Dream Crushing Debt Podcast

Well, you’re certainly listening to the right podcast for that. As the old saying goes, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for the night. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” Or another one, “I can lead you to water, but I can’t make you drink it.” — All of these require some effort on your part to learn and to do. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

Just knowing where to start is very daunting for sure! There are a lot of options out there that people have found success with. The best thing you could do is break it down and then focus on that one thing until you have all the information gathered together for that one thing. Move onto the next. Taking budgeting as a whole is rough - but piecing it together is a lot easier than you might think. Just take a deep breathe. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

Yikes! Yes. This is a major roadblock and is sure to leave anyone defeated for sure. This was, in fact, my biggest fear of working towards paying off my student loans! I didn’t have a whole lot of room for error or surprises. But, that’s when a little forward thinking comes into play when you’re setting up your budget. You should be saving a tiny bit every month for your annual expenses. And, before you started tackling your debt, you should make your emergency fund priority number 1. You need to have money on hand to take care of bigger expenses. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

This roadblock I can big-time relate to. For sure! Most of the time, when friends get together it’s bound to be a good time and who wants to miss out on that? (Aka: FOMO). But sometimes, there just isn’t the extra money to go and do all the time. Rather than being the one to wait for the invite, research some free (or nearly free) things you can do that all your friends can do with you. You’re still with your friends, but you’re not spending money. Here are some ideas: Hiking, Art-in-the-park, Movie night, Dinner party --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

This is something I can relate to, a little bit. It’s not that there wasn’t any effort from my parents to teach me out to budget and track my spending - because there was - but it just never seemed to apply to me. Not to mention at the time, online banking was becoming very popular. But, just because you were never taught or the principles didn’t quite apply while you were growing up, doesn’t mean we can’t learn something new today. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

Generally speaking, we are all very hush on the topic of money. We don’t want unsolicited advice from others who think we should be managing our money differently. We don’t want our friends or family to question our ability to buy a new car or go on a trip somewhere. So why would we then open up about our debt? We want to take care of it quietly leaving everyone else none the wiser about our financial burdens. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

There are 2 reasons I think people struggle with budgeting. 1) They still need to change their mindset about budgeting and essentially believe they have all that it will take to be successful with it. 2) They don't want to track their spending. They want to keep things as they are, but hope their financial woes will disappear simply because they have a budget.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

Budgeting is tough. There are so many different methods and approaches you can learn about. Each one claiming why their method is better than all the rest. In reality, what most fail to realize is that what works for one, doesn't mean it'll work for another. Yes, you need to look into different ways of budgeting, but you need to craft your own method of what works for you. Then do I believe you'll find success. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

It's very surreal actually. Whether you're focused at paying them off or going at them with minimum payments, in any case they will have been around for years. They'll feel like they are a part of the family with has much as they hang around that once they are finally gone it is hard to believe. You've imagined your excitement anticipating such a day, but aren't quite sure you can believe it just yet. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

Sadly, there is no set timeframe on this except for the set minimum payoff timeline that was established when you took out your loans. Which is typically has a payoff term similar to that of mortgages... 15-30 years. Paying them off sooner than that will depend largely on income and loan size.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

I started asking myself this question after college and started to sense the weight of my student loans. Where was my money going? I couldn't account for most of my spending and still felt like I had nothing to show for all the money I was making at the time. It felt like I was dazed, and confused about what was going on... and I hated that feeling. I didn't like not feeling in control. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

What might be easy for me, might not be the easiest or most efficient way for you. Everyone is different and some budgeting methods might come more naturally to you than they do for me. Which is okay, but until you explore or at the very least research into different ways, you'll never be able to find what works for you. For me, I use Mint.com to track my spending because it links to my bank accounts. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

Using a spreadsheet, I've listed out all of my annual bills (and even my semi-annual bills) and then added them all up. That gives me a total for the year, and then in another cell, I enter a basic math formula that divides that total by 12. I know have a number I save every month into my savings account automatically.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

Wow! This can be really hard sometimes. You probably already feel that you’re out of your comfort zone and can’t possibly handle any more than you are. That’s okay, but growth and change will only come when we keep putting ourselves out there - whether by our own choice, or someone else’s. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

This is script we are using to frame our lives and guide are actions. When we are negative and doubt, we respond to life in that way. When we believe that we can do hard things, then we start to accomplish the impossible. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

Throwing a party can be stressful, especially when you aim to impress. However, I have learned that most people just like getting together and are more than willing to bring something to contribute to the party if you just ask. But you have to have a plan and be organized - the less thinking people have to do, the more likely they will contribute freely.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

How to celebrate a birthday without breaking the bank. Especially when celebrating a birth week. Going out to eat is often the least stressful way to celebrate, which means you might be eating out a lot around the week of your birthday. To save money, be sure to sign up for the different birthday clubs at your favorite places so that you can get free or discounted meals.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

Buying gifts in the first place can be difficult, especially if the person you’re buying for isn’t very good at dropping hints at what they would like to have. However, if you have time to plan and shop, you buy gifts on budget. What I like to do is set a budget... whatever it is I’m comfortable spending for that individual and then decide what it is I want to buy for them. Once I’ve figured that out, I go to DealNews.com and search for current deals, or create an alert for future deals.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

I love the summer time. There are so many different things you can do outside with your family and friends that will cost you next to nothing. I did things like float the river. Ride bikes along the Greenbelt. Attend local festivals and other events that were free to get in.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support

Traveling can be addicting and just as expensive. Without careful planning, any trip or vacation could seriously hinder your financial goals because things cost more than you were expecting and all your spontaneous spending went on the credit card. Wherever you go, you need to create a plan of what you want to do and research how much it’ll cost. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dreamcrushingdebt/support