If you decided to break up with your debt, you need to do some serious work. You might have already consulted with debt management firms, and they told you about the costs involved. There are many ways you can do the same work they do, and save yourself a bit of money. It is true that it usually takes longer to get rid of bad credit yourself, but it is more cost effective, and the results tend to last. Once you have realized how much harder is it to eliminate bad credit than building it up, you will stay away from temptation more.
1, Face your problem
The first step is crucial, and not many people complete it when thinking about getting rid of bad credit. You need to admit that you do have a problem and it is your fault. Obviously, you can go around trying to find excuses, but in the end of the day nobody forced you to take out credit cards or loans and spend the money.
2, Do not panic
No matter how bad the situation is, you should keep a stiff upper lip and think clearly. You will need your brain later on, so try and see things realistically. Make a note of the most urgent problems. If your account is in collection, you need to deal with it before the lender would go through the legal procedures.
3, Hold a family meeting about credit
Chances are that the bad credit affects more than one person. If you are living in a family, you would have to come clear about the situation. You might have kept up appearances before, and some people might not have any idea of the bad credit problems. To avoid them having too high expectations, you need to involve them. You can brainstorm together to find more ways of solving the situation.
4, Write down your budget
You need to make a note of everything you are spending on: your credit commitments, bills, monthly shopping, and also the take home pay for the family. Compare the two of them to see if there is a negative figure left.
5, Get the balances
Next you need to contact your creditors for settlement figures or balances. Make sure that you are keeping these documents safe.
6, Rate the bills by importance
You have to take out your budget again, and rate the bills by importance. Take the most urgent things to pay out and place them on the top of the pole. Add the due dates to your calendar.
7, Change your budget to save money
Next you need to find ways to save money in order to paying off your bad credit early. Try to switch to cheaper services, check how much waste your family produces and start becoming energy-conscious. Think about switching to public transport if it saves you money, and cancel all the subscriptions for magazines you no longer need.
8, Pay your bills and consolidate
Once your accounts are back on track, you can look for a suitable product to consolidate your debt. There are some low interest bad credit products as well as normal personal loans. Speak to your mortgage lender to see if it is possible to add the amount on your mortgage.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/credit-articles/how-to-become-debt-free-without-debt-management-companies-4663308.html
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