Start Now, Start Small

When Amy and I started on our journey to get out of debt ($120K) it was an overwhelming task.  What really helped though was taking it in steps that were doable in the short term yet could show we were making progress.

• Track expenses daily.  This does not need to be fancy just carry around a small notebook and write down what you spend when you make a purchase. (We started this immediately)
• Organize your debt.  (We did this in the first week of deciding to do something about our dilemma)
• Cut back on spending a little bit at a time. 1% per month and add an extra 1% each of the following months after that.  (We were aggressive here, we cut back 10% in our first month, and ended with almost  40% cut back in a year)
• Open a new savings account either online or at a separate bank. (We did this in the first day of our journey)

These are just some examples of what we did to kick start paying down our debt.  Pick just one and start tonight.  After doing one well, check it off your list and start a new milestone.  By starting small you will see immediate and beneficial progress that is manageable for the long journey.  You might surprise yourself as we did and find out you want to do so much more.