Nobody enjoys being in debt, but in everyday life, it’s unavoidable.  We need houses and cars, and sometimes we have no choice but to use our credit cards in emergencies.  It can seem as though you’ll never get out, but it really is possible to become debt-free.  The starting question is which debt to pay off first.

The easiest way to pay off debt is to take small steps.  Unless your debt has reached the point where you’re in immediate danger of losing things like your home and your credit is taking serious hits with each passing day, you don’t need a debt consolidation or elimination service.  The average person can successfully become debt-free on their own—and why pay someone to do something you can do yourself?

Take a look at your bills.  Pick out the one with the lowest balance and the one with the highest interest rate.  From here, it’s your choice where to start.  If you pay off the smallest debt first, you can then easily take the same payment and simply roll it into your payment for the next smallest.  This is called the “snowball method” and while it may be a slow process, it is definitely effective.

If the one with the highest interest rate will cancel out your attempts to pay off the smallest balance first, you may want to pay this one off first instead.  Otherwise, interest might accrue at such a rate that you’ll be left with the exact same amount of debt even by time the smallest one is gone.  If you focus your efforts here, then you can safely move onto the smallest debt, or even the one with the next highest interest rate.

No matter which place you decide to begin, you’re going to need a plan of attack, and you must stick to it.  Even if you do choose a debt counseling service to help you, this process is going to take time.  The sooner you begin, the sooner you can be out of debt.

A word of caution: Do not trust a service that asks you to pay them upfront, proposes that they can eliminate your debt within a too-short period of time (such as only one or two months), insists that they set you up with a new social security number, or makes other questionable promises.  A legitimate service cannot legally do anything more than you can do on your own.  Do not be ashamed if you do need the advice or helping hand; just be sure that you are not in danger of being scammed.  You’ll be worse off than when you started.

We all know that it’s important to protect our environment, but sometimes it might seem like a chore, not to mention expensive.  These tips will prove to you that there are inexpensive ways to go green.  You may have to shell out in the beginning, but the cost saved over time can be significant, and therefore, worth the investment.

• Here’s an obvious one.  Recycle!  Nowadays, most cities and towns offer recycling service.  (If not, don’t be afraid to take action and get one started.)  It won’t take any extra time to toss that plastic bottle into a separate bin next to the garbage can.
• Put your car on hiatus and walk, bike, or even rollerblade to work.  You’ll save money on gas, significantly reduce emissions (because you won’t be emitting any!), and get a great workout!
• Maybe you’re like me; you’d love to walk or bike to work, but your commute is just too darn far.  You’d have to start an hour ago to get there by tomorrow morning.  Don’t forget about carpooling.  Many of us did it as kids as someone else’s mom picked us up for school; you can carpool to work, too.  Perhaps someone in your office lives near you.  Offer to drive together and split the cost of gas.  You can also search online—your area may offer a ride-share program.
• This one is really simple, and it will actually save you money: unplug your appliances, computers, etc. after using them.  Believe it or not, simple household items like your toaster still draw electricity just by being plugged in.  So take that extra two seconds to pull the plug so you’re not paying for unused voltage.
• Invest in fluorescent or other energy-saving light bulbs.  They may cost more initially, but they last significantly longer, saving you money in the long run and reducing the amount of wasted electricity.
• Turn down the heat in the winter and turn up the temperature in the summer—or don’t use your air conditioner at all if the weather is bearable enough.  Even a few degrees can make a difference in your energy usage and the cost of your bill.  Open the windows and turn on the fans in summer, and pull out the comfy blankets and sweaters in winter.
• Insulate your water heater and pipes.  They’ll lose less heat, and that means they won’t have to work as hard (read: use as much energy) to stay hot.
• Wash your clothes in cold water.  It will save energy since the water doesn’t need to be heated, and you’ll still be able to take a hot shower at the same time!  And you don’t have to worry about your clothes not getting a clean.  While I personally still use regular laundry detergent with no problems, some brands make detergent designed specifically to work well in cold water.
• Shop for groceries at your local farmer’s market instead of the local supermarket.  Not only will your produce be fresh (and tastier), they didn’t waste any fuel or cause any emissions through being transported from another part of the state or country.
• Get all your business done online.  Pay your bills on the respective company’s website, or even through your bank’s website, and request electronic statements instead of paper ones.

This is just the beginning.  Take some time to consider your daily routine—what else can you modify to go green and save money?

We’d all appreciate some extra money flowing in; if that wasn’t on your mind, you probably wouldn’t be reading this website.  So aside from picking up an odd job here and there, one of the best and most efficient ways to produce cash flow is to find assets.

An asset is something that you own that has a cash value.  It either creates passive income or can be traded for cash.  So let’s start in the most obvious place: you are your own asset.  You have skills, and you have a job that pays you to use those skills.  This creates income, or cash flow, for you.

To delve a little further, you can build assets as well.  For example, if you start a business or an online blog, etc., and it puts revenue in your pocket, this is an asset.  Of course, its true worth has to be measured against any expenses (known as liabilities) that you have to pay to keep your business or blog running.  If you have an interest-bearing savings account, or a 401(k), or you’ve invested in stocks, these are assets that can create passive income.  You can also access them relatively quickly in cash form.

Some people do not consider their homes or cars to be assets since they do owe money and make monthly payments on them, but they can be listed as assets.  They obviously do not create any immediate cash flow, but they can be sold for a cash value.  What makes people not consider them to be assets is the fact that they will likely use this revenue for a new home or car, so it will not stay in their pockets for long.

If you create a new product or write a song, you’ve built an asset.  Your product will likely be trademarked and/or patented, your song will be copyrighted, etc.  It doesn’t matter what you’ve produced in this example.  If it will be sold to multiple people and continue to generate income, it is an asset.  The amount of income may decline over time, however.  A new and better product might be created by someone else, your song gets lets airplay every month.  In order to keep the cash flow high, you need to either make occasional improvements to what you’ve made or make something new.

Your debts take away from the value of your assets, so in order to maintain a positive cash flow, you need to ensure that your assets are working to their full potential.  Is your product selling well?  Is your blog getting enough hits?  Are you getting the best interest rate on your savings account?  How risky are your stock investments?  Make a list of your income versus your expenses to measure your cash flow.  You’ll see how close you are to your money-making goals and where you may need to make some adjustments