Can Debt Consolidation Get You Out of Debt?

Being in debt is simply no way to live. You feel stress every day, knowing you won’t be able to pay all of your bills at the end of the month. If you are thinking about bankruptcy wait! You may be able to get yourself out of this hole with a change in lifestyle, a strict budget and possibly debt consolidation.

If you are thousands in debt and sinking fast don’t wait. You must act now. The first step is to know what you owe. Many of us stop looking at our statements because it is too hard to face the raising balances. You will never get out of debt unless you know how deep you have gotten yourself in.

The next step is to check your interest rates. You need to know the interest rates on all of your credit cards and loans. This includes your car loans, mortgage and student loans. You need to know your interest rates in order to know which line of debt is hurting you the most.

Once you know where you stand it is time for the hardest part of getting out of debt. Sell off the items you don’t need. If you drive an expensive car sell it and get an affordable car. If you mortgage leaves your wallet empty; sell the house and move to a smaller house in a more affordable neighborhood.

After you have sold off some of your unnecessary purchases is the time to think about debt consolidation. You must calculate the time it will take to pay off your debts, the interest you are charged each month and your monthly payments. You must then look into debt consolidation. You do not want to simply save yourself money each month; you want to pay off your debt as quickly as possible.

If debt consolidation can lower your interest rates and help you pay off your debt more quickly then it is probably going to be a good idea to consolidate. If you can consolidate and if it will lengthen the time pay the debt off, do not consolidate. You want the debt paid off as quickly as you can. If you need help working out the figures you can turn to websites like, www.personalfinanceissues.com. They offer online calculators that will help you make well informed decisions about your personal finance.

However you got here, you can get yourself out. You just need to commit to do whatever it takes. When you are in over your head the idea of being debt free seems like a distant memory or a dream that cannot come true. Don’t give into these negative thoughts. Just take it one day at a time and before you know it, you will be out of debt and saving for your children’s college education.