If your family is in debt, you may wake up everyday and wonder "How am I going to make my house payment this month?" or "How much can I spend on groceries this week?" When you are in debt, you are continually stressed out by questions like this.

But anyone in debt should know this: it doesn't have to be this way and you can get out of it. Eliminating debt on your own requires significant lifestyle changes, but there are important benefits too.

Once you start to hack away at your mountain of debt, you will begin to see that there will come a time in six months, a year, or even a couple years the debt, especially the credit card debt, will be behind you.

Your monthly payments will decrease, and at long last you will have money for home repairs, family vacations, and adding to college and retirement savings. You will be able to buy basic needs for your children without relying on family members for help.

Best of all you will wake up each day without the added stress of a load of debt. Your enthusiasm for life will return and you will actually enjoy the challenges that life presents.

So how do you get from to there? Here are 5 tips that have helped many people successfully begin to eliminate debt.

• Don't file for bankruptcy if you can avoid it! Bankruptcy puts a big black mark on your credit rating that can take years to overcome. Talk to your lawyer or a non-profit credit counselor before you consider such a radical step.
• Call ALL of your creditors. Whether you have a few or many credit cards, talk to each one about your situation. Most creditors will work with your to set up a payment plan that you can afford, but don't expect your creditors to continue to fund your current lifestyle.
• If credit cards are part of the problem, eliminate the problem. Hide them, cut them up, and say goodbye. Once you have paid off the credit card company, you may want to cancel the account. Be sure to do so in writing and state clearly that the account is being closed at your own request so that closing the account will not affect your credit score.
• Live a cash lifestyle. This doesn't mean spend cash as you please. Create a budget that covers your expenses (gas, groceries, doctor's visits,etc) on a weekly basis. Now you will know how much money you can take out of the account each week. Don't take extra money out because you want to see a movie or buy a new pair of shoes. If there is extra money left at the end of the week, that it is yours to spend. Limit your spending to things you need, not things you want.
• Cut out fast food. Eating out gets EXTREMELY expensive, especially after you total up how much is spent on a week to week basis. Take a lunch to school or work. Make your own coffee and carry it in a thermos. Replace soda and bottled water with refreshing ice water from the tap.

Isn't it time that you started taking action for your own debt on your own terms? It won't be easy and it won't be fast, but it will work if you involve the whole family in the process.

Learn to budget and live within your means. Go on a cash diet. Recognize the difference between needs and wants. Keep in mind that once you have your personal finances under control, you and your family will face a much brighter future together.