Consolidation of debt is an option that is available to most people, especially if they have not yet ventured into a bad credit rating situation. If one is looking at the option of consolidation of debt, then it should be done prior to any adverse conditions or comments on your credit report.

Consolidation of debt can prove to be a solution, but it can be dangerous too. The reasoning behind this rationale of consolidation of debt is if one is not disciplined enough to refrain from incurring further debt after you have performed a consolidation of debt exercise, you can end up in twice as much trouble as you were in the beginning.

The process of consolidation of debt involves the settlement of all debts except one major account, this account normally takes the form of a bank loan, and can be secured or unsecured; meaning that you may have to provide collateral in the form of surety or fixed property, when applying for a secured loan. The security offers the creditor a safety net of being able to recover the outstanding debt should you default on the loan taken out.

The consolidation of debt works particularly well when you have identified that you may well be battling to keep up with payments of all your current debts, in which instance once you have taken the loan and performed the consolidation of debt, you will have one single debt payment to be made. This is usually lower than the sum of all previous debt payments, it is recommended to attempt to pay more into the consolidation of debt loan, in order to reduce it as soon as possible.

As mentioned earlier, after consolidation of debt it is very tempting and extremely easy to fall into the trap of spending on those accounts and credit cards that you already paid off; by all means you should steer away from this temptation, especially if your home is up as collateral one your consolidation of debt loan. Should you feel that you will utilize your credit cards and accounts in the future, rather put the cards in a safe place, out of your wallet. This will assist in driving off the temptation and need to spend on these accounts. It may sound silly, but how many times have you pulled out the credit card and purchased something which you actually did not need; over and above this fact it really defeats the object of consolidation of debt.

The process and point of consolidation of debt is to inch your way towards a debt free lifestyle which is rewarding from a personal aspect as well as a financial benefit and an interest cost savings too. Use this process and option wisely to benefit your financial and credit wellbeing.

First, you must understand what unsecured debt is. Unsecured debt is money owed to a creditor for which there is no collateral taken. Mostly, this applies to credit cards as the credit card company trusts you to pay the balance down.

For consumers with multiple credit cards, this can sneak up on them and overwhelm their finances. All of a sudden, you find yourself paying out more than you are bringing in.

To pay of that unsecured debt, consolidation loans are a common solution. An unsecured debt consolidation loan does not lower your balance owed as in a debt negotiation settlement. Simply, all your debts are combined together and you make one payment opposed to the several you do now.

This is done for several reasons with the most prominent being to pay off that debt at a lower interest rate. The unsecured debt consolidation loan will probably be at a much lower interest rate than a standard credit card charges. Credit card rates can range from 7% or 8% to more than 30% in extreme cases.

You may be able to call your card company and ask for a better rate. They might oblige you if you have been a good customer for an extended period of time. Then again, they may not. It will depend on the card issuer involved.

With a debt consolidation loan, the rates can be comparable to rates for new mortgages at around 7.5% at the present time. Again, this depends on the PLR at the time the loan is applied for. As I said earlier, most of the time these consolidation loans are collateralized for lender security.

However, it is possible for a consumer to get a bit over extended and actually get an unsecured debt consolidation loan. In this case, the term unsecured debt consolidation loan means that you take the loan to combine all your bills that is NOT collateralized. This can be done if you have a good or outstanding credit rating. In this instance, the loan company will be comfortable in extending you the funds you need.

Of course, the main idea is to save money on the month in the form of lower interest charges, but there are other benefits as well. By taking out a debt consolidation loan, you will essentially be making timely payments which will reflect well on your credit score.

Perhaps you have been getting calls from your creditors and felt the pressure of your debt pressing down. This may cause you to lose sleep and/or have other physical afflictions associated with stress.

All of this will be eliminated by combining your unsecured debt with a consolidation loan. Consolidation of your debt may be the solution that keeps you from filing bankruptcy, which will affect your credit score for quite some time to come.

An unsecured debt consolidation loan may be just the ticket you are searching for.

Having poor credit means that certain things are not going to be possible, such as taking out a loan or getting a grant, but there are many ways that one can go about getting debt relief and getting their life back in order.

Useful Tips

* Dealing with credit cards in one of the best debt relief tips that anyone can have. One of the major causes of debt anywhere around the world is the credit card, and thus it is important that attention should be centered in this area. The ideal way to reduce the amount of credit card debt is to always pay more than the minimum payment and this is a major step toward relieving debt. The amount of time with regards to how long it will take to pay off the credit cards by adding more to the minimum will certainly less and you would be astounded at how quickly the debt will be reduced.

* Another method to reduce credit card debt is by cashing out on savings. Instead of paying the average 18% a year or even more on a credit car, you can easily reduce the credit card debt simply by making use of savings to cover the credit card payment. It may seem difficult to make use of your savings in this manner, however in the end it will pay off for you. If you think about it, even if the stock market average of only 11% is being earned by the savings, then the amount paid out is still much higher than what is earned.

* Finally, another one the best debt relief tips is the method of refinancing your mortgage. A great advantage of this strategy is that you will be able to take advantage of lower interest rates that may be prevalent during the time you attempt this method. If you find that the interest rates are lower, then it is to your advantage to make use of refinancing. You will be able to avail of great savings through this and perhaps even make a small of profit out of it.

When it comes to debt relief or getting out of debt, you must remember that it is possible regardless of how difficult it may seem. There are many knowledgeable and experienced professionals that are readily available and even willing to assist in getting your finances back on track.

