My friend James was working as an executive at a local firm and his job demanded that he kept up appearance all the time. Basically he had to appear as if he was earning a lot of money and that he had more money than he’d know how to spend. He depended heavily on his credit cards to make purchases that would help him maintain his image as a young, successful executive. However, his debts were mounting up to a point that he had to enroll into a program with Freedom Debt Relief designed to help Americans facing financial hardship to pay off their debts systematically and eventually start living their life free of debts. It was not easy for James as he was used to living the high-end lifestyle and now that he had to make major adjustments to his spending habits, he was at his wits end. But he knew he had to do what he had to do and one major change in his newly acquired lifestyle was living strictly on cash alone.

Living without credit cards certainly was not easy for James at first. This was especially true because James loves to shop. As a matter of fact he is one of my most favorite shopping companions. Now, however, he had to learn to make do without certain things now that he could no longer just swipe his favorite credit cards whenever he wanted to add some clothing item to his already full closet. He forced himself to cut all his credit cards into unrecognizable pieces and started working on a budget for his expenses as well as excluding unnecessary items from his shopping list. Believe me when I say that watching him put a gorgeous cashmere turtleneck back on the rack was rather painful. Now, whenever James wanted something so bad he would actually start saving money in glass jars until he had enough cash for it. If his previous motto was “swipe it if you want it”, now it has become “cash term only”.

One of James’ previous favorite things was to dine out. He loved trying out new restaurants, sometimes very expensive ones. With his credit cards in shards beyond recognition, he made another adjustment in his lifestyle and started eating in more often. It turned out that James is actually a good cook. Of course he cooks simple dishes rather than gourmet food but his macaroni and cheese is to die for. James told me that he actually managed to spend less on food now that he cooks his own meals. He even brought his lunch to work and that alone saved about 20% of his monthly allocation for food. He brews his own coffee instead of indulging in his daily favorite Starbucks’ Mocha Latte like he used to. At first he had to brave the jeers and teasing of his colleagues but he knew what he was in for and he stuck with it.

Of course, James still needs to put food on the table even now that he’s cooking his own meals. He still needs to buy groceries. Previously he charged everything onto his credit cards. Would you believe he applied for one credit card specifically for food purchases only? Now that he’s living on a budget, he knows the difference between groceries he needs and groceries he wants. Previously his grocery list includes bottles of expensive wine and caviar but now he has learned to do without those things and sticks to food that would keep him healthy. He allows himself to indulge in some gourmet groceries every now and then but always on cash. If he does not have the cash for it he knows he can’t afford it.

James became more aware of his spending habits when he started living on cash three years ago. Now he still lives on cash even after he managed to pay off his creditors. It’s not that he’s turning into a scrooge that watches every single penny he spends but now he has learned to spend wisely and allows himself to live debt free.

Author Bio: freedom debt relief

Category: Finances
Keywords: freedom debt relief