Pay off Credit Card Debt
Proven Techniques and Budgeting Tools
To Do It Earlier

The average American needs to pay off credit card debt of over eight thousand dollars; that is a lot of money! It is all too easy to get caught up in this and managing it may not be that easy for you.

Between irksome bill collectors, ever-coming white envelopes and the denial letters for more credit, it is all too easy to get discouraged, frustrated, and give up. This will not be the case for you any more as you will now begin to pay off credit card debt simply, more effectively, and earlier than you think -- starting with these four action items, budgeting tools if you will, and learn how to achieve financial freedom:

Make a Contract with Yourself

One of the things to make you accountable to pay off credit card debt is set up a contract with, and for, yourself. Figure out how much you owe, how much you want to pay down, and in what time frame.

Write up the contract and sign it, asking a friend or family member to witness and sign it for you too so that you are not the only one who knows what it is you are supposed to be doing.

This is called accountability.

Set a Goal and Deadline

In addition to setting a contract for yourself, set a financial deadline. By what month and day do you want a certain percentage of your debt paid off? This could be done in accordance with setting up a budget as the two would naturally correlate with one another.

This will only work if you create a written budget for yourself and stick to it. Otherwise, a timeline will be of no use to you except as another source of stress over your bills and situation.

Cut a Few Corners

One of the unfortunate parts about being in debt is that it may require you to cut out a few of the luxuries in your life. Do you really need to pay eighty dollars a month for cable when you work all day and do not watch much anyway? Should you really eat chili cheese fries and a coke for lunch … every single day?

All of these things add up (including the pounds) and really help you to save a lot of money, although you may struggle giving them up for now. The later enjoyed benefits will make the journey worthwhile.

Call Your Creditors

If you let your creditors know that you are working on your debt they may want to do something with your account that can make your payments lower and your overall debt less. This is not unheard of, and all it takes is for you to call them.

Sure you have been dodging their calls for several years; all the more reason to call them now as they will be more willing to work with you if you are forthcoming.

Doable and Necessary

To pay off credit card debt is not only doable, but necessary. The peace and joy that will come as a result is incredible. So begin now. Take action on each of these four items and use some other proven budgeting tools to begin learning how to achieve financial freedom.

What do you think about paying off credit card debt early? How are you currently doing it or did? Tell us your story below.

This series on the best credit card debt help continues with negotiating credit card debt yourself.

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