Introduction
No one likes to owe money to someone. There is something very uncomfortable about being in debt to someone. Of course, people do all kinds of things to stay away from debt but there will be times when you need a large amount of money. During those, you will have no choice but to borrow money from a lender or a financial institution. This is not a big deal as many people do this. But the problem arises when you fail to pay back the money in time. You must always know that debt is not just about the capital but also about the interest. When you loan some money you are going to pay it back with interest. The more time you take to pay it off the more money you will be in debt.
So if you take a loan then you have to pay it back in time. Not paying loans that you get from financial institutions will have several disadvantages. Especially if you have multiple credit cards and do not pay the credit for a long time. The financial institutions will be unwilling to offer you any new line of credit. Skipping due dates is one of the reasons for your credit score drop. Once your credit score drops you will get loans and credit cards for higher interest rates. You don’t want this to happen if you want a safe financial future.
Are you someone who owes large amounts of debt and you don’t know how to pay it back? If so here are a few ways in which you can pay off your debts quickly.
Make a budget
Do you even know what a budget is? If you are in a serious debt then you probably don’t have an idea of budget. Budgeting is the method of categorizing your income for different things in life. Having a budget will improve your lifestyle drastically. When you have a budget you will know how much money to spend on what. In that way, you will make sure that you are spending too much on something. There are many ways to make a budget depending on your personality and spending habits. The best methods are the 50/30/20 budgeting method and the Envelope method. There are even apps that are designed for budgeting so get today and make a budget.
Spend lesser
This is one of the key steps you should follow if you want to pay off all your debts quickly. Having a budget is only the first step but implementing it efficiently is the most important thing. The less you spend the more money you can save to pay your debt. If you want to spend less then track your expenses. This will help you in finding out where you can cut costs. Try to spend less money than you planned to.
Pay your biggest debt first
Imagine a pipe with running water has two holes, one is big and the other is small. Which one are you going to close first? If you are going to fix the small hole then you will be losing a lot of water from the other hole that is big. It is the same thing with money. So if you don’t want to lose more money you must pay off the biggest debt first. This will save you a lot of money that you will otherwise be paying as interest. Saving that money will help you pay off small debts.
Change your habits
You must understand that you have to change your lifestyle if you want to save money and pay off your debts. Changing lifestyle means changing your habits. Once you track your expenses you will understand what are the habits that are costing you too much money. It can be simple things like buying bags of chips, soft drinks, or unnecessary junk when you go grocery shopping. They can also be things like smoking or drinking alcohol. Stop this and you will be surprised to see how much money you will be saving every month.
Use credit card balance transfers
This is one of the things that you can do if you want to pay off your debts quickly. There are many people who don’t know what credit card balance transfers are. Let’s assume that you have a lot of dues on your card and all of it is of high interest. In such cases, you can use credit card balance transfers to transfer the credit balance to a different financial institution which offers lower interest.
Get a debt consolidation loan
This is also one thing that many people do not know. Debt consolidation is a loan that you take to pay off one or multiple loans. Taking a debt consolidation loan will help you pay all your loans within a matter of time. This is not the ideal way of paying off your debts but it definitely helps you if you have to get rid of a loan quickly. But remember that even this is also a loan and you have to pay it back.
Get yourself a side hustle
The more money you save the more quickly you will get rid of your debts. But how are you planning to save more money when you don’t earn much? Side hustles are one of the best ways in which you can earn a little extra money. There are several websites that offer micro jobs. You can also get hired by mystery shopping websites and earn money by completing the assigned tasks. If you are good at testing then there are several testing websites that hire testers for money. Find any website that suits you and start your side hustle today.
Sell used goods
This is one of the simplest things you can do to make some cash quickly. There are many websites that are similar to Craigslist where you can sell used goods. You will find many online platforms where you can sell your video games or DVDs. People can even sell books online on some of these websites. Apart from that are also websites where you can sell old electronics. You will be shocked to know the value that old things like classic video games hold. Sell them and make some money.
Use money from windfalls
Windfalls are when you receive a large amount of money at an unexpected time. Most people use this money to buy a car, go on vacation, or spend it on something else. When you get money like windfalls even you will be tempted to do something like that. But you must understand that you are in huge debt and you cannot afford such things in that situation. The wisest thing to do is use all of that money to pay off your debts. Once you get done paying your debt you can start saving it for other things like buying a car or going for a vacation.
Bankruptcy
No one wants to go through bankruptcy whether it is a company or an individual. It is not the best feeling in the world. But sometimes it is for the best. If you think it is impossible for you to pay off the debt anytime soon then consider bankruptcy. By selling most of your possessions you will be in a position to repay most of your debt if not all of it. But remember that you will be losing your home, car and other valuable things.
Conclusion
Paying off your debts will relieve you of your financial stress. It is also one of the things that can increase your credit score. So it is very important for you to pay off debts quickly if you want a good financial life. The interest on the debt is only going to increase as time goes on. There are many apps that allow you to check your credit score for free. Use them to know and track your credit so that you can pay it back as early as possible.
