| By :
Jim Kemish
Build a Solid Foundation If you want to repair your credit you need to make sure your foundation is solid. There is little point in investing time or money in credit repair services if there is a likelihood of backsliding. One step forward and two steps back will never get you to your goal. One of the most powerful aides to credit repair is an intelligent, clever, and even entertaining budget. Did I say entertaining? Financial Enlightenment Solidify your foundation first and then start your credit repair. There are many amazing benefits to setting up a budget and none of them need to resemble an austerity program. The initial process of developing a budget can be entirely enlightening. It is a process of gathering, sorting, sifting, categorizing, and understanding the money you spend. No More Fuzzy Understanding Unless you are a credit repair veteran and have already gone through this routine it is not likely that you truly know about your financial life. True, it is your money, but it is likely that you do not see the whole picture. In fact, if you are like most people you live your life, spend the money you earn, or more, and have at best a fuzzy picture of where it all went. Leave No Leaf Unturned Clear your mind and your kitchen table. The big credit repair payoff is coming, but first comes the work. Get a full size pad of paper and a pen. Grab the last few months of credit card and checking account statements. If you keep a box of spending receipts, break it out. It is time to list every single dollar you spend, from daily incidentals to the monthly biggies, like rent and your car payment. Leave no leaf unturned. Do the Math Write down everything. Put the expenditures into categories, double check that you got everything. If you pay your insurance quarterly, multiply by four and divide by twelve to arrive at a monthly number. If you take an annual vacation, estimate the number and divide by twelve. Now it is time to add it up. How does it look? Personal Self-Knowledge The goal is to look deeply at the flow of your money. Personal self knowledge and credit repair are best of friends. Beyond credit repair there are wonderful emotional consequences of knowing where you stand. Living within your means can eliminate enormous stress from your life. Now is the time to take an honest look at the numbers. Take a Tally If you are earning more than you spend, congratulations! It is wonderful thing, and you are ready to embark on the credit repair journey without fear of falling. If you are spending more than you earn you are running a deficit that will come back to bite you, sooner or later. Now is the time to look at ways to recalibrate your spending. It does not have to cause pain. Go on a Sweet Adventure of Life Here are some sweet and happy ways that have worked well for many people in need of budgetary solidification prior to taking the credit repair journey. You should look at everything and put your brilliance to work, but for your consideration, how about these ideas: Eat at home more often, stage a weekly movie-at-home night, take a stay-cation this year and explore your own city instead of heading out of town, pack a lunch for work instead of hitting the deli for a ten buck sandwich, and you might even visit your car dealer and trade in your SUV for a more budget friendly vehicle. Credit Repair is Safe and More You will be amazed at the amount of money you can save without putting a dent in the quality of your life. In fact, many credit repair candidates report back that they have never been so happy with the money-saving changes they have made. Not only have they protected their long term credit repair results, but they have learned a few new tricks. Nothing warms the heart like a balanced budget. Good luck! Copyright © 2010 James W. Kemish. All Content. All Rights Reserved.
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