In this climate of uncertainties over the economic outlook, you would be smart to take affirmative steps to reduce your debts and to pay them off completely if possible. Cash is king. Debt is a liability. Many financial companies are wizening up to this fact. If you give in to the temptation of using your house like an ATM, withdrawing cash against a home equity line of credit to pay for luxuries, you may just lose your home.

Take Stock of Your Situation

You must do this if you are going to reduce your debt. Compile a record of all your debts and work out a plan for repaying each of them. Find the debt with the lowest balance and pay that debt off right away if able. This will be the confidence booster that you will need as you sought to reduce your debt even further. Prioritize your remaining debts and pay off more for those with the highest interest rate. Forget about paying just the minimum sum or you will never clear your debts.

Stop Charging to Your Credit Cards

Do not incur new debt. Use cash as far as possible. Do not be fooled into thinking you are coming out ahead by using a credit card for their reward programs, such as air miles and cash back. The reward is not worth the high interest you will need to pay when you are force to roll over the credit card balance later. If you cannot maintain the discipline, then get rid of your credit cards to remove the temptation once and for all.

Budget

Sit down and work out a realistic monthly budget for yourself. No point scrimping to the point of starvation, you will not be motivated to stay the course. Be realistic and practical about your budget. You will still need to live and pay for basic necessities even as you repay your debts. Be very aware of how much income you have and how much is going out for what items each month. This will help you to prioritize your spending.

Seek Professional Help if necessary

If you find that you are still having troubles making ends meet and there is no way for you to lower your debts, then you may want to speak to a financial aid counselor or even an accountant. They would be able to take a close look at your situation and figure out what is going to work best and get you out of debt.

You may also need the help of debt consolidation companies. Debt consolidators can help especially if you have several different loans. The debt consolidators will take your monthly payments and then pay your creditors, little by little each month. In return, you will be obligated to debt consolidation company for a consolidated loan, which is often of a lower interest rate.