Getting out of debt is never an easy task, but it’s infinitely harder when you’re on a low income. As disheartening as it may be to see the interest charges racking up each month, know that you’re not alone and that it’s absolutely still possible to get out of debt on a low income.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
This is both the hardest and easiest step, and one that’s absolutely vital to undertake before you can even begin to get a handle on your debt. When you’re looking at stories of other people who have gotten out of debt faster than you, you have to remember that you’re not them and that comparing your situation to theirs is futile. You have no idea what the people you’re comparing yourself to are dealing with privately. You don’t know what their financial or familial situations are like, and you don’t know what kind of help they might be getting from their parents, partners, or friends to help them through.
Just focus on the reality of your own situation and think about what you can do to help pull yourself out of debt. Accept what’s happened and don’t let bitterness or envy affect your ability to move forward.
How Much Do You Owe?
As cathartic as the mental image of aggressively throwing money at the problem might be, you can’t realistically start tackling your debt without a concrete plan in place. In order to do that, you need to know A) How much money is coming in each month, B) How much money is going back out again each month (for things like bills, rent, food etc) and C) How much is left over.
You also need to know exactly how much money you owe and how that debt is spread out across your various credit cards, loans, and lines of credit. Make a chart that lists every single source of credit you have access to on the left-hand side. Across the top, have four corresponding columns that say: Total Debt Owed, Total Available Credit, Interest Rate, and Minimum Payment (see sample chart below).
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