Loan fatigue is far more common than you might realize. Throughout the past five years, U.S. household debt has continually risen. Those constantly carrying debt often feel overwhelmed and frustrated too, especially when their efforts don’t seem to make much of an impact. Many times, the result is repeat borrowing just to keep their head above water.

Luckily, you can learn from others and solve this problem. You can reset how you approach debt and your mindset surrounding it. After all, everyone would like to live a better, stress-free life. The following are some suggestions that may help you break your debt cycle to avoid loan fatigue.

Create or Review Your Budget

If you don’t have a budget, you should create one now. If you have one, but haven’t looked at in a while, it is time to revisit it.

A budget tracks what you spend so you can use your money better. Carefully list your income and expenses in a budgeting app to get a good idea of where you stand financially. If you are overspending, which is likely since you’re always borrowing, you’ll need to figure out where. Then you can cut back on expenses.

Many people have a tough time with this, because they confuse wants with needs. As an example, you might want the latest iPhone, but that doesn’t mean you actually need it.

Is your current phone broken and you need to replace it? Or are you buying into the hype and just trying to maintain a certain image? If this is the case, that’s a want, not a need.

Revisit Your Lifestyle

Besides buying things that are wants, not needs, you also need to take a close look at your lifestyle. Are you buying brand names that unnecessarily cost you more instead of choosing less expensive generic options?

Generic products, especially drugs, are often as good as brand name ones. The big difference is that you aren’t paying a higher price for fancy packaging and marketing.

Another common reason people overspend is eating out. As an example, buying a coffee everyday adds up quickly. You could easily pay for a decent coffee maker and recoup the cost within a few months, even if you are a coffee aficionado. If you buy your lunch everyday, you could also buy quality groceries at a much lower price.

Throwing money at conveniences is easy, but not a good idea when you are trying to avoid loan fatigue. Spend less on these types of expenses and direct the money towards debt repayment instead.

Create Better Financial Habits

If you’re a person that borrows repeatedly, you need to change your spending habits. These changes will help you get out of debt and stay out of debt too.

One thing you can do is stop impulse buying. Retail therapy and emotional buying rarely provide long-term satisfaction. You buy and then immediately look for another boost.

Instead, put the buy on pause for at least 24 hours. A strange thing often happens when you wait before you buy. First, the item may not seem as enticing as it once was. Second, the longer you wait the more obvious it becomes that you don’t really need the item.

Of course, if there’s something that you really want you can buy it. The secret is to plan the purchase, save up for it, and them buy. That’s a wiser financial decision and a good way to start to breaking your debt cycle.

Acknowledge the Negative Effects of Debt

Many people that suffer from loan fatigue try to ignore their financial situation. They continue their impulsive buying and borrow to stay afloat.

However, science shows this creates stress and living with pervasive stress affects your body and mental health. Your overspending can lead to loan fatigue which can also potentially affect every aspect of your life.

Eventually something will give and you will have to face your situation. Perhaps you will get sick. Maybe your relationship with your partner, children, or co-workers will suffer.

If you think loan fatigue and your debt cycle are something you can laugh off, think again. The burden of debt can cause additional issues. These include anger that bubbles to the surface easily and often, constant anxiety, depression, and even impaired mental cognition. The good thing is that you can fix this situation.

Realize That Loans Reduce Your Net Worth

Sometimes the numbers on loan statements don’t seem to mean much. You pay payments and hope that the balance goes down eventually. You carry on with your life until you realize you need money again. Then you take out another loan again. Eventually, loan fatigue kicks in.

Perhaps the problem is that numbers on a screen or piece of paper don’t feel like real money. Maybe it’s just so darn easy to borrow more, rather than admitting you have a financial problem. Whatever the case, the reality is that what you owe in loans come straight off the top of how much you’re worth. Loans are liabilities.

Let’s put this into perspective. If you were to sell everything you own, your outstanding loan amounts would be taken off the profit. What’s left is your net worth.

If you’re reading this there’s a good chance that your net worth is low or even non-existent. Calculate yours now. Are you in the hole, because of debt? Wouldn’t you like to see that change?

Build an Emergency Fund to Cushion Your Finances

Once you see your poor financial choices, you can change them. Any money you can carve out of your current spending can go towards an emergency fund.

Why is this important? Having a pool of money available can stop you from constantly borrowing. Initially, a person might borrow because they’re face with unexpected expenses. Loan fatigue occurs when the borrower can’t seem to break their debt cycle and continues to borrow.

For some, creating an emergency fund might seem an impossible dream. However, putting aside $10 or $20 per month builds up quickly. Shoot for three to six months’ expenses, but don’t get discouraged. Any money you dedicate to an emergency fund will reduce the amount you need to borrow if you face an emergency again. Eventually, you won’t need to borrow at all.

Strategically Attack Your Debts

Paying off your debts can be very daunting, if you don’t approach it strategically. For instance, just making minimum payments on credit cards won’t get you anywhere. The compound interest eats up these small payments, while your card balance remains the same or even increases.

Debt experts suggest you can take one of two paths to successfully pay down your debts. One is to pay off your high interest debts first. While this makes economic sense, it can also be difficult to do if you have multiple debts and a large high interest loan.

The other method is to pay off your smallest debts first. The advantage of this method is that is reduces your debt load quickly and gives you a emotional boost too. Whichever way you choose, stick to it and make sure you do not miss any payments. That is the worse thing you can do to your credit.

Finally, debt advisors often suggest you ditch credit and use only cash. While this might seem impossible in our plastic world, it is possible. The cash envelope system allocates money to specific categories. Once you spend what’s in the envelope, that’s it until you get more money.

Consider Debt Consolidation

If you have multiple outstanding loans or a loan and high interest credit card debt, you may want to combine your debt into one loan with a decent interest rate. While this does not eliminate your debt, it can make your life a lot easier since you only deal with one payment and you can reset your repayment terms.

In some cases, it makes sense to extend the loan term to lower your payments. This can make it much easier to handle your debt, but you will pay more interest. However, debt consolidation and a longer loan term only make sense if you change your spending habits. Otherwise, you will still be in the same situation and could find that you need to borrow again and again. Create a solid debt repayment strategy before you choose this route.

Ask for Help

If you’re constantly dealing with loan fatigue, you need to reassess your finances and your debt strategy. There may be methods you haven’t considered that can help you break your debt cycle.

One option is to work with a nonprofit credit counseling agency such as American Consumer Credit Counseling. They offer free consultations so you can get the advice you need to succeed.

Still, you shouldn’t expect a magic solution. Debt repayment isn’t instant, no matter which route you choose. Practice patience, be kind to yourself, and remain consistent.

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