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10 Tools You Need To Get Out Of Debt And Stay That Way

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Getting debt free and staying debt free is hard work. It takes discipline, self-sacrifice and often a lot of out of the box thinking.

10 Tools That You Need to Get Out of Debt and Stay That Way. #debtfree #debt

I have shared our family’s debt free journey:

  • Why I Rarely Talk About Our Family’s Debt Free Journey
  • Debt Free Journey Part 2: How We Got Back Into Debt & Then Out Again For Good
  • What The Debt Free Life Really Looks Like For Our Family

Now I want to share with you the tools we used to get out of debt and to stay out of debt for good.

10 Tools You Need To Get Out Of Debt And Stay That Way

(Links in this post are affiliate links. I will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking those links. See my disclosure page for more information)

10 Tools That You Need to Get Out of Debt and Stay That Way. #debtfree #debt

1. Help To Make A Plan

To do any of the steps below you first must know what it takes to get out of debt and how to set up a budget that works.

Here are two great books to help you create a budget & a debt payoff plan

  • The Total Money Makeover
  • Debt-Proof Living: How To Get Out Of Debt And Stay That Way

 

How to Perform a Spending Tune-Up so You Can Get the Most Out of Your Income

2. A Budget

Unless you have a plan for how to spend every dollar earned, your chances of living below your means so you can pay off debt are very slim. After your debt is paid, you will still need a budget to help you stay out of debt and reach further financial goals.

Here are some helpful free resources for budgeting

  • Free budgeting resources
  • Free printable budget forms
  • A good example of what a financial notebook looks like (we have something similar I plan to share soon)

How to Set and Crush Goals as a Busy Mom

3. Goals

Budgeting is going to go a lot smoother when you have an idea of what you are aiming for. I know some of you are thinking, “I am aiming to get and stay debt free,” but that is too broad a goal. Instead, break down what getting to debt free and staying debt free will take into small actionable steps. For instance, that goal could state, “three months from now we plan to have paid off…in debt which works out to a monthly goal of…and a weekly goal of…”.

  • An ebook I found useful for breaking down goals and getting the discipline to stick to them.

10 Tools That You Need to Get Out of Debt and Stay That Way. #debtfree #debt

 4. Cash Envelopes

When our family uses cash to pay for eating out, date night, and other sorts of activities we always spend less than budgeted–when we use our debit card we have a habit of going over.

A few resources for using, making or buying cash envelopes:

  •  A Thrifty Person’s Guide To Cash Envelopes
  • An Etsy Store that sells some amazing cash envelope systems
  • My cash envelopes made from a $1  T.J.Maxx bag

10 Tools That You Need to Get Out of Debt and Stay That Way. #debtfree #debt

5.  A Library Of Ideas On How To Keep Expenses Low

Through the internet and the library, you can find out how to save on just about every area of your spending.

  • 101 Blogs Thrifty People Read
  • 10 Books That Will Make You A Thrifty Ninja
  • My Money Saving Tips Resource Page

(if you want to purchase some of the books listed for your home library, make sure to check out 17 Ways Thrifty Bookworms Save Money On Books.)

How To Earn More Money: 12 Side Jobs Anyone Can Do

6. Flexible Ways To Boost Income From Home

Sometimes the reason you aren’t making financial headway isn’t that you are not managing your money well, but instead because you are not making enough money.

If so here a few ways my family has increased our income from home:

  • Reselling tips to help you sell your no longer needed items for more cash
  • 18+ point programs that can help you earn $50 or more every month
  • A list of ways that you can use your laptop to earn money from home

10 Ways Thrifty People Renovate

7. A DIY Spirit

Paying to have things done gets expensive. Yes, doing things yourself does take time, but it can be fun, rewarding and a great way to save a substantial amount of money.

Our family has renovated four homes together and saved a lot of money on the renovations by doing the repairs ourselves.

10 Bible Verses Thrifty People Memorize

8. Words Of Finacial Wisdom

Our family gets our wisdom from the Bible: Here are 10 Bible verses about money that have helped us become and stay debt free as well as shape our view of money.