This article hoped to give you a few pointers and advice to help you make the best of your situation.

If you were like me then you may not have maxed out all of your credit cards. And as long as you have realized that debt is a problem you have hopefully stopped spending on them and are concentrating on keeping up with the monthly payments.

You need to try and reduce the amount of credit cards you have to make the payments easier to track and more manageable and obviously it is a good idea to find the cards with the cheapest offers.

So first thing to do is call each credit card company. Find out if they have any special interest offers in action or any coming up. Some may offer 0% for a period when you transfer over from another card. Others may be offering a low interest for the life of a transferred balance.

The important thing is to get all the information written down. A spreadsheet style such as that available for free in Google Documents or Microsoft Excel is an excellent way to analyse the data. It is also a good call to write the balance and credit limit for each of these cards down next to the offers so that you can work out where to transfer your money for the best long term deal.

Once you have this data you can start working out where your money should go. Most companies offer a balance transfer fee so always take this into account when looking at the figures.

Here is an example of what you may end up with.

This example is pretty simplistic but you can see how easy it could be to take advantage of available offers to simplify your payments and actually save money on interest in the long run.

What if you have maxed out all of your cards?

I’m not suggesting you go and get more cards but it may be worth your while in the short term, opening some new cards and transferring balances from your maxed cards. If you have kept up with payments up until now you are more likely to be accepted for a new card.

Look for new cards that have the same or better terms than your current cards. Pay particular attention to balance transfer fees, yearly fees and any offers they have. Don’t jump for any interest fee card. If you are in debt it is likely that you will be for a very long time, so it is worthwhile picking a long term offer at a low rate rather than a 0% offer that does not last long and then jumps to a high interest. You may not be in a position to switch the balance again when the term is up.

Alway make sure that you close the old accounts, this normally needs to be done in writing.

Playing with your cards and dealing with the stress

If you are in debt it is likely that you are prone to stress and outbursts at times, most of us have been there. I always advise to stay positive and be careful not to rush any decisions. Sit down by yourself with a cup of tea or coffee and work this out. Don’t let distractions get in your way and make sure you look over the figures until you are satisfied that you have the best solution. Then write down each step that you have to take. Follow this list and mark off each call and trasnfer until you are completed.

Once this is done, you will feel like a weight has been lifted and you will be one step closer to achieving a debt free you. Even if you still need to contact professional help, at least you will be in a more organized situation.

1. Make an expenditure list

Write down everything you spend. You will be surprised at some of the things you spend money on, that you do not have to. Just think if you cut out the journey to the coffee shop every morning you could save anywhere between $10-$30 a week. That probably equivelents at least one debt payment per month. Once you have the information written down you will be much more motivated to not spend in certain areas. It may even help you become a gourmet home cook or cut down on smoking.

2. Make best use of credit cards

See if any of your credit cards have interest free offers or transfer any credit card debts to a new interest free credit card. The 6-12 months in interest relief could give you the money to pay off another debt.

3. Catch up on the world for free

Watch the morning news on the tv or read it on the internet. You will save around $5-7 dollars a week in newspapers.

4. Assess all your household bills and expenses

See if there are any cheaper suppliers. I know I save a bundle when I combined my gas and electricity payments. You may also be able to cut back on certain cable channels or even combine internet / phone and TV. You may be able to find a cheaper supermarket for food or buy your gas from another station on your daily route.

5. Budget for the coming month

Look at your household income and work out a reasonable budget and if you can include a little cash to spare for those “out of the blue” moments.

6. Separate your money from debt money

Create a new bank account or, if your account allows it, a new pot. That way you can easily keep track of how much is left as the month draws on.

7. Leave temptation at home

Leave all credit cards, debit cards and check books that are unneeded at home. If you never need these cards, keep the account details on file and cut them up. I always enjoy seeing how many pieces I can cut a card into!

8. Get a long term plan

If you are in a large amount of debt then there is no point fooling yourself into thinking that it will disappear in a flash. Set yourself up for the long haul and it will be much easier to stick to and not get depressed.

9. Join Ebay and have a yard sale

“One man’s junk is another man’s treasure”. Look around your home, if you have been there a while, chances are you have a lot of stuff that you really don’t need. Collect it all together and sell all the quality items by auction on ebay. The rest can be sold in a yard sale. You may end up with a bigger lump sum than you imagined.

10. Make some more money with your free time

With some of the free hours you have every week you could make some extra money from your hobby or find a part time job. I started blogging as a hobby and ended up making money on the side. Now it is my full time job. Your knowledge should not be undervalued. You may be an expert gardener or be able to create some great art to sell. Alternatively a couple of hours working at the a pizza restaurant or local store may actually be fun and prevent you from spending.

11. Ask for a raise

Most people feel undervalued at work. It is said “if you don’t ask you will not receive”, so ask your boss and you may be surprised. Company policy is often never to offer a raise unless asked.

12. Lose the shame of debt

Debt is very common and many people are in the same situation as you. If you let your friends and family know then the attitude towards you will be a lot more open and people will be more willing to spend time with you in non-spending situations. You may even be forced to take some free drinks from close friends on the occasional Friday night. Don’t be ashamed, these are your friends and you will be there for them one day too.

13. Speak to a professional

This is something that will go hand in hand with these tips and many professionals will give you many more ideas on top of these. You may be able to consolidate some of your debts or even wipe some off or propose settlement offers.