Media13.com is a source of free to republish or reprint articles, writers may submit your articles in our database as long so you agree that your article will be freely republish or reprint by other.

Submit Article

Search our database

Received article from us.

Name

Email Address

Friends

Bollywood News
Link building
Article submission service
Freelance Writers
Laser hair removal

We have been looking for freelance writers. Contact us

The Real Cost Of Your Debt

I want you to take a good long look at your debt. Do you really know what it costs you to be in debt? Are you thinking that you can handle it or is it getting you down?

Once you start really analyzing your debt position and the cost (to yourself) of having the debt, the results can be mind-numbingly shocking.

I’ve found that debt is a lot like smoking. When you start out, you believe you’re in control and you can quit at any time. As the months and the years roll past, this initial belief does not fade away. With every debt you incur, the mantra “I can afford this”, repeats itself in your subconscious until you wake up one morning and realize that you’re in over your head.

Debt has well and truly caught you in its trap. Debt has become a bad habit.

And just like any bad habit, debt requires as much hard work and discipline to shake. The first step in the process is to acknowledge that you have a problem - instead of turning a blind eye, hoping it will go away or thinking that you’ll get around to it some day in the future.

One of the motivators to setting your feet on the path to debt free living is to look at the real cost of that debt. What is it doing to you? Where does it hurt the most?

Most debts (the ones that make you cry into your morning coffee anyway) are the ones that are incurred for a period exceeding one year. You’ve probably seen or heard advertisements that go something like this:

Buy your ‘Wiggly Snoogle’ for this special one time limited offer today – 24 easy monthly instalments.

Beware – this is where you can fall into the deadliest trap of them all. The interest rates are usually above average and you’re stuck into a long term contract. Yes, getting your Wiggly Snoogle with the 25 000 features sounds like a good idea because of the easy monthly payments; especially if you compare it to the one time lump sum payment. (By the way, using the ‘lump sum’ to ‘monthly payment’ comparison is a well known sales technique to separate you from your hard earned cash.)

Let’s take this out of the realm of philosophy with a real world example:

You borrow $ 10,000 to buy a new car. Over a 48 month period – that’s 4 years of monthly payments – you will be paying an additional $ 2,000 in interest. So, your $ 10,000 vehicle is actually costing you $ 12,000. The cost of that debt is a whopping $ 2,000. If you had taken that $ 2,000 and invested it over the same period, it could have grown to $ 3,000. Instead, it has disappeared into someone else’s pocket – never to be seen again.

This is where the lenders make their money. The longer they can have you in their clutches, the longer they can smile all the way to the bank and you groaning on the way to work.

Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have a car – it’s just an example of the REAL cost of debt. Sometimes debt is unavoidable, but as a species we’ve become too complacent about debt and we jump into it without thinking.

Your Magic Plastic (a.k.a. Credit Card) is another one of those fiendishly sneaky evils the banks developed to rid you of your money. If – and that’s a big if – you manage your credit card correctly and pay off the full amount at the end of each month, they can be great to have and smooth the little rough patches in life. But most of us only pay the minimum amount required each month – and that’s exactly what the banks want. It leaves you in the red and owing them money. Which gives them ample opportunity to apply the thumb screws. Remember, every month you’re in the red, you’re paying interest on the outstanding amount which gets added to your bill.

The big mistake we all make is to look at our monthly statement and say: “Hey, that’s not too bad. I can still afford my repayments. And I have some credit available to buy that wiggly snoogle as well!” The problem arises when you battle to make your income stretch through the month because of the various different repayments you have to make.

It’s critically important that you start looking at the TOTAL COST of your debt over your lifetime. Once you’re over the shock and horror of how much of your hard earned cash is going up in smoke, you’ll be in a position to tackle the problem head on and take the path to debt free living.

Remeber: Bad debt is a bad habit.

Author Info:

Gerard runs a website aimed at helping you getting rid of your Debt. If your debt is getting you down consider debt consolidation. http://www.debtconsolidationweb.info

Latest 20 articles

Hire the California Labor Board or California Labor Law Attorneys - You Decide With a downturn in the economy, many employers are cutting back on payroll. Unfortunately, some employers are reducing payroll costs by violating the California overtime laws. When this occurs, employees have essentially two options to recover their California overtime pay: the California labor board, or hiring California labor law attorneys. Although the California Labor Board is a commonly

Hiring a Car At Bangalore - Is More of Necessity Than A Luxury Your sedan is probably the best materialistic thing that you own and while going to a new place, that is what you ought to miss the most but if you are going to Bangalore then you probably have a option of getting a replacement so that you don’t miss it all that most because it will be as comfortable and as obedient as your own car and the Bangalor

How to Choose a Car Rental Company in Bangalore Bangalore is a place that lists one of the best as far as infrastructure is considered in India as it is the IT hub of India and thus the roads to drive is atmost pleasure and thus if Bangalore is the destination that you are planning for next then the best way to move around is by hiring a car. To hire is car is very simple if it is in Bangalore because there are some very good car rental compani

Car Rental Companies in Bangalore If you are travelling to Bangalore and hiring a car is what worrying you then you can be relaxed because this is one service that you will easily get in Bangalore and that too at very affordable and economic prices. Basically there are really good car rental companies in Bangalore available for renting the cars and you can either book in advance or go there and hire a car for yourself. Also, you h

