by: Ryan McKenzie

OK, so you are up to your head in debt. You are stressed out, it is now affecting the way you function and absorbing most of your daily thoughts. You have no idea what to do.

OK, first things first. Take a step back and try and look at things with a clear head. Your debt is manageable. If you have many bills and just can't afford them all, the first thing you should consider is a debt consolidation loan.

A debt consolidation loan will help you out by consolidating all of your debt into one monthly payment that you can afford.

Second of all, figure out what is an affordable amount of money, that you can afford to pay monthly. You want this to be a fair amount of cash, however you still need to account for some money for yourself to prevent yourself from slipping further into debt.

The next step is to cut up your current credit cards. I know I've fallen into this trap on numerous occasions; I didn't cut up my credit cards and planned to use them for 'EMERGENCY ONLY'. Well, a few months roll by, and that new shirt, and that tank of gas add up to ANOTHER full credit card. If you no longer have credit cards, you can't be tempted to use them.

Finally, you need to correct the problem by killing it at the root. Start saving 5-10% of your income and start saving to purchase those things you want or need. The immediate gratification of making a purchase will wind up haunting you in the long run. Rationalize every purchase and try to take into consideration if this purchase is a rational one or one based on emotion. If it is based on emotion, think about how purchasing this item will make you feel, then imagine the stress of being in debt. If you managed to make your way out of debt at least once in your life, I'm sure your urge to purchase this item will quickly fade.

Follow this simple outline, and your journey to become debt free will be under way.