
Debt Management
The way to manage your debt is to keep track of what you are spending. Most people have fixed bills that cannot be changed. The fixed bills are not something you can do much about in the short term. Sure, you could sell the house and the car, but most people are not going to go that extreme. I am not saying they shouldn't because some people need a really full overhaul.
The way to manage debt is to manage the variable spending. The way to manage it is to first know what is going on. You should keep all receipts and put them in an envelope or a jar. The jars can be separated by categories. For example, food in one jar and gas in another jar. Once the purchase is made, you put the receipts in the jar.
After one month of keeping track, you can then set a budget for each jar. You can put the receipts in the jar to keep track of the spending. Once the jar goes over the budget (or close to it), than you know to stop spending in that area.
If you get a handle on variable debt, then you start having real options. And, variable costs are the only thing under your immediate control. If you are in a serious condition, consider selling anything that has a lot of debt on it. For example, get rid of a fancy car first and, as a last resort, sell a house that you can't afford.
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