Tips to Hire a Car in Bangalore One thing that most of us agree is that the fact that the most comfortable way to move around at any place is by your own vehicle but what if you are going to a new place, it is not possible to carry your vehicle along with you and you actually cannot trust too much on the public transportation system and at such situation the best possible option is to hire a car for yourself, at some places it c

Hire a Car: Comfortable Way to explore Bangalore If you are out to a new place than the first thing that comes into your mind is a comfortable accommodation and then the second one on the priority list is a comfortable way to move around in the city and if Bangalore is your preferred location, than you’ll be having options for both of the facilities, but if we specifically speak about the second one that is moving comfortably than the best opti

Car Rental – A convenient mode of transport in Bangalore Bangalore, a place which probably is considered one of the best places in India as far as infrastructure is considered and reasons are many for that, one is because of the IT hub that it is and also because it is one of very good places if you are considering holidays and because of this very good facility provided for the people visiting Bangalore is that you have many options in case if you are

Rent a Car in Bangalore: Take the Right Decision In today’s world, time is money; the more you save it better it is for you. And in that case if you are going to another place where you are not too familiar with the surroundings, then instead of wasting time on travelling by locating and travelling by public transport is to hire a vehicle for yourself. This helps in many ways, one it saves on time and also it moves at your pace so you don’t have

Bangalore Car Rental: Save Your Time When you are at an unknown place or for that matter known place and time is your major factor of concern then, the best way to save on time is by having your own vehicle for conveyance. This gives you freedom to move at your own pace and wish. And for that matter if you are at a place like Bangalore where the roads are so beautiful that it is a sheer pleasure to travel through your own rented vehi

Best Package Tours to Kerala Kerala – God’s own country which means heaven for those who appreciate the real untouched, naïve beauty of nature and if you are one of those than consider Kerala as the option for you next holiday. Kerala gives an option to explore the nature to the fullest because it has all the places where you can explore the nature be it scenic beaches or the hill stations or the ethnic culture, just everythi

Kerala Tour: A Getaway from Regular Stress If you are tired of daily stress and meetings and looking for a getaway so that you snatch some time for yourself with your loved one’s than Kerala holidays is the perfect is the perfect thing for you. Its calmness and closeness to nature would give you that much needed peace of mind that you always wanted. Also along with enjoying the beauty of this scenic place on your holidays to Kerala you can

Kerala Tour Packages: Have A Look If holidays are on your mind, then Kerala is one option that you cannot choose to neglect. Because Kerala is one place that offers you all from calm and serene natural places to exciting sports to exotic beaches and also beautiful hill stations, everything provided at one place which is also known as god’s own country. And obviously such wide range of activities would make it a tough job to cover

Kerala Holidays: Places To Visit Kerala also known as God’s own country, the name itself is synonymous with heavenly experience and to see this heavenly place all you have to do is pack your bags and head straight away to Kerala. Kerala is a place of multiple opportunities of which you can select the ones that interest you the most and design your own package for your Kerala tour. You can come to Kerala for various reasons and th

An Overview to Kerala Tourism Life’s a journey and to keep moving there are occasional breaks that you need to take and if you are looking for one of those breaks than Kerala holidays is one place that is your answer. Be it a family vacation or honeymoon tour or just a getaway with friends, this is one place that provides with ample opportunities for every kind of vacation. In fact there is so much to do and see that you will

Kerala : Popular Travel Destinations Kerala holidays is one thing that you should treat yourself and your family at least once and once you go to Kerala, you’ll have that craving to go back again and again, such is the charm of god’s own country that is Kerala. To give you a glimpse of what all Kerala have to offer to its visitors, let’s start with the most famous tourist hot spot i.e. Munnar, a place which is famous for its tree and

Kerala : Welcome To GOD’S Own Country If serene and calm beauty of nature is what’s on your mind then, Kerala is just the place you are looking for. It is so pristine and pure that it is called God’s own country. Greenery spread everywhere till your eyes can see; picturesque views, fog in the morning etc. are some of the first things you will notice when you step in Kerala. Kerala Tou

A California Labor Law Attorney: Just What You Need in Times of Trouble! In a time where California labor law is constantly changing and employers are playing it “fast and loose” in order to make ends meet, a California labor law attorney may be just what the doctor ordered to explain the complex California overtime laws. With a weakening economy, and jobs being shipped overseas, it is not uncommon to see rampant abuse of the California overtime laws. Employers r

Tax Debt Help Needed - How Can I Stop an IRS Bank Levy? The IRS does give you ample warning that they intend to levy your bank account. You undoubtedly received the notice and demand for payment from the IRS which included the amount you owed in back taxes. You probably did not contact the IRS at that time, and that was very important. The next communication you received was called the “Final Notice” which did express their Intent to Levy and also inc

California Labor Laws: Asserting Your Employee Rights Many employees when experiencing a labor violation are confused as to where to turn and typically take one of four paths. 1. A very common path and usually the most treacherous, is doing nothing at all. When an employee is hesitant to hire California overtime lawyers or California labor law attorneys to handle a situation, it usually gets worse before it gets better. Complacency will typicall

California Overtime Laws: Top 4 Common Employer Mistakes A California labor law attorney has revealed the four most common mistakes that employers make in violation of California overtime laws. Although California labor laws for breaks and lunches are clear, nevertheless employers tend to overlook something as simple as giving their employees a meal or rest break. While this is only one of our top three violations, it is often the most overlooked.