Having run through step 1 to becoming debt free you will now know your total debt. Step 2 will have shown you how much you can afford to spend on debt repayments. It is almost certain that the amount you are currently spending to service your debts is greater than the amount you can afford. So what can you do about it?

Whilst it is possible for you to try and resolve your debt problems yourself, by contacting all of your creditors, negotiating with them to freeze interest, write off a proportion of your debts and reduce your monthly repayments it will take you a lot of time and effort and is not guaranteed to produce results.

By utilizing a debt solution service like ours we do all of the hard work for you. Whichever debt solution is best for your individual circumstances, be it a consolidation loan, debt management program or IVA we walk you through every step of the way ensuring the best result for you.

To obtain our free debt advice all you have to do is complete our online enquiry form (it will only take you a couple of minutes). We then analyze all of the relevant factors to determine the best debt solution for you.

By filling out our enquiry form and contacting us you have taken the first major step to becoming debt free. Providing you stick to the proposed solution for the full length of time the debt will have been repaid and you will be back on the road to recovery.

Whilst some debt solutions, such as an IVA, will have an effect on your credit rating, by making the repayments and getting debt free you have demonstrated your commitment to repayments and it is possible to repair your credit rating reasonably quickly.

Categories: Debt, General

If you have followed step 1 to becoming debt free you now have a total debt figure calculated. Now we need to know more about your income and other outgoings. This will give you an idea about how much money you have to spend each month to service your debt repayments.

Using your bank statements make a note of all credits on your account. This will include:

· Wages/Salary

· Benefits (eg. Tax credit/child benefit)

· Any other regular income

Add this up to give you a total monthly household income. Now make a note of your regular outgoings which will include:

· Mortgage/Rent

· Food

· Utilities (gas/elec/water/telephone etc.)

· Council tax

· Insurance

· Other (TV licence/subscriptions etc.)

This second figure should EXCLUDE any repayments made to service debts. Hopefully the first figure will exceed the second and the difference is the amount you can afford to repay to your creditors.

Taking into account the amount of debt you owe, the number of creditors you owe to and the amount you can afford to repay we can now calculate the best debt solution for your individual circumstances. There is a simple debt solution calculator on our website which will give you an initial idea.

Now we move on to the third and final step. Getting professional debt advice.

Categories: Debt, General

The first step to becoming debt free is to calculate your debt. The amount of debt you have will fluctuate on a daily basis as interest is added and further spending is made. However you do not need to know to the exact penny how much your debts are. A rough figure will do.

Start by looking at your bank statement to see where money is being paid out. This should show you where debt repayments are being made. Focus particularly on credit cards, store cards and loan repayments. Then dig out your last statement from each and write down the total outstanding in a list.

If you have access to online banking you may be able to log-in and find out a more exact figure. In this case make sure you note down the figure outstanding on that day. Some of the debts you may currently have include:

· Credit Cards

· Store Cards

· Personal Loans

· Car Finance

· Catalogues

· HP Agreements

Many of these type of debts attract high rates of interest so each month you leave a balance outstanding your debt problems will get worse. Replacing them with a lower interest loan over a longer period could save you money each month. However you need to make sure that once they have been repaid you don’t take out any more credit until your loan has finished. This will leave you debt free.

A debt consolidation loan is just one way of solving your debt problems. There are others including debt management or an IVA. Step 2 to becoming debt free is to identify the best debt solution and we will cover this topic in our next blog post.

Categories: Debt, General