Tips and Tricks for Effective Debt Management

Living with debt isn’t easy. Now, more than ever, increasing numbers of us are experiencing debt as a result of lost work or reduced income as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic. Many of us haven’t been able to work for months. Many of us are having to accept reduced salaries to keep our work.

Whether this is the first time you’ve experienced being in debt, or you’ve been through the process before, it’s always a good idea to know the basics of debt management. These tips and tricks will help you to get by!

Summarize Your Debt

When considering debt resolution programs, it’s important to first summarize your debts. Some people owe their debt on a single major loan or one high-limit credit card, while others have multiple debts with different companies.

If you find yourself in the latter category, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of what you owe and to whom. Take the time to go through all of your letters and accounts, compiling a comprehensive list of your outstanding debts.

This initial step will serve as a solid foundation, especially if you’re exploring debt resolution programs as part of your strategy. These programs can provide structured approaches for managing and paying off your debts, offering valuable assistance in negotiating with creditors and creating manageable repayment plans.

Eliminate Unwarranted Debt

When you go through your debts, you may realise that there are debts in your name that you didn’t accrue, that have expired, that is still showing on your record even though you’ve paid them off, or various other issues. It’s important that you contact the relevant lenders or companies about these to ensure that any unwarranted debts are cleared from your name and account.

Look Into the Terms and Conditions of Your Debt

Whenever you take out a loan, finance agreement or credit agreement, there are going to be terms and conditions attached. It’s absolutely essential that you look through your credit agreements to ensure that you know the ins and outs and know what you can and can’t do to relieve these debts.

Different approaches will be best depending on the terms and conditions. For example, VA debt management will use different methods to overcome debt than difficulties with keeping up payments on a car finance plan.

Contact Lenders

If you’re struggling to keep up payments on your debts, it’s always best to contact the lenders directly.

You can explain your circumstances to them and they may be lenient and alter payment dates, cut added interest costs or give you a payment holiday. They may even allow you to come up with a payment plan that allows you to pay outstanding debts for things like bills in smaller contributions.

This, of course, is much more preferable to simply ignoring your debts, letting fees and fines accrue and potentially facing court action.

Of course, being in debt can be an extremely stressful experience. But hopefully, some of the above advice and information will help you to manage your debt effectively, crafting a light at the end of the tunnel for you!