Monday, 10 March 2008

Ways To Reduce Credit Card Debt

By David Smythe

To reduce credit card debt or eliminate it should be the big goal of the card holders who became victims of the vicious cycle of uncontrolled debts, and this is doable only with strong will and self discipline.

Credit cards, these small plastic cards that have taken the rein in the way business is being done gives card holders many conveniences and advantages, but at the same time they have sunk more people in debt and financial rut.

Just how do you reduce credit card debt? Well, this is possible by controlling the urge to splurge, especially if you know you have spent more than what you can pay for, and by paying off your bills on that so you will not be fined with late penalties and interest rates.

Sounds simple, doesn't it? However, it is not as simple as it sounds because if it were that simple to reduce credit card debt, the huge number of people suffering from debt-related problems would have been significantly reduced or eliminated. This would have meant more people waking up each morning without the problem of debts looming before them each day.

There is plenty of advice and recommendations related to ways of decreasing credit card debts, but they are not operational if you are not ready to help yourself, if you keep on spending money or not paying your debts on time. The best way to decrease your debts is to adapt this piece of advice to your everyday life.

This can be done by taking the bull by the horns. Prevent your debts growing to horrifying proportions by making wise decisions on your use of your bank card. One way to do this is to manage your cash and transferring your balance into another credit card that has a lower APR than your existing card. Transferring your balance to another card could prevent your debts from accumulating and increasing rapidly.

Another preventive measure that would really help you curb your spending habits and exercise discipline is to use cash instead of the card. When you use cash to pay for transactions or services, you will value your money more than if you just hand over your card to the checkout counter. You will feel unwilling to part with hard-earned cash so that you will have to think twice before picking out items that are not really a necessity. Cash has a tendency to cling to your wallet more than the card does so you will feel the sting once you pay cash.

Whatever way you resort to, the best thing to note is that you can reduce credit card debt only if you are determined to help yourself out of the financial rut. Make a plan to reduce your spending habits, and stick to your plan. You can create a budget and buy only the things that you really need. When the urge to splurge hits you, think of debts as huge monsters who will haunt you until you pay off every cent you owe.

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