How am I going to buy diapers on the way home?


There I was, getting ready to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. What was I thinking?

"How am I going to buy diapers on the way home? I have no money."

If you've ever parachuted, you know it's important to have your head in the game.

My head was on my Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express.

They were all maxed out and I needed those diapers for my son.

Consumer debt enveloped me for many years. It's why every
FinanceFriday I pour my heart out in these posts.

It took me many years to get over my ego and pride to ask for help. When I did, I began to climb out of the hole I had dug for myself.

Almost weekly someone will inevitably comment "consumer debt isn't bad if you use it wisely." If you know how to use it wisely, then this post isn't for you.

It's for the vast majority of Americans and dare I say friends from other nations around the world who, like I once was, don't know how to use it wisely.

If you're in debt up to your eyeballs, if you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, it's time to get some help.

Ask friends, family, or mentors who they trust with their finances. Always do the research. Google reviews of the person and company they represent.

The first step is to recognize you have a problem. The second is to take responsibility and accountability for it. Doesn't really matter the extenuating circumstances. Visa doesn't care about your sob story.

The third step? Do the hard work of learning where you're spending your money, and then creating a budget and sticking to it, no matter how hard, no matter the sacrifices you have to make.

There's no easy button on the way to financial freedom.

Getting out of consumer debt "first" is more important than the new $80K Ford F250 you think you need. The Joneses don't need keeping up with. You don't need the latest iPhone that looks exactly like the one you spent $1,500 on 12 months ago.

I'm no expert. I'm just a guy who found the key to get out of my prison and I want you to taste the freedom waiting for you on the other side.

Once you do, consumer debt will never have power over you again.
 

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