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9 Steps To Get Out Of Debt – Part 1

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Nowadays, debt has become a standard part of life. It comes in many forms including student loans, medical bills, auto loans, unpaid utilities, mortgages, money borrowed from friends and relatives, store credit and the most dreaded of them all, credit card debt. It’s a part of life for almost all of us, rich or poor, but it doesn’t have to be. In this nine-part series of articles you will learn the steps to take to become completely debt-free and stay debt-free.

Let me start off by saying not all debt is necessarily bad. It can be very beneficial to borrow money sometimes, if done for the right reason. For example, taking out a mortgage to buy even a modest home will most likely cost you several hundred thousands of dollars over the life of the loan, however you will gain equity and the house will usually appreciate in value, making it a better option in a lot of cases than living in an apartment. Other examples would be borrowing money for college in order to acquire a higher paying job, or borrowing money to start a business. Other times it is just un-avoidable such as a medical condition or loss of a job. They key is to borrow for the right reasons.

The problem is, we quite often borrow money for the wrong reasons. These include taking out auto loans for nicer cars than we really need, not saving money to cover minor emergencies that come up such as a major appliance breaking, and of course making purchases with credit cards when we don’t have the money to buy them.

The problem has really gotten out of control in the last few decades. The average American household owes about $19,000 in non-mortgage debt, including about $7,500 in credit card debt. When you compare that to the average household income of $43,500, you can see the average American household owes 43% of their annual salary in non-mortgage debt.

As you can see, if you’re in debt, you’re not alone. No matter what kind of debt you have, or how much, your life will be less stressful and more fruitful if you eliminate it. This nine-part series will walk you through each of the necessary steps to help you eliminate your debt. It definitely will take some work on your behalf, but if you stick with it, you can succeed and the benefits will be well worth the work.

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Outdoor Cheap and Fun Entertainment

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Money issues is a common thing that families go through in this society. Sometimes it’s hard to ensure that your kids have fun in a time of money crisis. But, you can have fun outdoors with some of these cheap and fun outdoor entertainment ideas.

1. Visit a fire house. Most fire houses will arrange tours for kids. This type of activity is an exciting thing for preschoolers and elementary school children alike. It is free and provides your child or children with exposure to possible career choices they can explore in the future.

2. Make sunflowers. This activity may cost you a little bit of money, but it shouldn’t be too much. First, you’ll have to take a variety of different sized Styrofoam balls and slice them in half. Then, using tacky glue, cover the rounded side of the balls with sunflower seeds. Cut petals from yellow paper and glue them to the flat side of the Styrofoam ball. Finish the project up by covering the back side with a circle cut from the yellow paper. Once your project is completed, attach some ribbons to your flowers and tie them to a tree.

3. Go to a local or minor league sporting event. Local minor league baseball games near your home are usually free and are fun events to attend with your family.

4. Volunteer. Volunteer work is always free and is a great learning experience for you and your children. There is an abundance of ways to get your little ones involved in the community. For example, there are always soup kitchens to help out. Many towns have gardening clubs that help to spruce up the community. Take your pick with volunteer work, because there is plenty to be done.

5. Plan a treasure hunt. The things the children are looking for can be something simple like a new toy car or even an old toy that they forgot about, but which they will have fun rediscovering. Write out some directions for your kids to follow to get to the treasure.

6. Create a dress up box. Purchase old and cheap clothing from thrift stores and any clothing you don’t wear anymore, and place in a special box for your children to dress up in. Your kids can host a fun fashion show outside for you and friends.

7. Collect sticks, pebbles, rocks, seashells, and leaves from outdoors. Then, cut cardboard into the shape of a square or rectangle and cut out a display area. Have your children decorate the cardboard. Once it’s dry, glue the treasures to the cardboard and display in your home.

8. Play sports in your yard. It doesn’t matter what type of a sport you play, but just getting outside and playing either baseball, basketball, tag, etc. with your kids is a great activity to take part in because it’s active and cheap to play.

9. Take a hike or go on a bike ride as a family. In the winter, go sledding.

It’s important that our children have the opportunity to bond with us. You can provide your kids with that opportunity by doing simple outdoors activities that don’t cost much money. If you’re trying to save money, these types of activities are a great idea to take part in.

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Coaching covers a variety of areas and it helps to be aware of them all

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Coaching can cover many different areas from sport to business and it is essential that you make yourself aware of coaching in general before you get involved in a single area. If you joined a sport in grade school you had a coach explain to you the rules and the best strategy to use to help win the game. In high school you had this same advantage, but once you reach the grown up world you may think you don’t have this advantage anymore. This is not always true, there are coaches out there to help you be the best you possibly and this also applies to the business world as well.

Over the years companies have realized that using coaches in the business world can make a big difference in their corporation. Coaches in the business world can really help, for example if you are an employee trying to get a head it can give you an advantage over other employees. If you are a supervisor who hires a coach for the employee you may be giving your company an advantage over other companies. Whichever way fits your needs it is a fact coaching can make an impact in the world of industry.

Just because an offer from a coach sounds good, in reality it may not be the right one for you; therefore you need to be sure and check out all the information given to you before accepting an offer. Don?t accept the first offer that come to you, check out several choices, compare, and then choose. You are searching for a coach that can offer you the most help in the areas of business that you are concerned with, along with someone with a good reputation of proving themselves as an excellent coach.

Accessing the web to look for a coach that would be right for you is probably the best way to find one. You are looking for a coach that makes you feel comfortable and relaxed; after all you do have to pay for their services. You cannot find a coach that will be perfect in every area, but you can come real close by searching online. Keep in mind that hiring a coach that comes as close to what you need, will benefit you the most.

When you have chosen a coach and they have started to work for you, they will be able to see things that you may have overlooked. Because of this you may have to make some changes that you don?t feel comfortable with or don?t really understand. This is why it is important for you to trust the coach and let them make some changes to improve your business. A great coach will show you what can be accomplished in the future, by making changes now; you may have choices you never knew existed before.

After you have gotten rid of some old habits and found newer better ones to use, you may find that you can accomplish anything you set out to do. Having a good coach will definitely help you to achieve this, even though it may seem hard at first letting another person tell you how to run your business.

Many employees seem to accomplish more if they have a coach assisting them along the way; this is one good reason for an employer to hire a coach. Sometimes the employer may want to hire a coach to help them advance their skills of management even further than they already have. Whatever the reason for hiring a coach, either for the employer or the employee, the company will benefit from the added contribution. If you are employed at a company that does not provide a coach, you can always hire your own to help you improve and advance your career.

After researching and finding the coach you feel is best for your company, you may want to use that same coach for yourself. This is why it may be a good idea to find one that is also qualified in the area of management. You can review a first hand evaluation of the coach?s ability, and know if he can improve your skills, helping you to accomplish your goals. Now that you are aware of the basics of coaching you can now proceed with ease into the are that most interests you.

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