Staying Sane While Broke and in Debt

There is no shortage lately, of stories about people snapping under the pressure of financial stress and in case no one has noticed, I’ve been a bit down and frustrated lately. These are just some personal, practical tips for keeping one’s sanity while dealing with being broke and in debt.

Face the Creditors

Of course it seems easier to ignore bills and creditors with the idea that if there’s no money what do we have to talk about. As with anything though, putting it off usually just makes things worse. When it comes to creditors and bills, I believe that the stress of thinking about, avoiding and worrying about the great pink elephant in the room (or in my case it’s a dismal black pig) is far more harmful than just accepting the call. Give the creditor whatever information you feel relevant i.e. I lost my job, I’m broke because of medical bills, etc. etc. and let them know that you haven’t forgotten them and will make a payment soon.

Get Free Advice

Although there’s no such thing as a free lunch, there is free advice. Check with friends, family and coworkers to see what their thoughts and ideas are for correcting financial blemishes and problems. There’s a good chance that others have been in the same situation and can share what has worked for them. I get quite a bit of free advice (and sometimes a free lunch) from family regarding debt management. Friends and coworkers almost always have some kind of money saving tip or great deal. Make sure you consider and research the information though. As we are taught in High School, sometimes our friends aren’t the wisest.

Stay Organized

Those who know me know that I am so NOT organized. This is something that I am working on though, because I’ve learned that being able to find the phone number, account number, and date of last payment without shuffling through piles of paperwork, eliminates a ton of stress. I’ve been trying to keep the paper in file folders and the idea of spreadsheets and keeping everything on the computer impresses me. We can all dream, right?

Don’t Give Up

It’s easy to just say forget it and stop trying. Splurging on a gocart and deciding not to pay bills ever again could seem like a breath of fresh air but will never fix anything. It’s one of those temporary highs that will punch you in your face when you realize how stupid it was and in the end you’ll just have a punched face (or a gocart you didn’t need). Keep in mind that some days are crappy but if you continue to try and not give up, maybe one day there will be less crappy days (financially at least).

Keep things in perspective and remember that it will get better. Focus on the small accomplishments and things that have been paid off or fixed. In my case if I ever remember to pay my water bill on time it’ll be huge.

NOTE: We’ve all said at one time or another that we would like to choke a bill collector, but if at any time you do feel like you’re actually going to choke someone you probably need professional help.