Living with debt may seem like the ‘norm’ these days but debt has the potential to damage our lives in a far less normal way. Carrying too much debt can cause more than budgeting problems; it can cause stress and personal problems, too. Experts today say that your mental and financial health are unquestionably intertwined. While it may be easy to buy now and pay later, few people are aware of the effect debt makes on their lives – usually, until it’s too late. But debt doesn’t have to feel like a life sentence. No matter how helpless your situation feels or how much debt you’re in, it’s possible to turn things around and make dropping debt priority.
While the road out of debt is never easy, but there are benefits at the end of the road. These benefits extend far beyond the relief you’ll feel when you make the final payment on your credit cards, student loans, and personal loans. Some benefits of becoming debt-free are so huge they can change your life forever.
If you’re working your way out of debt and wondering what’s in store for you in the future – and whether it’s worth the sacrifice. Here are some things you can look forward to – to motivate you to stay on track.
No More Debt Repayments
Paying down debt requires a huge commitment of both your time and your money. However, when you finish paying off your debt, that expendable income you’ve been using to pay down your debt each month is now yours – not the creditors or the banks. With no more debt to pay off, you get to experience what your paycheck actually feels like without the burden of debt payments coming off every month.
Sleep Become Easy
The burden of debt may take more of a mental toll than you think when you add up all the worry, stress and sleepless nights your debt has caused – especially at the beginning of your journey, it’s likely you struggled financially and emotionally before building up the courage to change your spending habits and your life. When you pay down your debt – all that changes. Suddenly, you no longer need to worry about insurmountable balances, looming due dates and relentless interest charges. As, without any debt to worry about, your monthly expenses will drop, freeing up your personal cash and allowing you to focus on savings and daily living expenses.
Read: What to do and what to avoid when getting out of debt
Your Credit Score May Improve
The amount of debt you owe is in direct correlation to your credit limit – this is better known as your credit utilization. Your credit utilization accounts for 30% of your credit score. Since your payment history is one of the biggest determining factors to your credit score thus, each monthly debt repayment has the potential to improve your credit score over time.
Dream Up Infinite New Financial Goals
Getting out of debt is no small task. It’s not something that happens overnight – and getting out of debt can take years. The debt free process itself takes self-discipline and courage. However, when you’re finally debt free, when your journey has come to an end – which you will, you can finally think up new financial goals. Dreams that are not limited by your monthly debt repayments.
Work Less
A lot of people make huge changes and sacrifices to pay off their debt repayments. Those changes often include picking up a side hustle to earn more money. No matter what your side hustle paying off your debt means that you may not have to work quite so hard anymore. If you’ve been putting in more hours when than you would like to just to pay down your debt – reaching your goal may mean its time to work less and live more.
Options, Options & More Options
Paying down your debt repayments makes it possible to change your life in a variety of ways. Becoming debt free means you now have fewer financial obligations and more options than ever. Maybe you wish you could advance your career, but you couldn’t afford to take a pay cut. Perhaps you want to go back to school or maybe you just want to spend some time at home.
Read: 5 ways to treat yourself on a budget
Never Go Back
When you are already in debt, it’s easy to think that adding to your already mounting debt won’t matter. What difference will another personal loan or credit card when you’re already drowning in debt. When you finally become debt free you realize that every cent count. That it really does make a difference and chances are good you will never want to go down that road again.
Financing Your Dreams Interest-Free
Financing your dreams interest-free is one of the final benefits of becoming debt free one that is both fulfilling and liberating. Imagine writing a check to pay for whatever you wanted without interest. That new car, that dream closet? Or that holiday away – imagine having all the savings to negotiate a cash price with no repayments to look forward to.
Take Home
If you ready to become debt free or in the throes of a debt repayments plan. It is crucial to keep your eye on the prize and remember all the possibilities your life could be like when you reach your goal. You decide how you want to live your life. What we choose today will define our tomorrow. What will you choose?
Find out more about debt review by speaking to one of our NCR- registered debt counsellors to guide you towards financial freedom. Call us on 087 654 6470 to find out more or visit Debtlinefor more information.
