, the Financial Wellness Show. I’m also excited about future appearances that have already been recorded for Addy Saucedo’s Do I.T. podcast, Rye Taylor’s Take Action Q&A (also hosted by Addy Saucedo), and Jared Easley’s Starve The Doubts.

 

If I forgot to mention an appearance on your show or blog then please send me a note below. Thank you – have a great 2015!

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Gah! I’m listening to a blogger with a BA in journalism talk about how to improve your credit score.

The general advice was “get more than one credit card, use them, but don’t use them too much.”

Excuse the rudeness here but why are we listening to the advice of a journalism grad with no training in the industry except that of her own personal experiences?

On the other hand, why are you listening to me?

My education comes from working in retail, as an internal auditor for large companies, completing Dave Ramsey’s Counselor Training, doing some 1099 work for a financial advisor, and my own experiences as well.

I’ve never worked for a bank, financial institution, or took a college course on personal finances.

Isn’t my advice as useless as a news reported with no kids telling you how to raise your children?

The reason my advice is valuable to you

I’ll always tell you the truth. Not only will you read or hear rants like this one but I will blast the behind-the-scenes activities of those trying to sell you money.

You become a more educated consumer – and I empower you to avoid the debt trap!

My advice gives you options, something many Americans don’t have because they are drowning in debt. Debt steals options and kills opportunities. Just ask anyone who is working a second job to pay the bills or living paycheck to paycheck. It’s not fun.

OK, back to the bad advice

This “advice” from the journalist blogger was to help you build your credit score. Why? What is your reason to build a credit score?

It’s because our culture thinks you need a great score to exist in the United States.

I want you to make a list of every time you have used your credit score:

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

What. Are you back already? Why?

I know why: It’s because we don’t use credit scores – lenders do!

We are being taught all these “best practices for building your credit” tips so that someone else can make an easier judgement about us when we apply for credit. But you shouldn’t be applying for a bunch of credit – credit is debt.

Why do these well-meaning blogger journalists want you to improve your credit? Is it so you can get into more debt? Of course not, but they believe you need a great score to get the best interest rates. Some of that is true, having a higher score does qualify you for better interest rates, but you don’t need better interest rates when paying with cash or using your debit card to pay for things.

Shouldn’t I have good credit?

I wouldn’t go as far as to say you “need” good credit but you certainly should not have BAD credit. The entire credit scoring system is based on creditors sending FICO you personal banking information and reports of late or missed payments. You don’t want any late or missed payments – that’s what bad credit is.

You can have good credit by simply paying your debts and bills on time. That’s it. Why should you have to game the system and mess around with this “utilization rate” madness?

Did you know you could be creditworthy without having borrowed a dime in your life? Yep. Unless you just graduated high school or are still living under your parent’s roof, you have already proven to be responsible with money. How else could you pay for rent, food, gas, and other essentials?

Of course you want to qualify for a mortgage if you couldn’t pay cash for a house. I had to get a mortgage, but you can prove credit worthiness with a service called eCredable.

Learn more about eCredable http://MoneyPlanSOS.com/33

Thinking favorably about batteries

Are you a fan of batteries? My guess is you are impartial to them.

What if I could show you an easy way to make money selling Brand-X D-size batteries? Would you be willing to talk to others about Brand-X batteries in a favorable way? Of course you would. Suddenly you notice all the different batteries are used for. You look for ways to sell batteries. You bring batteries up in conversations at work or with friends. You find yourself using phrases like “These are great for running your kid’s toys” and “everyone needs a pair of D-size batteries around just in case”.

What changed? Suddenly you are a huge fan of Brand-X batteries because it impacts your pocketbook. Guess what? Reviews of credit cards on websites aren’t there out of the goodness of the webmaster’s heart.

Bloggers sell credit cards

I’m going to get a bunch of hate mail for this. Hey, I warned you that I blast the behind-the-scenes activities of those trying to sell you money. So here goes:

Why do you think bloggers post articles about credit cards on their website?

1. They want you to get the best credit card
2. They make money through affiliate sales of the card
3. They make sponsorship money by writing a favorable review
4. All of the above

The correct answer, in most cases, is D. Is that wrong for them to promote credit cards on their blogs? Of course not. Is it good for you? No way.

Bloggers who sell credit cards on their site are enchanted by the passive income. I would be too. It’s very tempting to sell credit cards on my website. Too bad credit cards are against my religion http://MoneyPlanSOS.com/135

Credit card companies need more people to use their brand of debt so they can make more money off of us. I can’t blame a blogger for wanting to sell credit cards on their site any more than I could blame you for your sudden love of D-size batteries.

We mean well

Be careful of advice from well-meaning people who have a dog in the fight. What’s in it for them?

A blogger promoting good credit scores by using credit cards responsibly isn’t breaking any conflict-of-interest rules. It’s not that they don’t care about your finances. They are simply promoting their belief about credit – and I’m broadcasting mine too.

It’s up to you to decide what is best for you. I’ve stated my case on this website numerous times. Now it’s up to you to voice your opinion.

