There's something called credit counseling. They negotiate debt reduction and put you in a payment plan. This isn't the same as filing bankruptcy. You end up paying 25 cents on the dollar.
You have to get rid of all credit cards and live on a budget with just cash. Don't let anyone else have access to your money and only spend it according to budget. Get rid of all subscriptions services. Give away your pets. Get out from under your debt. If your kids don't listen, you barrel ahead with the plan regardless. They won't respect you unless you get your shit together. Stick to the plan. Discipline is the key. 1. Start exercising. Look up the exercise post from yesterday. I posted an 11 minutes exercise plan. RCAF came up with it for pilots. 5BX I think it's called. 2. Stop drinking and smoking. 3. Take care of your appearance and hygiene
It's amazing how little money it costs to live, if you get rid of everything you don't need.
The Greeks used to tell the story of Diogenes of Sinope (a dude who was thought to be completely insane, by the way) who used to go around naked and sleep in a large broken ceramic pot. He had one possession, his bowl, in which he carried food when some was donated to him. One day he broke his bowl, and he cried. Then he bucked up, and decided he didn't need the bowl -- that he was hanging onto it, and that he would never have truly been free until it was gone. That cheered him up. The stories don't say what this crazy naked guy used to carry his food in after that -- maybe he didn't live long.
Point is, you can get by with less than you would think. I buy second-hand clothes. I don't need to do this, but I see no reason not to do it, since I save a bundle. I don't smoke, don't drink, and don't take drugs, not even maryjane. I don't miss any of them. I don't go to bars or taverns or clubs. I don't miss them. I don't even go to movies -- I download my own copy if I want to watch something. I haven't bought music for over fifty years. I don't watch television, so I'm not tempted by brainwashing television commercials. I don't own a cell phone -- never saw a reason to get one. I buy simple food, usually when it's on sale. I have a nice little house with some land and a woodlot. I pay my utilities, groceries, and tax on the house. I don't even own house insurance, because it's unnecessary.
However, I have enough money to buy a new house with cash, if my present house burned down. I buy new cars with cash, but keep them ten years. And I buy cheap, small cars that are easy on gas. I don't collect anything (well, lately, a few knives, but I only buy them if they are on sale). I have a credit card but I've never been in credit card debt. It gets paid off every month. And it has no yearly fee. It's a free service the bank provides for me because I'm smarter than their average punter. But anyone can do what I do. All it takes is a realization that material things don't count for a damn, and pleasure is always followed by pain and regret.
I think we both think along the same lines in a philosophical sense. I don't buy clothes really. I have shirts and pants from 10 and 20 years ago. I have a white cable knit sweater from 1990, vests from 1994. Perfect condition. Wash everything inside out gentle cycle, and dry with low heat. I got in shape and could start wearing those clothes again. Pay off credit cards straight away. Bought vehicle cash, and I'll keep it until it dies. Don't drink, smoke, take drugs, gamble, or have other vices. Waste not want not.
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