Debt is a way of life for some people, but others just want to get out from under it. Some people figure that if they just live frugally and stop over spending they will be able to make their way out of the debt, but there are a few tricks that go beyond that which are sure to help you get out from under your piles of debt. Here are a few of the best .

The first thing you need to do is stop the bleeding. Cut up your credit cards. Don’t cancel them though, and continue to monitor your account. If you don’t cancel them, your credit score will go up as you pay off your debt. If you do cancel them then your credit score will drop tremendously. Eliminate all other ways to pay that force you to take on more debt and understand that items like cash advance loans, while helpful to your credit, can be harmful if you are addicted to spending more than you make. Montel Williams does a few good commercials in which he talks about appropriate uses of cash advance loans.

Next, make your debt your first bill . Don’t wait till the end of the month to see how much of it you can pay off, set up a schedule and pay off that much debt each month, if you have something left over at the end of the month, that can also go into the debt reduction fund.

Make an emergency fund your second bill. Start saving money now for a rainy day because they are going to happen. If something happens before you have enough saved up, there are sometimes places you can go to get a little extra cash, but make sure you never spend more than you can correct in your budget . If you think right now that you can’t find at least one hundred dollars that you can syphen away into an emergency fund, you have not yet looked at your spending habits. There are always small things that we buy that we could spend a little less money on. An online game perhaps, or dinners out. You may even find yourself thinking smaller and have to start making coffee at home instead of at the cute coffee shop down the road.

If you need help keeping your budget, use the envelope system. Budget out the money you are going to be allowed for certain categories like gas, eating out, groceries, morning coffee, or any other category you may need to budget. Withdraw that amount of money at the beginning of the month and put it in an envelope. Use a different envelope for each category. If you run out of money for that for the month, you know you did not budget enough for it, or you are doing that activity too often and need to cut back. Be firm with yourself about it and these tips might help you.

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