Liberating

How I did it When I added up all my debt - it was far more than I thought it was (about £20k!), and I felt panicked and overwhelmed. I didn't really know what to do, and I found a friend who would support me in getting out of debt. Firstly, I used Quicken to put all of my info regarding money in one place. I then payed the minimum on all debt every month, and put all available money into paying off the highest interest debt first. I set up automatic payments that went out twice every month (I found if it was only once that the money was too easy to spend before the bill was due). I reviewed all my expenditures etc at least once a week, to ensure I knew where my money was going - doing this also made me think more about the money I was spending as I knew I would kick myself when I came to review it later! Every couple of months I would meet with my friend and let her know how I was doing. This was a little discouraging at first as things seemed to be moving slowly, but they really picked up and I was making massive reductions in my debt before too long. Although it took me a full 2 years to pay off my debt, it was definitely worth it!

Tips & Advice It started with me making a deciosn to get out of debt, and deciding it was worth more than buying those new shoes or clothes (a big sacrifice for me!). I told myself that shoes would still be great once I was out of debt! Although I did sacrifice some things, I did go on holiday with friends twice - I just built these into my budget. You still have to leave aside something for fun.