Have you ever taken advice from a financial blogger? What happened? Good or bad, I want to hear about it. Please leave a comment below and let’s all share our experiences in order to help others make their own educated decisions. After all, it doesn’t take a finance degree to get a credit card or have a good credit score.

Why is getting out of debt so hard?

It’s really easy to get into debt. Why is it so difficult to get out?

I believe it comes down to these three big obstacles:

• Peer pressure
• Time between paychecks
• Less confetti and balloons

Simply knowing these obstacles exist will help you to pay attention and give you the energy to persevere in killing the monster.

Peer pressure

Whether you were an A/V nerd or highly-respected jock on the high school football team, you succumbed to peer pressure. Everyone did. We learned how to behave by watching others. Some lessons taught us what not to do, but if Joe walks away from a wreck with only minor damage then we believe the same will happen for us.

Add to this the human condition: We are social creatures. We like to be with others. We follow the crowd. Have you started watching a TV show after someone said “You haven’t seen fill-in-the-newest-reality-show? Oh man, you’ve gotta watch it”.

Peer pressure pushes us to do things we wouldn’t do if left on our own. It’s the same with our spending habits: If our friends go shopping every Saturday then we find ourselves hanging out in the mall. If our parents vacation in the Hamptons then we will eventually find ourselves there on our own. If Samuel L. Jackson say you need a Capital One credit card then we think “if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me”. Submit to peer pressure and you’ll find yourself accomplishing someone else’s goals.

However, peer pressure can have a positive effect if the activity or behavior is positive. Look at what happened after Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile. Nobody thought it was possible, but after he ran 5,280 feet in [3:59], more than a dozen others began breaking his record.

Surround yourself with positive role models while getting out of debt. Listen to the “Quotes On Fire” podcast while driving to work and keep reading this blog. 😉

Time between paychecks

“Hey, I’m bored. Let’s go to the movies”.

“Oh, look at that new ________. I didn’t know I needed one until I saw it”.

“My paycheck can’t come fast enough”.

Most people get paid every week or every other week. But life happens every day. There are many more opportunities to spend money than there are receiving paychecks. Translation? It’s easy to find ways to spend money and blow our budget simply because there is more time between paychecks.

I am convinced that our spending habits would be drastically different if we were paid every day. Just ask a waiter/waitress about their spending habits. You’ll learn something.

While getting out of debt, spend time with friends who are working on their goals. Or take up gardening or clean out your closets. It will keep you away from the mall and boredom-shopping on eBay.

Another excellent no-cost activity to help pass the time is to read a book from the library. Yes, I said the library. It will keep you from accidentally “one-clicking” yourself back into debt on Amazon.

Of course you could always take on a 2nd or 3rd job. That certainly would help shorten the time between paychecks.

Less confetti and no balloons

I have a 28 year old friend who paid off his house. Yeah, you heard me right. NO debt. He tells the story of the day he and his beautiful wife went to the bank to make the final payment. The teller brought up their account, they payed the bill, and she thanked them.

What? No strobe lights? No confetti? Where was the guy with the flashy suit rushing into the room with a handful of balloons?

Nope, nobody cared – except for them. They went out for ice cream and told their parents.

Paying off debt is not a spectator sport. Our culture will spend hours talking about football, TV shows, and medical issues in a cramped elevator – but they won’t share their personal finances. As soon as someone says “we just paid off our car” people instantly think you won the lottery, joined a cult, or are bragging about how rich you are.

The truth is the way to beat debt is the same way people become successful: They fight the monster every day until they win.

The secret to getting out of debt is…

Don’t quit!

Track your progress and look back to see how far you have come. Put a little money on the side for emergencies and then focus all of your time, energy, and attention to getting out of debt fast! Storms will come and you will want to quit, but you can’t. It’s too important. You’ve given up too much already. Finish the race. Print this article. Tape it to your bathroom mirror – and your refrigerator – and especially near your car keys. Make this a permanent bookmark on your smartphone. Take a screenshot and save it as your home page. Remind yourself every day that you are going to win – it is inevitable.

Every time you say “No” to an unnecessary purchase you are saying “Yes” to something else. Make that sacrifice stand for something. Put the unspent money towards your goals. If your goal is to get out of debt then go online and make another payment. If your goal is to save for a vacation then put the dough aside in savings. If your goal is to start a small business then let’s get crackin’!

Avoid the lulls between paychecks and share your goals with your friends. If they truly love you they will remind you that “it’s not in the budget”. Yes, that’s a form of peer pressure – but one that is good for you.

The secret to getting out of debt is to never give up. Every time you send a dollar to MasterCard you are shortening the distance to complete freedom. The sooner you get out of debt the sooner you can save more than “just the match” at work. The faster you kill your debt the more secure you will be.

You will find power and confidence when you start to make progress. Imagine what it would be like to have no debt. How would it feel to have money saved to buy your next car? Take a Caribbean cruise? Not have to worry about credit limits and making it until Friday?

Getting into debt is easy. Getting out isn’t. But it will change your life!

Learn about the Absolute Simplest Budget that WORKS (even for irregular incomes)!

http://moneyplansos.com/virtual-budget-coaching-course-by-steve-stewart/