No one likes being in debt. It can be an unnecessary stress on your shoulders. For many, getting into debt can be easy to do. However, getting out of debt can seem almost impossible if you have too much. In order to get yourself out of debt and stay out of debt, you will have to make some major changes in your life. Little sacrifices can really add up. Changing your financial habits, thought patterns, routines and more can really save you money to add to your debts. It takes a lot of hard work and diligence to put these listed sacrifices to work.

Live With Less

There has been a rule of thumb that most financial experts still stick with about your finances. The rule is that you should never pay more than 30 percent of your income on housing. If you find that you are above that threshold, you should consider downsizing and moving to a more affordable type of housing until you can get your finances under control. This is one of the simplest and most effective ways to get out of debt quicker.

Pay For Things In Cash

According to many statistics, people are more frugal with their money when they have to pay for things with cash. For some, handing over cash for an item can seem more “painful.” When you use cash to purchase items, you will feel more connected to that experience. When you are more connected to the experience, you will spend less and appreciate what you do buy a little more.

Make Extra Money

Another big way to get out of debt quicker is to sacrifice your free time to earn extra money. This is a great way to earn some extra funds to go towards getting your debts under control really fast. You can find lots of side work or part-time jobs to earn a little extra income on the side.

More Affordable Transportation

Your vehicle can be a very sneaky budget breaker. While you need your transportation to get to work and take care of your responsibilities, most people spend more on their vehicles than they truly realize. Reducing your transportation costs doesn’t always mean having to change to a cheaper vehicle. It could also mean taking fewer trips, using public transportation or carpooling. You can also try to ride your bike or walk more often. You will save money and get into shape.

Plan Your Meals

Eating out frequently can cost a lot of money. This is especially true if you have a bigger family. Making meals at home can add to a lot of extra money each month in your bank account to put towards your bills. If you are spending a few extra dollars each day on a coffee at your local shop, try bringing coffee you made from home each day instead. Those few dollars might not seem like much, but they can add up over the weeks and months.

Do-It-Yourself

It seems that nowadays, we will take any opportunity we can to pay someone else to do things for us. We pay people to have our clothes cleaned, our hair cut and our pets walked. If you get your home cleaned, consider cleaning it yourself. If you pay someone to manage your investments, consider learning for yourself what it takes for succeeding in the stock market. If you take some time to figure out all of the services you outsource, you will be able to find some of them do start doing yourself to save money. If you don’t know how to do certain things, challenge yourself to learn. There are many instructional videos you can find online these days for learning how to do just about anything.

Limit Your Screen Time

Aside from watching your instructional videos, another way to save some money is to limit the amount of screen time you put in each day. The internet and television can often be counter-intuitive to getting yourself out of debt quicker. Instead of spending hours watching television or on social media, you can spend that time learning ways to save money or make money. Additionally, unplugging yourself from online and from watching too much t.v. can help you mentally detox. This can benefit you in many ways including helping you have better drive and focus to getting out of debt. You may find that life gets better when you step away from the electronics more often. There is also a lot of money to be saved if you decide to cancel your cable and subscriptions services such as Netflix and Hulu.

Find Friends Who Are In The Same Mindset

It has long been said that who you associate with can have a huge impact on who you will become. If you hang around people who love to spend money on things they don’t need and cannot afford, you will start spending more money as well. If you spend time with people who are more conscious about the money they spend on items, you will end up being that way as well. Try joining some online groups and forums about saving money and getting out of debt. Making friends in those places can give you the support you need to keep you motivated. Plus, you could learn a lot from other people who are going through the same thing as you. They may help you find ways of getting out of debt quicker that you didn’t even consider.