Yes, I can see how weight loss tips can help with debt reduction. In both instances, you are trying to cut down; with weight loss, you are trying to cut down on how many pounds you weigh; with debt reduction, you are trying to cut down on how much money you owe. So the aims are similar; therefore, the steps to achieve those aims should also be similar.
To lose weight, the first thing you usually do is try to eat less, right? And you especially want to eat less of the fattening foods, but you also want to eat more of the foods that aren’t fattening. So, to cut debt, you also need to spend less. Of course, just spending less won’t reduce the debt, unless you have been using credit cards for much of your spending, and not paying off the full amount each month. Sound familiar? So the first thing to do is to cut out any extras that you are putting on those credit cards. At the same time, try to pay a little more than the minimum amount each month.
Next, to lose weight, you probably need to exercise more, to tone the muscles and work some of the fat off. You might choose to walk instead of ride, as often as possible. Or you might choose to walk around the house, picking up papers and little things, instead of sitting in front of the television. To cut down on debt, you might decide to cook more meals from scratch, instead of having carry-out so often. The money you save can go toward paying a little more on one of those bills you are trying to pay off.
With weight reduction, you start with the little things, and you take small portions. In debt reduction, take the small debts and pay them off first, as quickly as you can. As each one gets paid off, take the amount you have been spending on that one and put it on the next one. That way, the small debts are no longer costing you interest, and you have more to spend on the bigger debts.
Exercise your right to say NO! If you say no to extra helpings, you won’t see more pounds added, and if you say no to bigger helpings, you will see more pounds going away. You will be losing weight instead of gaining weight. And if you say no to small, inconsequential purchases, you won’t see your money disappearing as quickly as it once did. In fact, you can even start saving money for big things that you really want to buy.
When you have lost all the weight you want to lose, you can’t just quit watching what you eat and stop exercising. You have to keep the new routine, or you will again be battling the “bulge”. Likewise, once you have eliminated your debt, you can’t begin buying as you had been doing before; if you do, you will have to fight that battle all over again. You really don’t want to do that, do you?
Now, you can eat what you want to eat, because you will be eating more sensibly, and exercising. And you can buy what you want to buy, because you have become aware of how fast your buying can become the ogre that you don’t want to face again. Happy dieting! And Happy Budgeting!