Does anyone have good advice for  cutting  expenses and cutting down debt?
406324
Look at your bills and see where you can trim the fat.  I thought we were as close as we could be.  Then we really sat down and looked.\n\nI was able to knock almost 70 bucks off of our cell phone bill (no more text messaging, got rid of unlimited internet access, got rid of roadside assistance....I already had it from the purchase of my new car!)\n\nTrim down your cable bill...look at everything you pay.  On larger items, try to refinance with a lower rate or extended period.  Then take the money you save and begin to pay off the smallest balance you have....continue this on until you have everything paid off.
58616
How do you get out of DEBT?\n\nFirst - Contact your creditors.  Explain your situation, and see if they'll lower the interest rate on your cards.  \n\nSecond - ALWAYS pay more than the minimum amount due.  If you don't, it's very possible that you'll -never- get out of debt.\n\nThird - If you can possibly live without using your credit cards, do it.  If you can't live without them, try to limit your usage to an amount you -know- you can pay off (INCLUDING those more-than-minimum payments) at the end of the month.
88838
Make a budget and monitor spending habits.  Obtain receipts for every purchase to add up where you are spending money.  Find ways to cut back expenses that are unecessary.  Don't carry a credit card balance.  If you have one pay that off as soon as possible.  You are unlikely to find an investment that pays as much interest as credit cards charge for carrying the balance month to month.  If you use direct deposit, open a savings account at your bank and have a reasonable amount debited from your paycheck automatically into your new savings account.  Your spending will adjust, and you'll not notice the change before too long.
468366
I've heard several tips for this from Clark Howard, I'll share some with you:\n\n1. No matter what, you pay yourself first.  Put SOMETHING away before you pay your bills, EVERYTIME you get paid.\n2. Never use change when you spend.  If something costs 11.49, pay the 12.00 and throw the change into some type of "bank" at home.  If something is 1.19, don't look in your purse for the change, spend the $2.00 and throw the .81 in the "bank."  People who did this were on his show telling how, at the end of the year they managed to save $2500, and went on vacation with the money!\n\n3. Something I used to do when I needed a little cash quickly, was pay two bills with the same money.  How?  you might ask.  Well easy, if you have a credit card.  What I used to do is, add up all my utilities, my cable bill, phone bill, electricity bill, and even my car insurance and sometimes car note... and pay my credit card with that amount.  It's great if you can pay your credit card OFF like this each month - then I would take the credit card and actually PAY the bills with it.  This way, your credit card is getting paid (maybe in full - resulting in even greater savings since you won't have to pay finance charges) AND all your utilities and bills are getting paid... with the same money. =)\n\n4. Find out your "latte factor" basically Clark says that we all have a "latte factor," something frivolous that we spend our money on everyday - like starbucks coffee, or whatever... he says when you find it, eliminate that expense and take the money you spend on it everyday and save it.  He computed that $5 a day every day for 5 years, could yield a savings of $12,000!\n\nHope that helps!!!
1126682
hope you would solve your problem  soon,,you are not alone..\n\nHave to work double time and plan your budget...    pay all the small bills first, limit your habit , check your budget before spending.. the more debt you have the  more you pay for interests... you can make it..   slowly but surely... .goodluck !\n\nif you can't, ask someone to help you that is good in budgeting like close friends... or families...
7532
1. Cut them up and stop using them.\n\n2. List the balances, smallest to largest.\n\n3. Pay off the smallest debt first, as fast as you can.\n\n4. After paying the first one off, apply that payment to the second debt and pay it off as fast as you can.\n\n5. Keep repeating this process until they are all paid off.  It's called the debt snowball method.
450180
Don't get into debt to begin with!!  But if you already have, then the main thing is to pay more than the minimum required by the credit cards, etc.  That's the #1 way to pay off the debts quicker and to pay less interest. Even if you have to get another job. And this philosophy go's for any age! Good luck!!
20158
1> Cut up all the credit cards!\n2> Review all your bills.  Pay mortgage / rent first. Then pay down the stuff with the highest interest rates.\n3> Sell off stuff you don't need or use.  Ebay or Craigslist.com
435060
I would recommend books of Suze Orman. She is a very well know person in the personal finances. I Enjoy reading her books. The second link below will show you her books
1185190
The most important thing you can do is pay your bills on time.  After that try to reduce your outstanding debt, even if it is a little at a time.
