Recently, a friend of mine who, like many, is easily confused when it comes to financial matters, asked me to take a look at her monthly statement for a credit card she’s been trying hard to pay off, but feels like she isn’t getting anywhere.

I gladly took a look at her credit card statement and the very first thing I noticed, which almost floored me, is the interest rate she’s paying…

29.99%!

That’s right…

29.99%…

Wow!

I don’t know where I’ve been (obviously not looking at credit card statements ), but I thought this was illegal.

Her credit card balance is $5,141.06.

If she doesn’t charge anything else on this credit card, which she hasn’t been, and if she continues to make the minimum required monthly payment, as she has been, based on the way her bank calculates her minimum required monthly payment…

It’ll take her 339 months to pay off her current credit card balance of $5,141.06 and she’ll pay a total of $12,345.65 in interest.

In other words…

If she continues doing what she’s been doing…

It’ll take her 28.25 years and cost her $17,486.71 to pay off her $5,141.06 credit card balance.

No wonder she feels like she isn’t getting anywhere…

She really isn’t!

So…

What should she do?

Well…

There are a number of things she could do.

However…

One of the simplest things she could do would be to continue making the same minimum required monthly payment she’ll be making this month, every month from now on.

Why?

Simple…

Because she’s already in the habit of making a monthly payment of at least this much on her credit card.

You see…

Most banks and credit card companies figure the minimum required monthly payment based on a percentage of the credit card balance due or a specific fixed dollar amount, whichever amount is higher.

Therefore…

Generally, the minimum required monthly payment goes down as the credit card balance owed goes down until the minimum required monthly payment gets down to the minimum required dollar amount.

In her case…

Her bank’s minimum required monthly payment is 3.5% of her credit card balance or $10.00, whichever amount is higher.

This month her minimum required monthly payment is $184.93 of which $134.87 is interest, with only $50.06 applied to the balance.

If she were to do absolutely nothing else but make this $184.93 payment *every* month from now on…

She’d pay off this credit card in 49 months instead of 339 months and she’d pay $3,749.46 in interest instead of $12,345.65 in interest, saving $8,596.19 in interest charges!

Big difference, isn’t it?

Now…

If she really wants to go for it…

She could increase the amount of her “new” self-imposed minimum required monthly payment.

For example…

If she were to start paying an additional $15.07 a month for a total of $200.00 a month…

She’d pay off this credit card in 42 months instead of 339 months and she’d pay $3,191.78 in interest instead of $12,345.65 in interest, saving $9,153.87 in interest charges.

If she were to start paying an additional $40.07 a month for a total of $225.00 a month…

She’d pay off this credit card in 35 months instead of 339 months and she’d pay $2,574.37 in interest instead of $12,345.65 in interest, saving $9,771.28 in interest charges.

If she were to start paying an additional $65.07 a month for a total of $250.00 a month…

She’d pay off this credit card in 30 months instead of 339 months and she’d pay $2,165.81 in interest instead of $12,345.65 in interest, saving $10,179.84 in interest charges.

If she were to start paying an additional $90.07 a month for a total of $275.00 a month…

She’d pay off this credit card in 26 months instead of 339 months and she’d pay $1,874.29 in interest instead of $12,345.65 in interest, saving $10,471.36 in interest charges.

If she were to start paying an additional $115.07 a month for a total of $300.00 a month…

She’d pay off this credit card in 23 months instead of 339 months and she’d pay $1,654.79 in interest instead of $12,345.65 in interest, saving $10,690.86 in interest charges.

And so on.

Now…

If she really, *really* wants to go for it…

She could double the amount of her “new” self-imposed minimum required monthly payment.

If she were to start paying $369.86 a month instead of $184.93 a month…

She’d pay off this credit card in 18 months instead of 339 months and she’d pay $1,254.35 in interest instead of $12,345.65 in interest, saving $11,091.30 in interest charges.

Huge difference, isn’t it?

