So, you want to be debt free do ya? Well of course you do! So what’s the simplest, biggest positive impact ”tip” you can take?

Easy: Stop overspending.

I know, I know… society, our “”get it now, pay later”" culture, advertisers and the allure of “”instant gratification”" have a strangle hold on you, but hey! The truth is: if you never cure the root cause of the problem, then the problem will never go away!

So what’s the root cause of all your debt problems? Spending too much.

How can we cure this problem? The answer is simple. Not exactly “”easy”", but very simple: Control your spending. How do we do that? First, we must TRACK our spending.

Research has shown that people who do not track their spending on average spend 10% MORE than they make. Sound familiar?

So how do people who over spend get by each month? Enter credit card debt… have any? If so, I would venture to say that you may not be tracking your spending either. Is this the case? If so, take the first step to becoming debt free and take control of your spending.

The best way to get control of your spending is to find a simple way to begin tracking your spending. You must set up a spending plan (budget). It takes choice, action and some self discipline, but hey, so does ALL financial success.

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What’s in it for you? Well, by tracking your spending you’ll recover the 10% of your income that you’re currently over spending and STOP the “”need”" for you to go further into debt. Just think:

If you make $3,000.00 a month in income, that’s THREE THOUSAND LITTLE CHOICES you have every single month. That’s a lot to account for, but by DOING IT; you will gain insight into your spending habits. Simply by becoming aware, you will start making better choices.

I personally recommend the Mvelopes Personal Budgeting System - http://startovertoday.mvelopes.com . Try it free for 30 days. If you actually DO it, you will find the tool saving you a lot more than the $7.95/mo it costs to continue.

This is the one thing I challenge all of the people I consult with to do, whether they are asking me for help with debt consolidation, debt settlement, credit counseling, and bankruptcy or even investing, the reality remains the same: we must learn to control our spending. Tracking our spending is the first step to becoming debt free.

Jesse Niesen is the COO of STARTOVERTODAY.COM, a Nationwide Financial Solutions Company solving financial, debt, and credit problems for clients nationwide. Through a variety of debt management solutions, STARTOVERTODAY.COM has helped thousands of people resolve over $20,000,000 of unsecured debt since 2002 – without any complaints to the BBB.

Do you ever wonder where your money goes every month? Does it sometimes seem as though you cannot afford to do things because your financial obligations are holding you back? If you find that you are asking yourself these sorts of questions, perhaps you should take a look at your financial situation and assess whether you are practicing good personal finance management or not. Good personal finance management spends within their income, plan for the future and solve financial problems as they arise. Poor personal finance management pay more, do without and fall behind. If you find yourself in the second category, you can do something about it. You can learn to take charge of your finances by planning your personal finances. Planning your personal finances doesn’t always come naturally, and even if you’re just beginning to take your financial matters seriously, then you likely need a few personal finance tips.

Evaluate your current financial situation. One of the most important goals for most people is financial independence. Collect accurate information about your personal financial situation. Calculate your net worth which includes the real estate, saving and retirement accounts, and all other assets. This will help you decide how much money you can set aside for meeting future needs and goals.

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