Make 2010 the Year to Becoming Debt Free

Imagine waking up one day having your utilities bills, your car payment, your credit cards and your mortgage fully paid. Just imagine the heavy weight lifted off your shoulders. It is nice to be debt free. You don’t just have to imagine it. Make it your resolution for 2010: Make 2010 the year to becoming debt free.

It’s not impossible to become debt free. All you need is a little discipline and a little management. You have to learn to properly manage your finances and you’ll be on the way to becoming debt free.

Below is a list of five ideas you can use to start on your road to becoming debt free.

1. Change your spending habit. What drove you to become deep in debt is your spending habit. You must know that if you spend more than you earn, you’re going to get into trouble. And when you find that your salary has depleted, you reach for your credit card. Bad move.

Of course, credit card companies want you to spend and spend and pay them later. They charge you exorbitant interest and they earn when you spend. Remember this. The money you spend when you use your credit card isn’t your money. It’s the credit card companies’ money and that means you’re borrowing money from them. And when you borrow money you have to pay it back or you’ll get into trouble.

First thing you need to do to change your spending habit is throw away all your credit cards. Don’t use them anymore. Cut them in two and throw them away. Only use cash. If you have no cash, don’t spend. This is so easy to say but can be hard to do. That is why you need all the discipline you can muster to change your spending habit.

2. Change your lifestyle. Next thing you need to change is your lifestyle. If you’re always dining out and watching movies, stop doing them. Eat at home. Watch television. Buy generic clothes. No more designer labels. Buy only what is essential. Remember only what you need and not what you think you want and must have.

3. Pay all your bills on time. When you get your paycheck, set aside an amount to pay all your fixed bills like your utilities, your rent, your car payment and so on. These are payments that you need to make every month. If you don’t pay them on time monthly, you’ll find them accumulated to such a staggering amount that you’ll be so stressed thinking about how to settle them.

4. Have a budget plan. Now that you’ve paid your fixed bills, you can start thinking about settling your debts. List down all your debts and arrange them from the smallest to the largest. Try to settle the smallest ones first and then tackle the bigger ones. In your budget you must set aside an amount for your own daily spending and the leftover can be used to settle your debts.

You might want to come to an agreement with your creditors about how to settle your debts. Once you’ve come to an agreement, make sure you follow through in a timely manner.

5. Savings. Don’t forget to put aside a little money for any emergencies. This amount doesn’t need to be big. You could maybe put aside about 5% from your paycheck to an emergency fund. This fund will help you in times when you’re in need of money urgently.

Changing your spending habits and your lifestyle is most important if you plan on becoming debt free. You also need to have a budget plan and a little savings set aside and don’t forget to pay all your fixed bills on time. Doing all these will hopefully make 2010 the year to becoming debt free.

How to earn Extra Money in Unusual Ways

without finding a second job? You are in luck because there are methods you can use to make this happen. You will learn unusual ways to earn spare cash.

The first unusual method we will discuss to earn spare cash can draw attention to you in addition to being strange. This method involves collecting aluminum cans to recycle for cash.

Over fifteen years ago, I collected aluminum cans. Three days a week, I would walk a long distance on different routes looking for cans. Each time I saw a can, I flattened it and put it into a plastic bag. I ended up taking one to two bags full of cans to an aluminum recycling truck that paid twenty-five to fifty cents a pound.
When you pick up cans off the street, be careful how you handle them because some of them are cut up or have sharp edges. You should also be careful to not touch the mouth openings of the cans. Although I earned money walking around and picking up cans, I felt a little uncomfortable doing it. To collect a lot of cans, you have to really want to do it and not care what others think about you doing it.

Another unusual way to earn spare cash is to sell strange items at auctions and on e-Bay. Items that are considered unnecessary by normal people often sell more frequently than items that are considered to be beneficial to most people. Some people will pay big bucks for things such as a strange-looking piece of food from someone’s unfinished meal.

Sign up for an online account with Send Earnings, Snap Dollars, Deals’n’Cash and Hits 4 Pay. In addition to paying you to take surveys or view ads, they give you anywhere from three to ten dollars for signing up.
Do you have old comic books and early issues for popular action figures? You might find a collector or bidder willing to pay thousands of dollars.

Look for coins around vending machines. You can sometimes find some quarters and dimes on the floor or inside the slots.

Respond to help-wanted ads and announcements in your E-mail that invite you to participate in a focus group or mock trial. There are businesspeople willing to pay you 100 to 150 dollars to spend a few hours doing this.
You have learned unusual ways to earn spare cash.

Strategies on How to Find a Job

1.Step 1

LOCAL EMPLOYMENT OFFICE - Check your local employment office for current job listings. The information and listings change frequently but are kept up to date and the employees working there will be able to assist you in your search. Most employment offices now have online website that you can use right from your home to check the listings which will make things easier as well.

2.Step 2

WATCH THE NEWS - Check your local news for any companies that may be expanding or new businesses coming to the area. These companies will often hold job fairs to look for employees and they often publicise these job fairs on the local news. Attending a job fair can be a great way to find a new job.

3.Step 3

NEWSPAPER - Maintain a constant check of the job listings in the local and surrounding area newspapers for employment opportunities. The listings will change regularly so it is very important to check them frequently.

4.Step 4

TEMPORARY AGENCIES - Check with the temporary employment agencies in your area for job listings. Employers will often list jobs with a temporary agency. Some of these jobs may only be temporary but if you do a good job for the employer, it could lead to full time employment after a trial period. Either way, you can use the job and income to get by and keep your bills paid until you do find a full time job.

5.Step 5

HELP WANTED - You should also keep your eyes open for any help wanted signs that you see while you are out shopping or running errands. A lot of employers place help wanted signs in the windows of their business when they need help and this can be an easy way to find a new job.

6.Step 6

CRAIGSLIST - Check Craigslist.com for job opportunities. It's a classifieds site which is free to use for employers to list and advertise their jobs as well as people to browse and search for jobs. This can be an added resource to use when checking the local listings in your area.

7.Step 7

DO NOT PROCRASTINATE - When you do see a listing for a job that suits your needs or abilities, do not procrastinate. Don't put off job interviews or arrive late. You may find that the job that was perfect for you was given to someone else. Show employers that you are motivated and eager to find a job and get to work.

8.Step 8

DRESS FOR SUCCESS - Wear appropriate clothing when going on job searches or to job interviews. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to wear a suit and tie but employers aren't looking to hire people that are wearing dirty clothes or pants with holes in them. Be properly groomed and dressed neatly when applying for jobs and it will greatly improve your chances of being hired.

9.Step 9

BE PREPARED - When you go to a job interview, have a current and up to date resume and be prepared to answer any questions that the employer may have as well as explain what skills you have and why you are the right person for the job.

10.Step 10

STAY ACTIVE AND FOCUSED - Sometimes finding a job can be a long and extended process and it is important to stay active while you are unemployed. Making a consistent effort to get out of the house and actively search for a job will make things a lot easier when you have to make the transition back into the work force.