As I said above, there are a number of things she could do, but this is one of the simplest and it’s something she can start doing right *now* to begin eliminating her credit card debt…

And…

So can you!

If all you do is stop charging on your credit card and continue making the same minimum required monthly payment you’ll be making on your credit card this month, every month from now on, you’ll make significant progress towards totally eliminating your credit card debt once and for all.

That loan can be taken by applying online or applying to a local lender which deals in providing the debt consolidation loans. Although in case of debt consolidation it would be better that the borrower should go online for his loan. Online debt consolidation loans provide benefits that may not be achieved with the other forms of debt consolidations. The benefits that a borrower of online debt consolidation can get are:

Online debt consolidation may be cheaper than the other forms of consolidation as the borrowers can negotiate the rate of interest and that is generally lower than the average rate that the borrower had been paying.

The data of the borrower also remains confidential which helps the borrowers a great deal, especially those who have bad credit history. Also for people with bad credit history it provides an opportunity to improve their credit score by following the repayment schedule properly.

While online, the borrowers can use features like debt calculators, loan calculators and also take the expert advice on the matter that concerns the borrowers.

An online debt consolidation option provides many more options to the borrowers than the other methods of debt consolidation.

With so many benefits, it is only obvious that Online Debt Consolidation would be a far superior option than any other form of debt consolidation.

For the benefit of borrowers who intend to apply for online debt consolidation, they may require a few documents to apply for the loan.

Income proof

Residential proof

Age proof

Any proof which shows that the borrower has recurring income.

In case of a secured loan, a document relating to the collateral that will be provided as such.

In case of borrowers with bad credit history, they may be asked to provide a statement showing their credit scores.

Once all the documents are in order the borrower can apply for the online debt consolidation by following the respected links. Once that is done the loan will be approved in a few working days for you to utilize.

Debt consolidation refers to settlement of the debts of a person through a single manageable loan. In short, we can say that debt consolidation provides a help in avoiding the bankruptcy. It puts an end to the harassing calls made by the creditors regarding the payment of pending bills and debts. It also lowers the monthly payment which in turn enables the person to save a certain sum of money.

Debt consolidation is like a doctor to the debt problem. And it offers a fresh start to the debtor and also helps in attaining a more healthy financial position.

Whatever your debt problem may be, whether the personal debts or business debts or your credit card debts, you are only required to avail any debt management plan or program in order to get rid of your debts. Before going for any debt consolidation program the person must take advice from the professional credit counsellor. The credit cousellor will listen and analyse your problem. And then he will suggest you the best solution to your problem; that is, which debt management program to avail.

Basically, these debt management programs try to reduce your monthly payments by way of reducing or freezing the interest on the loan. This will in turn help the person to eliminate the debts within few months.
A person can consolidate his debts by three ways:- debt consolidation loan, debt consolidation mortgage and debt consolidation remortgage. However, there are other ways also to consolidate the debts, such as Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs).but these are considered as the bad credit for a person.

A debt consolidation loan can be reffered as managing the debts by consolidating them. It lets you deal wth the single lender rather than dealing with the numerous creditors. On the other hand, debt consolidation mortgage refers to getting a loan on the basis of the equity in the house and paying back to its creditors against the debts. And, debt remortgage can be termed as extention of mortgage. It is the term of mortage which is usually negotiated to include the increase in the amount borrowed.

Above mentioned three ways of consolidating the debts do not necessarily mean that they suits everyone. They are merely an option for solving the debt problem. And it is upto the debtor which way he chooses to consolidate his debts. Debtors must choose the alternative which suits him the best, with regard to his financial situation.

1) Accept the fact you are in debt and forgive yourself. If you are in denial, you are more likely to repeat the pattern.

2) Reduce monthly expenditures. For example, once the price of gas increased, our monthly gas costs went from roughly $200 to approximately $450- 500.00. In an effort to reduce our gas costs, I stopped taking miniature trips every day. Also, my husband would drive my car on the weekends because it costs less in gas.

