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Can Being Your Awesome Self Get You Out of Debt?

Expecting your fortunes to quickly and dramatically change for the better is not an effective way to deal with your debt situation, at least not if you also have a short-term strategy. Much personal finance advice falls into either of two categories; it either focuses on big decisions, such as filing for bankruptcy or getting out of a major financial commitment, such as a home mortgage or a business partnership, or else it focuses on minutiae such as clipping coupons or rounding your debit card purchases up to the next dollar and depositing the spare change into your savings account. To make progress on paying off your debts, you must do both. You must have a long-term goal and mobilize the resources to achieve it, and you must also have a strategy for getting through the day. The best way to get through the day and keep your spirits up is to exercise your innate resilience and good cheer but to find long-term solutions to your debt problems, you need an Oakland lawsuits, collections, and creditor harassment lawyer.

How Optimism Can Help Your Finances

Small improvements to your financial situation can give you a big boost to your mood. Here are some examples of things that resourceful and resilient folks do to keep their spirits up while working to pay down their debts and improve their financial circumstances:

  • Game-based personal finance apps such as SUMA, where you learn about personal finance topics such as investing, calculating the true cost of a loan, and credit scores, among others
  • Budgeting out loud, where you talk about your budget and your efforts to follow it with an accountability buddy or a group of like-minded people
  • Keeping track of how much money you saved by clipping coupons, depositing small amounts into savings, walking or taking the bus instead of Uber, or paying just a few dollars more than the minimum payment on a debt
  • A hobby that costs nothing, such as borrowing audiobooks from the public library and listening to them while you go for walks in your neighborhood

What Optimism Cannot Do

Optimism alone cannot change the exorbitant cost of healthcare or the fact that living paycheck to paycheck is the best-case scenario in the gig economy. It cannot miraculously make large amounts of money appear in your bank account that you can use to pay down your debts. The way to make your unpayable debts go away is by filing bankruptcy protection. If your debts are not quite so insurmountable, you can make them more affordable with a credit card balance transfer or a debt consolidation loan. If you are not sure which option is best for you, you should discuss the various options with a bankruptcy lawyer.

Contact the Law Office of Melanie Tavare About Getting Out of Debt With a Smile

A debt relief lawyer can help you get out of debt in ways that your positive attitude alone cannot. Contact the Law Office of Melanie Tavare in Oakland, California, or call (510)255-4646 for a free case evaluation.

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