124636
I am also a 27 year old female, and I've learned some harsh lessons about financial realities.  I'll share with you what worked for me.\n\nI have a binder full of lined paper.  On the first page of the binder I have a budget.  You may ask yourself, how does one create a budget?  \n\nThe way I did it was to first list the things I have a fixed amount I need to spend per month: Rent, Car payments, Magazine subscriptions, Car insurance.  Then I figured out how much I would need PER PAYCHECK to save for this (don't say per month - if you do this, you're setting yourself up for failure).  I need $400 per paycheck for rent, $200 for car, $50 for insurance, $5 for registration, etc.  ANYTHING you spend money on goes down on paper.\n\nNext, I put down the things I need, but that aren't fixed.  For instance, groceries, gas, car repair, health (SO very important to have a large reserve, as I recently found out).  I guess how much I'm going to spend on this per month.  Don't forget, that a budget is ALWAYS evolving.  You get raises, bonuses, and (hopefully not) pay cuts all the time, so be prepared.\n\nFinally, you need to have some money to yourself.  I seperated these into clothes, gifts, massage, and books for myself, but you can always change that around.  Put a fixed amount per check into these funds.\n\nHere's the most important part: RECORD what you're spending on the other sheets of paper.  If you buy a pair of shoes, that goes in the clothes budget.  If you buy a gallon of milk, that goes in the groceries budget.  I guarantee you'll be shocked by some of the purchases you make. (I was spending $500 on groceries for two people in a month - that's absurd.  I now REALLY watch what a shop for, and I make sure I'm not throwing things away because they got old - I use everything!)\n\nOk, now we're ready to set aside some money to save!  Generally people say to save 10% of your gross income.  With the above method, the car repair and health funds are sort of "oh no" accounts that you're not going to be touching unless you have a situation, so I count that as part of the 10%.  Aside from this, calculate 10% of your net income ($800 = $80) and have it direct deposited into a different account.  This should not be accessable by check OR atm card!!!!  Once you have about $2,000, you should be able to move it into a money market (some people call money markets "High Yield Savings Accounts") without having to pay any fees.  You'll earn about 2%-4%, depending on the rates at the time.\n\nDon't forget that you'll want to fund some sort of retirement account out of this!  Make sure you try to set asside the maximum possible into retirement accounts so you don't regret your misspent youth.  I'll let you know that I've done calucualtions that say I need 2 million (caluculating for inflation) dollars to retire at age 65.  Yes, that is $2,000,000.  I urge you to look for a program called "Smart Women Finish Rich" in your area.  You'll learn TONS from it, and hopefully be inspired to start saving money.
268358
I would recommend spending $19.95 on a book Called “Financial Peace” Written by Dave Ramsey. “More than Enough” is also a good second book if you like the first written by the same author. The book is written on an easy to read (6th grade level) It covers budgeting and gives sample budget's it also encourages you to sit down with your spouse to establish and keep a budget. I do not use all Dave Ramsey's suggestions but anyone that does will not go wrong. The base of his teachings is very valid and useful. I firmly believe anyone starting out with these tools will not go wrong. Remember in life though a little common sense goes along way Good luck to you
1036265
You want to investigate www.daveramsey.com and get Dave Ramsey's books from the library. Debt consolidation is NOT the answer. Not trying to be preachy here but the answer is the debt snowball and careful budgeting. I know it sounds insane but it works. Get his book from the library and give it a try.
1052735
Being in debt is not a good position to be in. \n\n1. Sit down and figure out a budget. And trim out any "fat" in that budget that you dont need.  If you are deep in debt do you really need cable tv, etc.?\n\n2.  Pay off your highest interest rate credit cards first - or try to transfer balances to a card with no transfer fees and no interest.\n\n3.  Save money by being frugal, dont eat out, use coupons, buy groceries in bulk, etc. \n\nGo to MSN Money section\nhttp://moneycentral.msn.com/Editorial/Index/homedept.asp?c=6&a=6&d=33014#ManageDebt\n\nVery good information on this site about saving money and debt management.\n\nGood Luck.
1182928
Doesn't have to be fancy. Start with your paycheck(s). Then estimate your daily/weekly expenses like groceries, parking, gas, bus tickets, coffee, etc. Now figure out what are your monthly expenses, like rent, car payment, and insurance. Divide those in half (not exactly right but close enough) and add to your expense list. Maybe you have other expenses that are less often, like some insurance. Set aside an amount each week so that you'll have enough when it's time ot pay. From there you need to see how good your guesses were, and compare how much you really spent to what you thought. Fine tune as you go.
40878
You need to determine whether your expenses are too high or your gross income is too low. This requires an analysis of your P&L for the past few years. Cutting expenses many times is the wrong action. You may need to increase advertising and marketing activities and expenses and check your legal and business structure. You business' growth may be hampered by the lack of capital. I suggest you speak with a good business and tax lawyer.\n\nI hope this helps!\n\nRonald J. Cappuccio, J.D., LL.M.(Tax)\nCounsellor at Law
193873
Start by making a budget and stick to it you can not save money by accident you must do it on purpose. I think the best way to start is in a book written by Dave Ramsey called Financial Peace. He has written several books but that is the first and very good "More than enough" is his second book and very good also if you like the first. His books are available in any book store and many library's. Good luck to you.