This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
Living in the red is OPTIONAL
Debt is often a choice.
We have a choice to make every time we get paid and every time the opportunity presents itself to spend money; we can handle our money correctly, or we can drive ourselves to the ground by buying our way into more debt.
People in debt frequently dine out, buy materialistic items they can’t afford, continue taking out unnecessary student loans, drive cars they can’t afford, take out mortgages way above their means, and continually spiral into addictive consumption. It’s as if people could give two f*cks about their financial health because they equate living to the accumulation of things that don’t matter.
The rich will always rule over the poor, and every time we put ourselves further into debt, we are putting ourselves under the hand of the rich. We’re actively choosing financial enslavement.
10 Ways To Get Out Of Debt:
1 – Quit dining out so often.
2 – Stop maxing out your credit cards.
3 – Keep your expenses extremely low.
4 – Always maintain more than one income source.
5 – Stop buying food that you end up wasting.
6 – If you struggle to use your credit card responsibly, don’t use them period.
7 – Stop getting more degrees that you can’t afford. If you can’t pay cash or get scholarships, take a knee and earn some money so you don’t have to pay student loans for the rest of your life.
8 – Don’t buy a car if you can’t afford to pay cash for it outright. If you decide to take out a car note, always have the cash in your account to buy your car. Never go into debt to buy a car. There are too many opportunities for low-cost transportation these days.
9 – Once you buy the latest fashion or shoe release, another one is coming. You’ll always be on a never-ending train of buying “what’s new.” Cut the cord so you don’t have to overwhelm your house and debt-to-income ratio over fashion. I know it means a lot to folks these days, but come on. Are we really going into debt over clothes and shoes? Not worth it. Someone asked me, “Are those the only jeans you have?” My response was, “Basically. Your point?” Did I change my wardrobe after the comment was made? No. I didn’t buy any more new jeans until years later.
10 – Stop trying to impress people you know and people you don’t know. Impress yourself by stacking your money and buying things because you can afford them instead of buying things because you want people to think you can afford them. There’s a big difference.
Debt always catches up with you. There will always be an underlying level of stress in the back of your mind because you owe someone at the end of the day.
There are masterful ways to utilize debt to build wealth, but most people opt out of this strategy and instead choose to accumulate debt. You can change this dynamic. We don’t have to cozy up to inessential debt. We can live within our means until we expand our means to afford the things we want to buy – within reason (too much accumulation leads to a dead-end road).
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.