Live Debt Free

Pay off debt. Save. Give. Live your mission.

  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Credit Scores
  • Spending
  • Investing
  • Earn Money

Break Out of Your Personal Finance Slump

09.21.2010 by Guest Author //

This guest post was written by Go Banking Rates, bringing you informative personal finance content and helpful tools, as well as the best interest rates on financial services nationwide. Follow them on Twitter at @gobankingrates.

Personal finance can be very exciting. Unlike most things in life, the results of your efforts are crystal clear. If you’re working hard to battle your debt, you see the little increments of every dollar you pay down in the short-term. Over the long-term, you see the giant leaps you’ve made since you started your plan. The same goes for saving money. The experience of knowing that you have your finances in control can be very rewarding.

Yet, even the best of us sometimes lose track of our budgets and indulge in a little overspending. That’s usually not a big problem, but if you start cutting yourself too much slack too often, you run the risk of negating all the time and hard work you put into getting yourself fiscally fit.

Motivate Yourself Again

If you feel you’re suffering from personal finance burnout, set some time aside to regain your motivation. Whether you’re trying to pay down debt or save money, the key to personal finance is all in your desire and discipline. Once you lose sight of that, it’s very easy to fall back into bad habits that leave your debt spiraling out of control and you living paycheck-to-paycheck.

Matt’s note: Remember… those in the midst of financial slip ups need not be the only readers taking this to heart, others who can benefit greatly are those like myself, who have reached a financial plateau but could take things to the next level.

Ask yourself these questions again. Maybe your motivation has waned because you don’t remember the answers to them:

  • Why are you saving money/paying down debt? Maybe you’re saving for retirement or a house. Or maybe you’re paying down debt to build your credit score or so you won’t have to worry about interest piling up.
  • Why is it important to you? Only you can answer this question and that’s what makes it more special. The reasons are for no one else but yourself.
  • What are your goals to help you get there? Be realistic. If you set the bar too high, you can easily get discouraged when you don’t clear it. Aim low and accomplishing your goals won’t feel very significant.
  • How do you plan to accomplish these goals? This will serve as your guideline to follow as you execute your plan.
  • When do you want to accomplish them? Give yourself a deadline so you won’t put it off too much. Stay disciplined.

Use your answers to these questions to refocus your strategy and regain your motivation. The most important part to personal finance success is to want to succeed. As long as the want is there, the rest should fall in place.

Take Control of Your Money

Just like the way you can see your personal financial successes, you can also see your mistakes. It’s clearly listed for you in your bank statements and credit card transactions. Take these steps to get back into the driver seat:

  • Own your mistakes: It’s never easy to have to look back at your spending binges. It’s easier to just forget them, but you need to face them head on and identify what you did wrong and how you will prevent that from happening again. Analyze your spending habits.
  • Talk to someone: The buddy system works. Find a friend who’s also trying to get their money right and talk about your challenges and ideas. You can try seeking professional help like debtors anonymous meetings or a debt relief specialist if you feel the need. There are many non-profit organizations out there that can help as well.
  • Celebrate your wins: Fighting debt or saving money is about fighting a bunch of small battles that add up to a greater result. Take joy in those little wins and carry that momentum into the next one. It all adds up in the end.

So whether you’re saving cash for a big purchase or trying to pay off debt because of one, remember that money is only a means to getting what you really want. Don’t think about it as little green sheets of paper or just a number you have to monitor. Think of it as one step closer or farther away from your real goal.

Categories // Debt, Honesty, Savings, Spending Tags // break, free, money, movitation

An Elevator Pitch for DebtFreeAdventure.com – Day 1 of 31DBBB

04.07.2009 by Matt Jabs //

What is “Day 1 of 31DBBB”?

The Problogger “31 Days to Build a Better Blog” challenge!

