I call upon Lakshmi Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, arts and beauty. Let abundance poor down on me and for heaven sakes give me the strength to get my debt paid off!!
If you like me have racked up debt in your life at one point or another then you'll either be in my shoes or have been there before at one point. Now, this info is to uplift and help those who may be paying off self-developing investments and need a little help like I did on how not to be in the red zone. Be warned I'm not in the clear yet and am learning along the way how to pay off what I racked up over the years. I want to share with you some changes I've made with help from others on how to start you on the debt-free track!
I'll tell you how it all began and how my debt began getting out of hand. It was a sunny bright day I was writing done my dreams and goals for the next 5 years in 2013. I wanted to become a yoga teacher (*cough* an amazing one...though to this date still haven't taught a class just yet! Haha), an Aromatherapist, and a Reiki Master. Now the thing is I've gone and accomplished all these looking back now, but on the way accumulated quiet a bit of debt! 4 years ago decided to dive into my self and started to invest in me. I took on an 800hr/2 year Vijnana Yoga teaching study which I knew wouldn't be cheap but was the only YT program I wanted to do. I also took a Holistic Aromatherapy Practitioner college course which these two began my heft debt. Which when I saw how much I loved putting my money into me, was honestly I little hard to stop. I got in a habit of spending and borrowing money that wasn’t mine, and have been in this cycle for 4 years.
Now, last month I had a huge shift that made me my thought finally saying enough was enough. I no longer wanted this heavy debt cloud hanging over me. So this is when I wrote down my next three goals to achieve and guess which one made it to the top! You got it my debt being paid off. So here are steps I've taken to paying off my debt, and if you like me are wanting to pay off debt try some of these out. Because they sure have helped me, and have been watching the numbers going down in leaps and bounds by the end of this month since my shift! Here we go!
#1 Stop spending!
Sorry lovely let's get real right now. If spending is what got you into the debt you are in well it's obviously not going to get you out of it. Now, of course, you have to spend money on your essentials such as food, rent, bills, expensive that you need. But its time to stop buying pretty little things that catch your eyes, and focus on enjoying what you have. Even if it’s just for a little bit stop buying anything and everything that you want and focus only on what you need! It's not going to be forever (even though it will feel that way) but keep your thoughts focused on how nice it will be to pay for something with your own money instead of borrowed money.
#2 Stop eating out!
Dear lord... this is my number one that has really started saving me money. You forget how much money is spent on eating out. Adding taxes, one alcoholic beverage, and tips that we forget to calculate into it all. So instead of going out to eat all the time bring it back to the kitchen. Start cooking again, it doesn’t have to be fancy (unless you want it too) and start bringing food with you so you don’t get stuck out and about and having to buy food out. 30$ of groceries last me a week and not just one evening out dining!
#3 Start saying No!
It’s ok I promise, even if it's just for a while. Now if you're a people pleaser like me and are getting invited to outings, coffee dates, and dinners with friends. Its time to start getting creative, free things are easy and don’t have to be that Instagram perfect shot get together. As of my inspirational Simple Beginnings Goddess Gathering, I learnt that sometimes doing less is actually so much more. I’ve started enjoying hanging at home more, watching a film, going for a walk, do art together, etc. You're friends, if they are true friends will understand if you're trying to save money, and will love your broke ass no matter what you guys end up doing.
#4 Figure out where your money is going!
Have someone with you take a serious look at what you’ve been spending and start figuring where it is your money is going. This is a true moment that you have to get real with yourself. What have you been buying and why haven’t you been able to pay off what you accumulated. After you’ve figured out what your expenses are and have money each month to put that aside begin figuring out where the rest of it needs/has to go. Thankfully I have an amazing Dad who is great at finances! He ended up finding out that I was paying for a balance protection insurance that I didn’t consent to on my credit card, which I called into getting rectified ending up getting close to 4000$ refunded back! Amazing right! Honestly have someone who's good with money have a look at your expenses. See if you're paying for things that you shouldn’t be because that second pair of eyes really does help!
#5 Start selling
Getting rid of and selling stuff you really don’t need anymore. This was a big one for me, it felt like the more I began getting rid of my non-valuables the more I was making room for space to allow wealth to come in. Selling on online platforms like craigslist, let go, or facebook marketplace are great ways of selling things! You’d be amazed at what people will buy! Any small amount you sell put straight on your debt because even small amounts will start to make ripples in your debt.
#6 Time to start working more,
Ya, this one seems obvious but it was something that I actually forgot! I got out of the habit of putting my energy towards making money and was just expecting it to land in my lap from the universe. Like what!? Though...as nice as that would be, there is something to be said when you’ve worked for your money you feel rewarded by it. Almost the same way I hear that someone compliments my blog post occasionally and I light up with pride! So start picking up shifts, working more hours, hosting more workshops, promoting your business more and so on! Just be mindful to rest when you need to!
#7 10% Rule
This one was was something that I learnt from The Wealthy Barber by Clinton book. That I started doing and it began with me feeling like not all my money was going into my black hole seemingly debt, and that I did indeed have money. What you do is take 10% of your paychecks. For instance, if your paycheck is 100$ then you’d take 10$ from that pay and put it into your savings. This way you never feel short! It's amazing even if its a small amount of seeing money in your saving as a back up if you have to dip into it. Everything else can start going into your debt.
So if paying off your debt at the moment is something you're trying to do, use these to help put your energy towards it. Because as I've been told by my amazing spiritual teacher time and time again and have been inspired by her that the universe can't give us what we ask. If its truly something you are aligned with then there is nothing stopping it from happening beside you! I hope this helps you like it has me moving forward on putting your energy into your money and getting your butt into gear on being debt free! Once you start seeing these shifts I promise it doesn’t seem as impossible as you made it out to seem. Good luck my loves you’ve got this!
Sending abundance n’ love your way,
E