I know what it is like to be in debt. I know how much it can hurt not to have extra money to buy the things you want to buy and to owe more than you could ever pay off.  But why pay for debt credit services that could be scams and wind up costing you a lot more money when you can easily take control of your debt and your financial future yourself without having to pay for debt credit services.

According to Sure Fire Ways To Debt Management Do's and Don'ts, a free debt management guide, debt is responsible for ruining families, creating stress, causing health problems and shattering dreams.  Debt does hurt, I have experienced it myself.  Unfortunately there are debt credit services who take advantage of our pain in order to make money for themselves.

I'm not saying all debt credit services are bad.  There are quite a few good debt credit services that won't cost you a lot of money and that actually help you get out of debt. Some of the best of these are non-profit organizations that won't charge you a fee.  But you have to be careful because there are a lot of debt credit services that claim to not cost you anything but wind up costing you a lot.

I know how hard it can be to take control yourself and get out of debt without the help of debt credit services but it is possible.  Getting out of debt doesn't have to cost you a fortune.

Telling me to take control of my finances is like telling a dog not to pant or a cat not to claw. I love to spend money. I love to shop and live beyond my means. I love to spoil my kids, take them out to eat, buy them things. But at some point I have to say "Stop!". "I can't afford that." "Maybe next month."

There are many ways to take control of your finances and even wind up with extra money to do the things you like to do. Here are a few ways to take control of your finances:

1. Taking advantage of coupons when you go shopping - though taking 39 cents off of an item may not seem like much, it does add up. Some people save hundreds a year on food and other items just by using coupons
2. Taking advantage of sales - There is always a good sale going on somewhere and taking advantage of sales instead of buying things whole price can save you a bundle.
3. Cutting down on daily expenses - Seemingly insignificant daily expenses can add up to a lot of money at the end of the month. It's like going to a dollar store, when everything is just a dollar, and buying more than you need, after all it's only a dollar. Next thing you know you've spent more than you could afford and winded up with a lot of unnecessary items.
4. Keeping track of your spending - Try it for a month. Write down everything you spend and what you spend it on. Then take a look at it at the end of the month. How much of it did you really have to spend? What made you spend money on things you really didn't need? Understanding what you buy and why you buy it will help you next time you go to purchase something you really don't need.

Though to some these ways seem obvious, a lot of people ignore them and wind up spending more money than they need to.  This causes them to go into debt and seek the advice of debt credit services when if they had just took advantage of these rules, they may never have been in debt in the first place.

If you think it is impossible to make extra money to pay off your debt without debt credit services than think again. It is only impossible if you don't do it. You don't even have to leave your house to make extra money. You can make money online, and no you don't even have to pay for it. There are ways to make extra money online without having to pay a penny, but it does take a little bit of time. If you spend an hour or two each day at it, and really dedicate yourself, you can start to pay off your debts without the use of debt credit services in a matter of months.

If you are going to use debt credit services, make sure you do your research before joining any debt credit service programs.

Look for legitimate debt credit services that have been around for awhile and that have gained good reputations.

Remember some debt credit services can do more harm than good so be careful. That's why it is so important to know as much as you can about any program you join.