3) If youre a person that makes several trips to the grocery store during the month, reduce the number of trips to once a month except for fresh vegetables. This will reduce the number of times you have to put gas in the car. Today, it costs more just to leave the house to get groceries as well as going to work.

4) With the increasing utility bill, begin making repairs to your home now such as getting a programmable thermostat and set it to a certain temperature so that it will automatically come on.

5) As an option, temporarily get a second job for supplemental income. If married, this should be the person that has the ability to generate the most income. I do not recommend any Multi-level Marketing opportunities.

6) For a single person in debt if you are off on weekends, temporarily get a weekend job and put those funds towards the bills along with your regular income.

7) If you have a cell phone and a regular phone that both have long distance, re-evaluate having both phones. It can get expensive to have both with long distance. Maybe you can remove the regular phone and just use your cell phone if most people call you on that number.

If you are a stay at home mom, in my opinion the kids should not be going to daycare. This is an unnecessary expense.

9) Be sensible about your expenditures when it comes to your children. For example, a six month old baby does not need name brand clothing. They need to be clothed. Suggest getting into mommy group where you and your friends can swap clothing based on gender and age. I have a couple of moms that I swap clothes with and this saves all of us from having to shop at the store.

10) Grooming expenses for adults: do you really need to get your nails done every week? Could you put that money towards a bill? If you are getting your hair done whether it is a weave, perm, braids or tinting every week do you need to go to a high end salon or could you go Great Clips for the same thing? I am not saying do not pamper yourself; however, as times get tougher what is the necessity?

11) Maintaining your vehicle is a necessity, but going to a car wash every week is not. You can wash your car at home. Re-evaluate how you are spending your money.

12) If you are a person that likes to go out to eat, reduce the amount of times per month you go out to eat. Begin cooking at home since you are buying groceries for the month.

13) Entertainment whether it is going to the movies, bars or happy hour these expenses add up. For example going to a matinee is $7.50 a person (for the two of us is $15.00 before we even get food, which would cost us another $15.00) do you really need to see the movie now or could you wait three months and see it on DVD. Netflix is an option.

14) Add up how much you spend at a vending machine per week when you are at work if you work outside the home. Consider taking snacks from home.

15) Health insurance if you had a job and are using COBRA for health insurance until you have secured another job, seek an alternative health insurance to the COBRA payments. I remember when I first stopped working at the law firm, we utilized COBRA for almost eighteen months and the price increased two times. Prior to the second increase, I located a shared insurance plan and saved us lots of money.

** There has to be some structure during these difficult economical times. However, these times do not have to be so hard that you cannot enjoy life.

Most people are only one major disaster or a few weeks of unemployment away from bankruptcy. If you have done all this work to get out of debt, you dont want it to all be in vain, just by one major crisis hitting you or your family. Theres nothing you can do to totally protect yourself from every type of catastrophe, but there are steps you can take to significantly reduce your risk.

The first half of this article is going to be on insurance, and well start with the type of insurance that is most likely to save you from being completely wiped out, medical insurance. This is one a lot of people choose not to buy because its quite often very expensive. This is a very dangerous decision, though.

You never know when you will need medical care and we all know it isnt cheap. Even if you are in perfect health, medical conditions can pop-up over night. You could wake up tomorrow and either have a major internal problem show up, or possibly have an accident and break a bone. You can easily rack up bills in the thousands, ten thousands or even hundreds of thousands from a single incident, and you never know when one will strike. Once this incident occurs, its usually too late to get insurance.

If medical insurance is available through your employer this is usually the cheapest option, however you can still get insurance if your employer doesnt offer it. The next cheapest option is most likely to get a group plan from another organization you belong to. Some examples would be a credit union or NASE. If you cant find a group program, you can still buy insurance as an individual, it just typically costs more. The best way to reduce the cost is to go with a plan that has a high deductible. You may end up paying $2000 or so if you have a major incident, however it wont completely wipe you out.

