|
Home / Finance / Personal Finance
Slash Debt And Forget About Minimum Payments
By:steven smith
Forget about minimum payments? Is that a recommendation to stop making my monthly payments? No, but it is a recommendation to stop making your monthly minimum payment. The point of this is that you should never make the minimum payment because you will never get out of debt. Instead, make three or four times the minimum payment so you can start paying interest and balance simultaneously and slowly slash debt. It may seem like it will take a long time, and it surely will not happen overnight. However, if you are dedicated to slashing debt then you can do so with a little bit of dedication.
The key here is dedication to slashing debt. If you are serious about getting out of debt then you will start paying triple your minimum monthly payment or more. Doing this will help you get out of debt much faster. For example, your minimum payment is $80, so you need to pay $240. You may think that sounds like a lot of money, and it is, but it is not as much as you would have to pay back if you were not tripling your payments. When you consider how much you are saving by tripling your monthly minimum payments you will realize the upfront sacrifice is really worthwhile.
So, the next time your credit card statement comes in the mail do not look at the monthly minimum payment and think that you do not need to pay a penny more. Instead, find ways to cut corners throughout the month so that you can pay double or triple the amount. Not only will you save a lot of money on interest but you will also have the card paid off faster and can be debt free! Slash debt now by making bigger payments and be debt free in no time.
In addition, while you are making these extra monthly payments and slashing your debt do not get tempted to stop halfway through or to start using your credit cards again. It can be quite tempting to simply stop paying so much each month when you get the majority of your debt paid down. It can also be quite tempting to start using your credit cards once you have regained some of your balances back. Do not let yourself fall into this trap. In fact, consider hiding all of your credit cards in a safe place so you will not be tempted to use them. Also, go ahead and set up automatic payments to your creditors straight from your checking account. When you already have the check pending for a specific amount you will be less likely to go in and change it to a lower amount than if you were writing the check on your own and just decided to reduce the amount a bit.
If you follow these tips, you will find that you can avoid the pitfalls that would wreck all of your past hard work slashing debt. You must be driven and focused, and if you are you will see serious results because your overall debt will decrease each and every month, you will have less interest to pay overall, and in addition you will see your credit score recovering slowly but surely. If you are interested in really slashing your debt then go ahead and give these suggestions a go. You will be surprised at how easy it is to discipline yourself when you really try.
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: slashing debt, debt, slash debt
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
Steven Smith is an expert on getting rid of debt. He suggests checking out the slash debt website for more tips on how to get rid of debt.
|
|
| Top Personal Finance Articles |
|
|
- 2). Forecasting the Future Value of Your 401(k) By : Stephen L. Nelson, CPA
If you’ve got Microsoft Excel (or just about any other popular spreadsheet program) running on your computer, you can use its FV function to forecast the future value of your 401(k) account.
The FV function calculates the future value of an investment given its interest rate,
the number of payments, the payment, the present value of the investment, and,
optionally, the type-of-annuity switch.
|
|
|
- 4). Handling Your Money Effectively By : Mary Williams
There is inflation every year. You cannot stop an increasing in living expenses as prices of consumer goods increasing all the time. Saving money becomes an extremely difficult task to do. Here are some solutions for saving a little so that you can still meet your needs and still find ways to trim off a little for the future.
1. Budget – Get one and stick with it! And set aside at least a small portion for savings while you’re at it; savings for your future, your retirement, your education, your vacation, whatever.
|
- 5). An Overview Of The Direct Deposit System By : Bob Benson
Direct deposit is an excellent feature offered by many banks all around your area. Banking is supposed to be convenient and easy, it has been made that much easier and more convenient with the offering of direct deposits. When thinking about direct deposit, consider many of the things that could apply to you. Have you found yourself hurrying off to.
|
- 6). Post-Christmas Financial Difficulties By : Mike Hanna
If you’ve spent more than your budget can cope with, then maybe you’re thinking about credit to help you through January. Many people fear the long, broke month of January. After a lovely Christmas full of joyous smiles January can see a mood swing in the wrong direction. Many of us turn to credit cards to help get through this terrible month. But without knowledge of the financial industry a person without a great income can fall victim to the evil grip of unscrupulous credit companies.
|
- 7). Boost your savings By : Bob Benson
It is general knowledge that residents of the United Kingdom are typically not savers. They tend to spend much more than they save; according to studies, saving money is not as popular as it once was. Saving is extremely important to the quality of life you expect to live in the future. Think about it, what would happen if your car suddenly quit working?.
|
|
|
- 9). If You Want To Make Money: Avoid Debt! By : Rene Graeber
Everybody starting in life should avoid running into debt.
There is scarcely anything that drags a person down like debt. It is a slavish position to get ill, yet we find many a young man, hardly out of his "teens," running in debt.
He meets a chum and says, "Look at this: I have got trusted for a new suit of clothes."
He seems to look upon the clothes as so much given to him; well, it frequently is so, but, if he succeeds in paying and then gets trusted again, he is adopting a habit which will keep him in poverty through life.
|
|
|
| New Personal Finance Articles |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 5). Living Debt-Free By : Debbie Dragon
Do you dream of living without the burden of excessive debt hanging over your head? It’s possible, but not easy. Living debt free requires financial discipline, all the time. To become debt free and maintain a debt free life, try the following three steps:
1. Get rid of existing debt. This is obviously your first step to living a debt free lifestyle.
|
- 6). Accountant By : Jason Gluckman
An accountant is a person who manages financial issues, including the preparation of financial plans and budgets, as well as the management of accounts and staff welfare.
In most countries, officially licensed accountants are recognized by titles. In the UK, they are termed as “chartered accountants.” In the U.S., accountants are commonly known as “certified public accountants,” whereas in Canada, they are either known as “certified management accountants” or “certified general accountants.
|
- 7). Roth 401k – New Retirement Savings Plan. By : Simon Fox
Brand new employer sponsored retirement plan is a hybrid of a traditional 401k and a Roth IRA.
Income tax rates have been cut, the marriage penalty done away with, and the "death tax" is also on a path to no more. All of this is a result of the Bush administration's Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act which was passed by a Republican congress in 2001.
|
- 8). Budget Backyard Family Vacations By : Cheryl Johnson
When travel and lodging are cost prohibitive, you can still have a vacation right at home. Yes, in your own backyard. Many of us live within reasonable distance to museums, campgrounds, historic sites, and beautiful state parks. You might be surprised at what you find in your own local area.
Do some research in your area to find free or low cost activities and sites to visit.
|
- 9). The Cost Of Talking By : blueboy
With so many companies offering “the lowest call rates, and the best service" who do you believe and are there any additional costs hidden in the small print? Do they all give per second billing by email, full cost analysis, discounted BT line rental and personal account managers? On mobiles do they offer free connection, and line rentals from £4?
There has never been a better time to review the cost of your telephone charges and the service you are getting.
|
- 10). Asking for a lot of money By : James C. Samans
Most people dream of making a lot of money. The question is, what does that mean?
The truth is that money is highly subjective. Certainly, a billion dollars is a lot of money; there are only a handful of billionaires in the world. Is a million dollars a lot? In terms of total wealth, no; a significant minority of the population has a million dollars or more in total assets to leave to their heirs, largely due to the appreciation of real estate.
|
|
|