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Guest post by: Millard MacAdam Become an Author

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There is no secret to being debt free. Spend only what you have. Period! The key to staying out of debt is focusing on it and engaging in the personal discipline of refusing to spend what is not yours. You must intentionally control your spending! Here are some issues related to debt for you to think about.

Identify Why You Went Into Debt - If you are in debt or have been in debt, you need to identify and list on paper the reasons why you went into debt. You cannot ever fight against an enemy that is unknown. if you're in debt, it means you are spending or have previously spent more money than you had.

Big Debt Comes From A Lack of Discipline - In our convenience oriented world people often do not really interact with cash. Their pay check is automatically deposited. Their bills automatically withdrawn. They pay for groceries, gas, and goods with a credit card. So they never really interact with cash. Why pay attention to it? As long as there is money in the account, and even when there is not, I can still charge that item, so why spend time trying to figure everything out?

Control Your Debt by Dealing With Your Lack Of Contentment - Not really sure about this one? We are a people who seem to think we "need" a lot. I think people confuse true and legitimate needs with their wants and desires. I do not know if we are not content, or greedy, or needy, or just have a high level of wants and desires..

Searching For Security Can Be A Debt Factor - Be honest. We all feel a little better when there is a cash cushion in the account. I suspect there are a lot of us who feel less secure after the 2008 experience than we did prior, and yet the God of all creation is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Interesting to consider.

Searching for Significance May Result in Unpaid Bills - There is a lot to this. Power and significance go hand in hand. Seems as though the Bible does not have a lot of positive things to say about humanity's quest for power.

Ignorance - Many people are in debt simply because they thought debt was the right or best way to succeed. They have not had much teaching at home. They did not get any teaching in school. One cannot know unless he has first been taught, unless he can teach himself.

Know Your Spending Weaknesses - What are your spending weakness and temptations? What budget categories do you often overspend? Charitable Gifts? Housing? Utilities? Food? Transportation? Car Gas? Clothing? Medical/Health? Insurance?

Develop a System or Structure to Help You Control Your Spending- Larry Burkett suggests the following in the book, Money Matters. For anything that you want to buy that isn't already in your budget and costs more than $10, you get three additional prices and wait thirty days before you buy it. That will give you time to shop for a better price, and often provides enough time for the impulse to pass.

Sometimes you will find that full, complete, and absolute avoidance is the best policy.

Minimize Your Mall Spending - If you spend way too much at the mall you might need to completely stop going to the mall. Limit and list the number of stores you will visit. Limit the amount of time you will spend in the mall. Fact - the more time you spend in the mall, the more likely you are to spend money. Always shop with a list. Leave your credit card at home and take only a budgeted amount of cash. Call your spouse and discuss it before you buy anything over $20.

Consider Using The Basic Envelope Budgeting System - If you're not into using a more complex electronic budgeting system, this one works. It's generally a very successful way to make a budget and keep it. My wife and I have used it since we were married and enjoy debt-free living today. Label the envelopes with each of your budgeted items and put cash in them each month. Food, entertainment and gas are examples.

Remember, the key is to not spend what you don't have! When an envelope is empty, no more spending on that item!

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