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My guess is that you’re tired of making credit card payments.
So what’s the solution?
First, stop digging yourself further into debt and adopt better money habits. I’ve proud to say I’ve paid off all my credit card debt.
But, I’m not telling you this to feel good about myself. After paying off all my credit card debt, I’ve picked up some habits that are now helping me stay away from debt for good. My hope is that you apply some of these habits so that you too can be credit card debt-free.
Let’s jump right in!
1. Create A Goal You’ll Endlessly Pursue
If you’ve ever played video games, you know the importance of having goals.
Think about it–would you play a video game without a purpose?
Your incentive for engaging is to be #1. Like video games, you need a purpose for paying down your debt.
Will you sleep better?
Will you be able to retire faster?
By having a clear goal, you’ll not only stay focused but be less likely to quit along the way. The moment you experience a setback, you’ll have the motivation to continue. But, having the burning desire to be debt-free isn’t enough.
You need to set clear goals. All this means is that you need SMART goals that you can track along the way. By tracking your progress, you’ll be able to motivate yourself to continue.
2. Stop Following The Crowd
Be different and do the opposite of what everyone’s doing when it comes to spending.
Most people want expensive cars and expensive clothes. The reality is you can’t have it all–at least in the beginning. If you’re in debt, you need to cut your spending as much as possible.
Does this mean being frugal? Yes, to an extent.
Frugality doesn’t have to be your permanent lifestyle. But, when you carry serious debt being frugal, it is necessary to pay off debt faster.
It means eating out less often and buying only necessary clothes and electronics. Create a list of “needs” and “wants” and focus on spending money only on the items you need. As you make progress in your journey, reward yourself with something from your “wants” list.
3. Crush Credit Card Debt Using Discipline
Discipline is one of the most important traits you can have for managing your finances.
Why?
Because without it, you’ll continue to make irrational purchases wherever you go. The problem is that building discipline is challenging. It’s challenging to delay buying a brand new electronic when you have the money to do so.
A great way to build discipline is to rely on a strong purpose. Having a goal will help you stay committed and delay short-term gratification. People who can delay short-term gratification have more successful lives.
4. Be Willing To Make Sacrifices To Be Credit Card Debt Free
“Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams.” –Donovan Bailey.
The reality is that having no good role models and bad habits has led you to accumulate a lot of debt.
Building debt was something you couldn’t control when you were younger but can now change as an adult. The problem is that most people aren’t willing to pay the price. It’s like walking to a store and wanting an expensive item for free.
When I paid thousands of dollars in debt, I used most of my paycheck towards debt. Because of this, I wasn’t able to buy most of the things I wanted. Others have downgraded their homes, cars, and much more.
Know that to become debt-free, there’s a price to pay.
5. Develop The Tenacity To Persevere
How badly do you want to pay off your debt?
Will you continue after losing your job?
Losing your job is extreme, but these are the questions you should answer to know where you stand. Most people know how to reach financial success but don’t have the persistence to get it.
What will separate you from the rest in being debt-free is having the tenacity to keep going no matter what. Facing setbacks is inevitable, so you’ll need to find a way to keep going.
Here are some ideas:
- Join a group with like-minded people.
- Read books.
- Stop watching the news and listen to Podcasts instead.
Filling your mind with positive stories will help you build persistence.
6. Fill Your Schedule With Learning To Stop Spending
The best way to pay off debt is to stop digging yourself further into it.
Telling yourself you won’t buy unnecessary things isn’t enough. It’s like having junk food in your fridge when you want to lose weight–it won’t work. Avoid making irrational purchases by distracting yourself.
And what better way to distract yourself than to learn new things?
The benefits are two-fold, you’d grow as a person and make fewer irrational purchases. Plus, learning should be a lifelong journey for you if you hope to reach financial success. Before you tell yourself you don’t have time to review your schedule start tracking your time.
Manage your time better using tools like Atracker and Google Calendar. Spend less time watching Netflix and use this time to read instead. On your way to work, listen to podcasts instead of music. Before going to bed, spend 15 minutes reading a book instead of watching Netflix.
As you can tell, there’s no excuse not to learn.
7. Build Good Money Habits by Not Using Your Credit Card
If you carry your credit card with you, you’re at risk of making irrational purchases.
How do I know?
After having a $0 credit card balance, I accumulated hundreds of dollars in credit card debt. Some people have the discipline to use their credit cards and pay them off each month, but most people can’t. Focus on paying everything in cash, and you’ll decrease your chances of building debt.
Leave your credit card at home and make all your purchases with your debit card. Pay your payments automatically each month using your online bill-pay feature to schedule them.
8. Create The Ideal Environment
It’s hard to be debt-free when everyone around you isn’t.
You don’t need to cut ties with everyone you know who’s in debt, but surround your mind with positive thoughts. Listen to finance Podcasts and focus on debt payoff stories. Also, listen to business Podcasts and focus on how others earn a higher income.
As you expose your mind to positive thoughts, you’ll begin to picture yourself being debt-free. Avoid often going to places where you know you’ll spend a lot of money—for example, malls, high-end restaurants, and events.
But, if you’re used to this lifestyle, it’ll be hard to change. Gradually transition to different environments by starting small. If you go to the mall three days per week, go two days per week.
Creating positive environments will help you practice good money habits without much effort.
9. Review Your Finances Often
Take time to review your outstanding debt. Set a recurring reminder each week and month to review your progress.
A key benefit of reviewing your finances is catching mistakes quicker. You’ll also make more mindful choices since you’re investing more time into improving.
The best way to review your progress is by using Personal Capital.
After inputting your information, you can view all your accounts in one dashboard. You can also view your spending patterns and if you’re on track to hitting your financial goals. Install Personal Capital on your phone to know where you stand with your finances.
10. Work On Being More Patient
You can follow the best tactics in the world, but without patience, you’ll never succeed.
I get it, you want to pay off all your debt, and you want to do it now. But, it pays off to have patience because paying off debt is a long journey. To avoid being impatient, focus only on your daily or weekly goals.
For example, if you have $50K of debt, break this down into yearly, monthly, and weekly goals. Track your progress in a spreadsheet or use Personal Capital’s net worth feature.
Another way to build patience and stay present is through meditation. It’s easy for your mind to have hundreds of thoughts that become overwhelming. Meditating helps clear your mind and to worry less.
Choose To Be Credit Card Debt Free
No one loves debt.
Yet, somehow thousands of Americans dig themselves further into debt, making irrational decisions. You don’t have to fall prey to this outcome.
But, it will take sacrifice, discipline, and persistence. As you embark on your journey to being debt-free, remember to have patience.
Regardless of how hard you try, you’ll still experience setbacks. Although I’ve managed to pay off my entire credit card balance, I occasionally carry some debt.
Picture not owing anything to anyone. All the money that comes is yours, except what you pay for taxes. What would you do?
Odds are you’d make smarter financial decisions because of the person you’d become. View your journey to becoming credit card debt-free as a life-long one full of bumps along the way. But, one where you’ll adopt better habits and grow as a person.
You now know some tactics on how to crush your debt. Are you going to settle with paying debt forever or live a credit card debt-free life?