20 Ways to Spend Quality Time With Your Child Without Spending Much Money

9. A Wealth Of Inexpensive Ideas For Fun

Life can get boring fast if all you do is stay home and read books from the library because that is the only free activity you can think of (yep, a bookworm just said that).

Here are a few resources to help you expand your horizons and find frugal sources of entertainment

  • 10 Summer Dates That Cost Zero
  • 20 Thrifty Ways To Spend Quality Time With Your Child
  • 25 Fall Activities For Families On A Tight Budget

 

100 Ways Thrifty People Save Money

10. A Toolbox Full Of  Ways To Save Money On Just About Anything

If you click over to 250 Ways Thrifty People Save Money and scroll down to the bottom, you will find 10 key things our family does to save money on just about anything. I would call this our ultimate savings toolbox and of course all of the 10 tools are free.

What would you add to my list?

Thrifty and Thriving: More Life for Less Money

Available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon–get your copy here!

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Filed Under: Frugality

Comments

  1. Laura Sue Shaw says

    February 20, 2015 at 8:03 am

    There are so many great resources here! The DIY Spirit is one of my goals for this year… our home needs some remodeling done and I’m determined to really stretch that budget and do as much of it ourselves as we can. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply
    • Victoria says

      February 20, 2015 at 8:16 am

      YouTube is great for DIY projects too. We learn all sorts of ways to maintain things around the home from there. My husband used it most recently to figure out how to change the elements on our glass top stove.

      Reply
  2. Ashley says

    February 20, 2015 at 8:08 am

    These tips are awesome! As someone who’s gone from over $100k in debt to absolutely debt free, I can personally vouch for the fact that these tips can literally transform your life. The only thing that didn’t help for me was the cash envelope system. I absolutely love Dave Ramsey, but it worked best for us was for me to have a prepaid credit card that gets replenished twice monthly. Thanks so much for this post, you’ve reminded me to get back on my Swagbucks account and start earning some gift cards!

    Reply
    • Victoria says

      February 20, 2015 at 8:14 am

      Congrats on being debt free. I haven’t heard of anyone using a prepaid credit card as an alternative to cash envelopes. I think that is interesting.

      Reply
  3. Leesha @ Living Contently says

    February 20, 2015 at 9:54 am

    I love your tips! We’ve been on a debt free journey since we’ve been married. It’s not always easy, but it’s definitely worth it. Thanks for sharing! Pinning! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Giftie Etcetera says

    February 20, 2015 at 10:22 am

    Excellent links. I think meetings with my husband and actually adding receipts up as I spend have really helped. The other thing that helps is knowing I am not alone in this struggle!

    Reply
  5. Angie Nelson says

    February 20, 2015 at 2:45 pm

    What a great list of resources. I love finding simple little ways to come up with extra cash to pay down those bills.

    Reply
  6. D. Joseph says

    February 20, 2015 at 5:37 pm

    What a great resource post! I found this very helpful because even though the wife and I have been through FPU, it’s always helpful to have reminders that keep us on track. So thank you for helping us to stay on our program!

    Reply
  7. Alice & Luci @ Mums Make Lists says

    March 5, 2015 at 9:21 am

    Fabulous collection of resources Victoria … definitely what I will keep coming back too. I haven’t actually used the cash envelope system yet and really should give it a try. Pinned.

    Reply
    • Victoria says

      March 5, 2015 at 3:00 pm

      Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
  8. Karen says

    October 6, 2016 at 9:52 am

    Shop with a list for needs not wants. Pretend you are wearing virtual blinders in the stores, and focus. Keep your eyes on the prize above all.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Thrifty Thursday Link Party | Link Up Your Budget Friendly Blog Posts says:
    March 5, 2015 at 9:01 am

    […] Posts} 7. Mums Make Lists {50 Fun Ways for Moms to Save Money} 8. Snail Pace Transformations {10 Tools to Help You With Your Debt Free Journey} 9. Humble in a Heartbeat {Save Money With a Pantry Staples List} 10. Our Simple Homestead […]

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Hi, I'm Victoria

Welcome to the Snail Pace Transformations blog where I share my tips for improving finances and home management one small step at a time. Why small? Because small changes are more likely to transform your life.

My Book Thrifty & Thriving Available On Amazon

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