It took a while, but I’m happy to say I’m almost done paying off my credit cards. In our world of gathering stuff we don’t need it wasn’t easy and it took discipline and sacrifice from the whole family. I’ve made the attempt before, but it seems something would always come up and I had to once again rely on the one thing I was trying to get rid of. After a couple of tries, I got smart and started saving while paying the minimums on each card. I stopped carrying the ones I was trying to pay off and only charged what I knew I could pay off in the same month it was charged. After I reached my goal for an emergency savings amount I built a budget and set a fixed amount that would be spread out amongst all the card payments. The higher interest cards got paid off first and the others got the minimum. After one was paid off the next highest interest rate would get the same payment as the one paid off plus the minimum. I kept that up until I got to the very last card. It feels good to look at the statements and see zeroes for the balances.

We have to take our credit history and finances more seriously. A good credit score can help you save a lot of money and it affects other parts of your life that you may not consider. I’ve worked hard to improve mine and I can see the results and rewards in doing so. The most important thing you need to do is build a budget. It wasn’t until I started budgeting that I figured out my plan to payoff my debt. I started out using a spreadsheet with categories, then I moved up to using Quicken Home & Business. It made life a lot easier and I was able to track where my money was going a lot easier. Businesses do this all the time. If your outflows exceed your inflows, then you’re borke. It’s as easy as that.

I ran across a website that had an article about “6 Great Free Alternatives to Quicken & MS Money“. While I’ve never tried any of these products, I did want to take away all your excuses for not build a budget. If time is your problem, then do it while you watch a game or your favorite TV program. It’s important to know where your money is going and it keeps you from living beyond your means. I also want to get you to check out an article on “Five Steps for Ditching Credit Card Debt“. It’s informative and has some really good information.