Becoming debt free is a choice.   It will take dedication, perseverance and sweat equity, but it will be so worth it!     Stay focused and finish strong.  #debtfree

Over the last several posts, I’ve talked about debt.   I shared my debt story, talked about finding your why to eliminate debt and last month wrote about a few options on how to pay off your debt and become debt free.  Once you become debt free, your challenge is to stay debt free.    Make different choices about buying things.   Only buy items in which you can afford to pay cash.   Try your hardest to find alternatives to any personal loans, auto loans or student loans.   If you cannot pay it off every month, remove your credit card from your wallet.   Make it harder to use, or impossible by getting rid of it entirely.  Break the cycle of incurring debt.  

The hardest step to becoming debt free, is making the decision to get out of debt.    Some people come by it easily and other’s fight it tooth and nail.  I can be the biggest procrastinator, so I get it.     If there is something I don’t want to tackle, I can find a million other things that “I must get this done”.  Even vacuuming, laundry and cleaning toilets can become appealing when I am faced with a deadline or doing something I don’t want to begin!   

But sometimes, you just get tired of it all and decide to take one small step.  That one small step, is the great advice I once received…. When you are overwhelmed and don’t know how to start, just take the first step toward the goal.   Then take the next step and keep going.    Your first step is to decide you want to be debt free.  Your second step is to list your debts smallest to largest and get it all in one place so you know what you have to work with.  Go back and review these earlier posts:  Could you live without this four letter word?,  Why should I live without the four-letter word?, and Does saying this four-letter word bring you satisfaction?    If you want extra incentive, listen to a few of Dave Ramsey’s podcasts/youtube posts and listen to the debt free screams of people who have gone before you and have become debt free.     Imagine yourself standing tall and screaming “I’m Debt Free!”    Start on your path today.   You can do this and it is so worth it!  

Next up, I am moving down the list to tab four of the financial binder, 401K and Retirement.