Over the course of the next 31 days I will be participating in this challenge in an effort to make DFA a better place for you to visit.  The concept is simple…to have a group of bloggers set aside a month of their time to work at improving their blogs.  I have chosen to be one of those bloggers, am using Debt Free Adventure as my guinea pig, and urge you to do the same if you have a blog.

How it Works

Every day for 31 straight days, we will receive a post that will contain:

  1. A daily task/homework assignment
  2. A brief lesson on the topic to help implement the task

My goals for DFA in this challenge are:

  • To offer readers the most comprehensive & enjoyable experience possible
  • To make the site a useful & living resource that motivates & aids everyone toward biblical debt free living

Enough about the challenge, let’s get to the implementation!

Task For Today – Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog

What is an Elevator Pitch?

“An elevator pitch is an overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (for example, thirty seconds and 100-150 words).” – Wikipedia

How to Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog

I’m sure there has been much written on the topic online but here’s some starting points that I use when doing this type of thing.

  • Solve a Problem or Need
  • Define Your Audience
  • Keep it Short
  • Stand Out
  • Be Intriguing
  • Be Energetic but not Hyped
  • Consider Using a Question
  • Be Ready to Expand Upon Your Pitch

-ProBlogger

What is My Elevator Pitch for Debt Free Adventure?

I actually have several.  Although currently DFA is primarily a site about my individual adventure to become debt free,  I have a vision for it to become a place where everyone can create their own Debt Free Adventure.  On that wise, my pitches and descriptions are geared toward the ministry of helping myself and others.  I imagine the vision will grow & evolve over time.

Here are the pitches that currently describe my goals for the DebtFreeAdventure.com:

Elevator Pitch

  • Do you feel like a slave to debt?  DFA is dedicated to passionately helping others break the bondage of debt using biblical principles.

Short Elevator Pitch

  • A Bible Based – Bondage Breaking – Debt Free Adventure

Twitter Pitch

  • @MattJabs – Dedicated to Passionately Helping Others Break the Bondage of Debt Biblically – https://debtfreeadventure.com

What do you think of the pitches?  Let us know in your comments…

Check out & join Problogger’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Series

Categories // Earn Money Tags // bible, bondage, break, Debt, help

Popular Posts

  • Understanding & Improving your Cash Flow
  • Credit Card Debt Reduction Handbook
  • Our Monthly Debt Reduction and Savings Statements
  • Pay off Credit Cards VS Build Emergency Fund Savings - Me VS Suze Orman
  • Credit Cards - Close 'em Shred 'em & Forget 'em!
  • More Reasons to Pay Off Credit Card Debt
  • Wise Use of Paid off Credit Cards? You Decide.
  • The Whole Armor of Personal Finance
  • One World Currency - New World Order
  • Debt Testimonials - Encouraging Success Stories!

Disclaimer

Content on Debt Free Adventure is for entertainment purposes only. Rates & offers from advertisers shown on this website may change without notice: please visit referenced sites for current information. Per FTC guidelines, this website may be compensated by companies mentioned through advertising, affiliate programs or otherwise. We respect your privacy. Privacy policy.

Popular Posts

  • Lending Club - My Review of Social Lending
  • Understanding & Improving your Cash Flow
  • Credit Card Debt Reduction Handbook
  • Our Monthly Debt Reduction and Savings Statements
  • Pay off Credit Cards VS Build Emergency Fund Savings - Me VS Suze Orman
  • Credit Cards - Close 'em Shred 'em & Forget 'em!
  • More Reasons to Pay Off Credit Card Debt
  • Wise Use of Paid off Credit Cards? You Decide.
  • The Whole Armor of Personal Finance
  • One World Currency - New World Order
  • Debt Testimonials - Encouraging Success Stories!

Disclaimer

Content on Debt Free Adventure is for entertainment purposes only. Rates & offers from advertisers shown on this website may change without notice: please visit referenced sites for current information. Per FTC guidelines, this website may be compensated by companies mentioned through advertising, affiliate programs or otherwise. We respect your privacy. Privacy policy.

Copyright © 2023 · Modern Studio Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in