So you’ve gotten yourself into a bind, your credit is blown, now what? Keeping up with the Jones’s is definitely a mistake we’ve all made even if we don’t realize that is what we’re doing. What we never seem to remember is, the Jones family is just as broke as we are.
In today’s fast paced, gotta have it now society it is all too easy to get caught up in the ailment I refer to as “stuffitis”. We pull out the credit card and warp that sucker because we have got to have “stuff” and we’ve got to have it now. Instead of budgeting and waiting until we can afford these things our credit winds up on the battlefield of the 3 major credit reporting agencies, making sure the next time we need help with a major purchase we are met with the laughter of the lending agent.
One thing for sure, there is definitely a better way. After being knocked down the credit stairway a few times myself, I have found that moving at a snail’s pace is the best way to go. Start by using “babysteps” to gain control over yourself and your spending habits. Begin by saving $1000 for an emergency fund.
Put this in a lock box in the back of the closet, an old purse hidden sway in the attic, you can even put it in a frame with a small hammer and write “in case of emergency break glass”. The point is save it and forget about it. Next list your debts on paper from smallest to largest and begin paying them off one by one. Soon you’ll see the small dim light at the end of the tunnel and “it won’t be an oncoming train”.