Everyone knows that paying off debt is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice, but it’s definitely worth the hard work. Every once in a while, someone who was once determined can stumble. We all have faced it before… Everything is going well. You are working hard to pay off your debt, but life happens. Whether it is an unexpected expense or a splurge, it’s hard to be perfect. The unfortunate result is that you most likely feel bad about the slip – you beat yourself up and before you know it you have lost your resolve to keep paying off your debt.
Keep This in Mind when Paying of Debt
If there is one thing that can keep you going, it is the image of what living debt free will be like. You won’t have to pay as much per month and will be able to direct extra money towards savings or even investments. More importantly, you won’t have as much stress because you won’t be living paycheck to paycheck. Taking time to remember the end result will do a lot to motivate you through the hard times.
Use Regular Incentives to Motivate Yourself
Even with the motivation of the light at the end of the tunnel may not be enough. In addition to this, a great strategy is to use regular incentives to motivate yourself to keep getting out of debt. A huge reason why I have learned how to be debt free is because of this strategy. A great way to put it in practice is to set bench marks for your progress. If you have $10,000 in debt, reward yourself for every $1,000 that you pay off. Don’t go crazy and put yourself further behind, but give yourself more than a pat on the back. You worked hard for this progress so you should celebrate. Take notice of how far you have come and keep thinking towards the future.
Combining both of these strategies will help you stay active your fight to get out of the hole that you are in. Before you know it, you will look forward to paying off the last penny of your debt and it won’t be as much of a struggle as when you started.