If you own a home, you most likely have homeowners insurance because your mortgage company has required it, but if not, be sure to get it. If you rent, you may think you dont need insurance on your property, however if a disaster was to hit the apartment complex or other place you live, you can still lose all of your possessions. You may think the apartments insurance will cover your losses, but it wont; you will need renters insurance. This is usually fairly affordable. If you own a car, you are required in most states to at least have liability insurance, but depending on the value of your car and whether or not you can afford to replace it if you were in a wreck, you may also want full coverage to cover any damage to your vehicle.

The last type of insurance I would like to mention is life insurance. This is something many people overlook, especially younger couples. If you are single and are not responsible for supporting anyone you may not need this insurance, but if you are married and have children or anyone else you are responsible for caring for, this is something you are going to want to have.

To determine how much insurance you need, I suggest calculating how much your family would need to get by with you gone and multiplying that by fifteen. This will most likely be a shockingly high number, but it will allow you to support your family indefinitely by allowing them to live off the interest from this money rather than the principal. Youll learn more about this in the next article.

If you have read the previous articles, so far you have learned how wide spread of a problem debt is, the true impact it can have on your life, and how to determine exactly how much debt you have and how much it will actually cost you. The next step is to attempt to reduce your interest rate. There are several ways you can accomplish this.

Well start by looking at what are typically known as the highest-interest debt, credit cards. Believe it or not, one of the easiest ways to do this is to simply call your credit card issuer and ask them to reduce your rate. This sounds laughable at first, but quite often it actually works. Credit card issuers typically charge customers much higher interest rates for the money they loan than what they pay to borrow it from others. This leads to huge profit margins, which means they really want to keep you as a customer, especially if you regularly pay your bill on time. They know you have plenty of options available, and are likely to switch to another credit card issuer if you feel you can get a better deal, so theyre happy to make a slightly smaller profit and keep you as a customer by lowering your rate.

If that doesnt work, a second option is to find a lower-rate credit card and roll your balance over to it. You may be tempted to go with a card that has a 0% introductory rate. This is probably not your best option though, unless you plan on paying off the card within six months. What you want to look for is a card with a low permanent rate. There are several sites available to where you can compare credit cards from multiple issuers such as Creditor Web, http://www.creditorweb.com/.

There are also several broader options available for credit cards and other types of debt. One of which is to look into refinancing any loans you have. Interest rates go up and down over time, and its quite possible the rate you can get now is lower than what it was at the time you originally financed the loans. Often there will be a refinancing fee involved, so use the amortization calculator from the previous article to make sure the amount you are going to save is greater than the amount you will have to pay.

You can also get a debt consolidation loan. You need to be careful when considering this option though, because although there are several legitimate companies offering debt consolidation loans, there are also several companies trying to make a quick buck at the expense of others. I highly recommend checking out any company you consider getting a loan through with the Better Business Bureau, especially if its not a reputable bank you are familiar with. In addition, once again use the amortization calculator to make sure you are actually saving money with the loan. Just because your monthly payments are lower doesnt mean youre saving money. $300 per month for 10 years is going to cost you more than $500 a month for 5 years.

The last option I want to suggest is for those of you who own a home. There are actually two options here, you can take out a second mortgage, or refinance your home for its current value and some additional funds, to pay off other debt. As with the one before, this can be both good and bad. It can be good because these loans typically offer the lowest interest rate because they are relatively safe loans for banks. That is also the same reason they are bad; if you do not pay them off, the bank can repossess your house. The other built-in benefit is by refinancing, you can often get a lower interest rate on your house, which can save you a bundle. As with the previous option, theres often a refinancing fee, so use the amortization calculator, http://www.destroydebt.com/calculators/AmortizationCalculatorJs.aspx to make sure you are saving money by doing this.

