Live within your means and reduce the debts our banks created

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By Eileen Hughes


Cut up your credit cards


Rid yourself of Credit Cards

 

Yes cut up those Credit Cards or at least have one for emergencies. Keep one with a limit of $200 then you can pay for it. And then charge up again without the risk of becoming overwhelmed in debt.

Do not have one with thousands of dollars, this will increase the risk of more unpayable debts, and you risk theft of more money.

The majority of people have been overspending for years. The banks used to control how much we could borrow when we could afford it. They protected us from falling into the out of control debts. Now they deliberately offer everyone more and more money, continually increasing the amount we can borrow on our credit card. I believe they are to blame for the credit card debt explosion.

If you are one of these people, then cut up your credit cards now, yes right NOW. You will never have a better chance to help yourself win the fight against your debts, than now. Every week pay as much as possible off that card until it is paid up. Now you can start to live again.


Purchasing your Dream Home

 

We all want the best, and yes, you can have it. The thing is you need to start small. Buy a small two-bedroom home in a less expensive area. Pay as much as you can afford off the loan every week. This will reduce the debt by thousands of dollars. Now take photos of the whole house and yards.

Improve Value of your Iinvestment

You do not have to rush, take your time; any improvement will increase the value of your home, which is like putting money in the bank. If you have any spare money, start by improving the outside appearance of your front yard. You can do this by planting a few shrubs, flowers and by keeping the lawns cut.

Gradually work your way through your home, would a coat of paint freshen the appearance. Save money by purchasing second hand furniture, table, chairs, and beds. Sand the cupboards down and stain or varnish them. They will look new again. Try to buy new bedding where possible. Search the op-shops for curtains in good condition. These will add to the overall look of the rooms.

Try making a small fishpond in the back yard. This will not cost much and is very easy to do. Dig a reasonable size hole, approximately thirty centimeters deep. Line it with black plastic, and place rocks around the edges to hold the plastic down. Buy a pot and put a plant in the centre then fill with washed stones, to prevent contamination.

Add a couple of fish and you have finished. You could add more value to this by planting a garden feature at one end. Now mow the lawns. That was not too hard was it? Take more photos and see the difference you have made to your own home. When you are ready, you can sell and upgrade. By doing it this way you will slowly build your home investment, and never put your neck in a noose of debt that you cannot afford.


Forget Junk Food and Save Money

 

Cook your own breakfast; do not eat at any take-a-ways. I am sure that anyone can make a cup of coffee, and open a packet of cereal, and it is healthier. Take your lunch from home and include fruit and drinks. This will save you heaps on your weekly expenses. Where possible share the car travel with a friend. Always buy your fuel on cheapest days; never leave it until the weekend to fill up.

Grow your own vegetables and salads in your back yard. You cannot beat the freshness of home grown, and you will know there's no poisons sprayed on them. Use a spray, made from crushed garlic and water instead.


Maybe not as old as this but you get the idea

No New DVD and Buy Older Car

Instead of buying new DVD's, buy from garage sales, and swap from your friends. On the other hand, go to the library; borrow books and games to play instead of becoming square eyed watching the TV.

If you follow some of these tips, you will not suffer from problems caused by living beyond your means. If your neighbor buys a Mercedes, that is great, he will still be paying for it years down the track, whereas you will own your old jalopy. Think small and positive then you will succeed.

Comments

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pjdscott profile image

pjdscott  says:
2 years ago

This is great advice for anyone confronted with debt. Indeed, it's a very good lifestyle method - well done. I don't know why HubPages rates it with a '48' (although this will hopefully increase). It seems to me as if you have plenty of original content.

prems4u profile image

prems4u  says:
2 years ago

ME TOO WORRY WITH HUBPAGE SCORE .NOW IT IS 47 ...WHY IT IS DECREASING?

HOW THEY CALCULATE THE PAGE SCORE ? USING TEXT REBORTS OR USING TRAFFIC INFORMATION ?

Eileen Hughes profile image

Eileen Hughes  says:
2 years ago

Thanks Pjd, Its quite funny I have only just finished it and put up. Then went into

my account page it had no views but 2 comments. How can you comment without viewing. ....?????? Thank for reading

Eileen Hughes profile image

Eileen Hughes  says:
2 years ago

Lissie profile image

Lissie  says:
2 years ago

The one that amazes me are the couples who need 4 bedrooms - these are people with no kids -are they planning mutliple births ROTFL !

Eileen Hughes profile image

Eileen Hughes  says:
2 years ago

Your not wrong thats why I have always said start small. they just want to keep up with the joneses. And then end up losing the lot.

WeddingConsultant profile image

WeddingConsultant  says:
2 years ago

Boy, you're preaching to the choir here! I'm afraid, though, that most people here in fast-paced, consumer-driven Northern Virgina wouldn't "buy" this!

cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
2 years ago

Another great hub, don't worry about rating and views, Hubpage takes some time to update. Again very useful tips, but sadly many ignore it and react to this only when they are scarce with money.

Mary Tinkler profile image

Mary Tinkler  says:
2 years ago

Don't just cut up those cards, as soon as you get them paid off....cancel the acct. Might want to keep one for dire emergencies...and if you travel. You cannot even rent a car in th U.S. without one. I don't know about Australia....but here they love to push the use of credit and debit cards by implying if your transaction means opening up your wallet and removing cash, and getting change back, (or God forbid writing a check)...then you are slowing everybody else down. they love to show us that quick swipe of a card as the answer to everything.

They want us to believe cash is not secure....and cards are! Tell that to the millions who've had their identity stolen through card transactions or online skullduggery. If you don't have an acct...or an online record of one, no one can steal and abuse it.

I like cash! Keeps me humble.

Eileen Hughes profile image

Eileen Hughes  says:
2 years ago

Wedding consultant, no because they think they have standards to live up to like their neighbours. They forget the bad examples they are setting for their kids.

Thanks for stopping by

Eileen Hughes profile image

Eileen Hughes  says:
2 years ago

Thanks cgull, no Im not it was just a question was asked in the comments to me.

Yes that why so many people are losing their homes today. The banks are the winners and their the ones getting them into uncontrolable debts. Thanks again

Jason Stanley profile image

Jason Stanley  says:
2 years ago

I couldn't agree more with the basic idea of your hub. Get out of debt! Do it now!

Credit is not a bad thing when used in the right way, and at the right time. It is now the time to stop using it and get as cash solvent as possible.

There is way too much to go into here, but a good thing to google is "long wave economic theory" to get a pretty good idea of the depth of the huge economic problems we are faced with.

Just a point, the banks are not winning when people lose their houses. (no I don't work anywhere close to a bank or the financial industry) Everyone loses. The banks have passed the debt on to individual investors - people who buy stocks etc. Those investments lose value and there is less money for more investment - it is a lose - lose situation.

Eileen Hughes profile image

Eileen Hughes  says:
2 years ago

Thanks Jason, for your comments Very good points that you make it is like you say, the ones down line, that suffer as well as the home owners.

Thanks for stopping by

Eileen Hughes profile image

Eileen Hughes  says:
17 months ago

Jessica, thanks for that, you have to start writing some articles to help people in here now. thanks for stopping by.

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