With all of these methods let me stress that you should be very careful not to fall into the same trap many others have. Too often families will take out a second mortgage or debt consolidation loan to pay off their credit cards, but instead of using this is a means to reduce their debt, they charge up all the credit cards again and end up in a worse situation than they were before. Dont let this happen to you. Once you have refinanced to eliminate any credit card debt, close those accounts. Just keep one open for emergency use only until you get to a later step in this guide where you can destroy that one, as well.

Let me start off by saying not all debt is necessarily bad. It can be very beneficial to borrow money sometimes, if done for the right reason. For example, taking out a mortgage to buy even a modest home will most likely cost you several hundred thousands of dollars over the life of the loan, however you will gain equity and the house will usually appreciate in value, making it a better option in a lot of cases than living in an apartment. Other examples would be borrowing money for college in order to acquire a higher paying job, or borrowing money to start a business. Other times it is just un-avoidable such as a medical condition or loss of a job. They key is to borrow for the right reasons.

The problem is, we quite often borrow money for the wrong reasons. These include taking out auto loans for nicer cars than we really need, not saving money to cover minor emergencies that come up such as a major appliance breaking, and of course making purchases with credit cards when we dont have the money to buy them.

The problem has really gotten out of control in the last few decades. The average American household owes about $19,000 in non-mortgage debt, including about $7,500 in credit card debt. When you compare that to the average household income of $43,500, you can see the average American household owes 43% of their annual salary in non-mortgage debt.

As you can see, if youre in debt, youre not alone. No matter what kind of debt you have, or how much, your life will be less stressful and more fruitful if you eliminate it. This nine-part series will walk you through each of the necessary steps to help you eliminate your debt. It definitely will take some work on your behalf, but if you stick with it, you can succeed and the benefits will be well worth the work.

Those that are serious and committed to reducing their debt will eventually reap the rewards of being debt free. Reading my simple seven tips will give you many ideas, about how you can reduce your debt.

Cut back
When you start to cut back on spending, you will find corners that you can cut through out the month, to help you pay off your debts. Simple things such as, being aware of all of the electricity you use, and turning off lights that are not needed as you leave a room, will help reduce your light bill, therefore, you save a little more money to reduce your debt with. Once you become aware of your spending habits, and start cutting back, you will start to notice more ways to cut back each month.

Budget
Budget your income. List all of your monthly bills and their due dates. Apply them to your budget, as well as other household needs, for example, groceries, gas etc. Allow yourself only so much money per month to spend on extras. Sticking to your budget will show self control, and determination for reducing your debt.

Limit the use of your Credit cards
If you can not pay cash for it, then do not buy it. If you have to charge something, make sure that you can pay the balance in full when your next credit card bill comes in. Never charge on your credit card to only pay the minimum monthly amount. You will never get that maxed out credit card paid off that way. The importance of paying your credit card balance in full, can not be stressed enough.

Get rid of your credit cards
If you are determined to reduce your debt, cutting up your credit cards will help. If you do not have them, you can not use them. If this is too big of a step for you, at least get rid of the unnecessary ones. Keeping only one or two, low interest rate cards for emergencies only, is a good idea. Remember if you can not pay cash for something, then you probably do not need it.

Pay off your debts
If you have already acquired some debt you need to pay off, now is the time to get started. Decide which debt is your smallest and start with that one. Pay on it as your budget will allow. Once you have gotten your smallest debt paid off, you will have a feeling of satisfaction and know that you can pay off your debts. Then move to the next smallest debt, when you are paying them off one by one, it is easier to do, with out feeling over whelmed. Before you know it, all of your debts will be paid and you will feel great about knowing you paid them off.

Debt consolidation
Debt consolidation is another option to look at for reducing your debt. Debt consolidation companies, will call your creditors for you, and make payment arrangements for your debts. Many companies will get you one low monthly payment to pay each month, until all of your debt is paid off.

Financial counseling
Make an appointment with a financial counselor to help you reduce your debt. Some people find, having someone else point out the errors in their spending habits to help tremendously. Financial counselors can also show you how to better manage your money, and stick to a budget.

Allied Mortgage Consultants, a mortgage company recognized for educating consumers on the realities behind new home loans and refinancing, reveals seven common mistakes people make when refinancing.

1. Not saving enough to justify refinancing. It’s best to decrease your rate by at least .75 percent to 1 percent. This will save you about $100 a month on a $150,000 mortgage.

2. Not knowing your closing costs up front. By law, closing costs must be disclosed within three days of the loan application. However, there are different approaches to calculating them. Until the details of your loan are clear, the closing costs quoted to you are only estimates. Plan for the worst-case scenario.

3. Not fully understanding your reasons for refinancing. Besides reducing your interest rate, there are other legitimate reasons to refinance, such as debt consolidation, home improvements or major purchases. In some cases, you may be able to deduct your interest payments on your tax return. Always consult an accountant or tax attorney before making these types of decisions.

4. Not being aware of APR “teaser rates.” Some mortgage brokers use annual percentage rates to get your attention, but it may actually end up costing you more. APRs often are derived by using a 30-year mortgage coupled with an accelerated payment plan. Make sure you know the actual interest rate you will be paying throughout the life of the loan.

5. Not weighing the pros and cons of adjustable rate mortgages. ARMs can minimize your monthly payment, but not if additional refinancing occurs. In this case, they can cost more in the long run.

6. Not being aware of the service you should expect from a mortgage broker. The process of refinancing should be hassle-free and accomplished quickly. Ask your mortgage broker to provide details of its service plan and performance guarantees.

7. Not knowing to ask the mortgage broker about all available loan products, terms and rates. Subtle differences can save or cost you thousands of dollars.

1. Detail out all your debts

First, look at all your secured debts such as mortgage and car loan. How much are the repayment for each month? What are the interest rates?

Then, list down all the fixed expenses such as power, phone, insurance, food, etc. What are the total costs for these expenses?

Follow by examining your credit card debts. Take out all your credit card statement and write down the amount you owe for each card and their interest rate.

Finally, write down all your other expandable; these are your optional expenses such as entertainment, gym, membership, dinners at restaurant and other impulsive purchase.

2. Eliminate the unnecessary expenses

Now you should have a better idea on where your money goes; Make a diet plan on your cash; In your Cash Diet Plan, list down all the your savings from the elimination of the optional expenses. You will be surprise that how much money you can save by carefully control your expenses. The money you saved can be used to pay down your debts.

3. Get your family involve and work as a team

Don’t do it alone because under such as stress condition, you may out of control and may not think and plan in clear mind; get your family together and let them know your financial problem and have them to work together to control the household spending and eliminate the unnecessary expenses.

4. Cash out with your assets

If you have equity, you are in a better situation because you could refinance or get a secured loan for pay off your debts. If you are looking for bankruptcy as your debt relief options, your may not have any equity in hand already. But equity is not the only asset; many people tend to forget that things that have cash value, but not sentimental value. Think antiques, old clothes or collectibles.

List down all the assets you own which your can sell and cash out. Check the closets, garage and storage locker, she says, “and find out what you can live without”. Then, cash them out through garage sales, eBay or consignment shops. Use the money to pay down your debts as much as possible.

5. Go for consumer counseling service

Arrange an appointment with a credit counseling agency and let the counselor to understand your finance situation and draft a budget for you. Review the debt management plan proposed to you before your sign to enroll into the plan. You may get a few plans from other credit counseling agencies for comparison. Choose the one which best suit your current financial needs. Although a debt-management plan can have a negative impact on your credit, it’s better than bankruptcy.

6. Get A second or part time job

Utilize your out-of-work time on second or part time job. Although you may not earn much in your part time job, a little money coming in can keep a bad financial situation from getting worse.

Summary

Bankruptcy may be your easy way out from debts but the consequences may follow you for 7 to 10 years. Always look for other alternative before choose for this dramatic options.