1. Hardship Programs: Some credit card companies and lenders offer hardship programs to help you with getting out of debilitating debts. They feel that it would be better to help you in paying off the debt, than to face the risk losing their money if you claim for bankruptcy. Contact the lender that you owe money to. If possible negotiate the payments terms to make it easier to handle, for example by reducing the interest rate.

2. Debt Settlement Programs: You should find financial programs that can help you settle your debt. Debt settlement companies will negotiate with your lenders to make paying the bills a little easier. If they can’t get the lenders to work with you, you should find settlement companies that will agree to pay off your debt in full and you’ll pay the settler back on a more manageable plan.

3. Getting a Manageable Loan: A few banks will offer you a low-interest loan in order to pay off the debts. Other than a low interest, you should get a certain amount of payment months that will allow lower monthly payment. Whatever you do, you should avoid obtaining a payday loan unless it is really necessary. Payday loans can apply an overwhelming amount of interest and you may easily drown yourself in crushing financial obligations, if you don’t know what you’re doing.

4. Setting up an Emergency Fund: You should start a savings account that will be used for an emergency fund. You should start make small cutbacks in your spending to build the emergency fund. It’s crucial to have at least a modest emergency fund before you start paying off the debts. Aim for $500 at first, and slowly grow that later. When paying off your debts, often unexpected expenses come up, it is why an emergency fund is necessary and it will prevent you from skipping your debt payments. Many times, the emergency fund will protect your debt payments and make the debt relief process smoother.

5. Snowballing Your Debts: When your financial situation is relatively under control, you should start snowballing your debt. At this point, it is important to have an emergency fund properly set up, you also need to know how much you currently owe, you must have a reasonable spending plan and you promise to yourself to pay the bills on time while controlling your expenses. Now you can concentrate on paying your debts. Here’s how to snowball your debt: Try to save $100 a month by cutting your expenses, the money will be used to snowball your debt. Once you’ve gathered at least $100 for the debt snowball (the more the better), examine your debt spreadsheet. First of all, order your debts based on their amounts. Now, look at the smallest debt — use the $100 (your debt snowball fund) plus the regular monthly payment to pay for the debt each month, until it is completely paid off. When it is paid off, use the monthly snowball fund and the regular payment of the previous debt to pay for the next smallest debt, keep paying it until the next debt is completely paid off (for example, $100 (snowball fund) + $50 [monthly payment of previous debt] + $65 [monthly payment of current debt]). Continue to pay off the next smallest debt, one at a time, until they’re all paid off. People who are able to successfully eliminate their debts with the snowball method, often find themselves with a new sizable source of income, as the money previously used to pay the monthly debt payment can now be used for other necessities, for example starting an investment.

Don’t make blind applications at the same time to several lending companies. This is pretty important, as every loan application gets reflected in your credit report, and the creditors may get the impression that you are so desperate for money that you are trying for money from everywhere. Moreover, in case you were turned down a few times, this will look bad on your credit report. So first research and compare among the lending companies thoroughly before submitting your application.

Be sure to fill out the application form fully. Whether it is an offline or an online lender you are applying to, be absolutely sure to fill out the application completely. Don’t rely on your own judgment and skip certain fields because you think they are not important. For example, if you fail to put down your office number, your lender will just be having a difficult time trying to verify your employment status. So the approval time will get longer, or what is worse, you may be disqualified for the loan because of the ‘incomplete information’ you provided.

Have all the supporting documents that you will require (most recent bank statement, salary slips) ready at hand. Even the No Fax Payday loans will require certain information to be electronically sent, so you have to make sure by submitting the required, correct documents so that your application is approved immediately.

You can have a co-borrower or co-signor. If your credit report is OK but nowhere near excellent, you can consider having a co-borrower or co-signor in your loan application. You have to ask someone who has an outstanding credit record, and moreover, someone who is willing. Remember, this involves a great responsibility on the part of that person, because he/she might have to end up paying for your loans; so ask this in the nature of a favor and answer any questions he/she might put to you regarding the loan application.

You have to display stability as regards your job, income, tenure in your home. Some applicants make the mistake of not disclosing their job titles etc, in an attempt to hide their payday loans. This should be avoided at all costs, and if you enjoy some sort of a fairly good position in your firm, you should put that in your application. This will enhance the lender’s confidence in your ability to pay back the loan.

You may beef up your savings to approximately $750 each year just by following these frugal living tips for bipedal carnivores.

Don’t ignore the fact that just like vegetables, meat prices will fluctuate by the season. During the grilling season and summer picnic, steaks and ground beef are usually higher; while winter’s favorite, like roast cuts will down in price. If you have big freezer, you may save as much as twenty percent on meat products by buying in bulk while the price is still low.

For example, stockpile ground beef and steaks in May before the peak grilling season hit. In August, buy winter meats in bulk, such as steaks pork chops, and roasts. If you don’t have enough storage room for perishable products, save your money by going against the trend and cooking and buying off-season cuts.

One good way to save money on meat is to buy bigger cuts and do your own slicing. For instance, if you buy a big piece of meat, say a quarter or a side instead of smaller cuts, you may save about thirty percent per pound. At kitchen, simply cut the big chunk as steaks, mince it or whatever, and you can freeze them in small-sized packages.

You can also use this method for poultry. Get whole chickens and then cut them up at home. You may pay up to $6 a pound for skinless and boneless breasts, but you may only need to pay $2 a pound for whole chicken.

Choose family-pack sizes, bigger quantities mean better savings. Again, freeze immediately what you don’t need now. Some people even go to cattle auctions where they can buy a full side of beef for 25 percent of what grocery stores usually charge. You may ask an outside company to freeze it and store the meat for months. If you live near or in a cattle country, this is surely the cheapest route of all.

Are they worth it? Well, if you only buy gas at that particular station, then some of them may be worth considering. For example, the Shell credit card offers a 5% gas rebate at Shell stations. That’s a pretty generous discount, but the main drawback is that it only applies to purchases at their stations. What happens if you’re out of town and there is no Shell in sight? Another negative is that this is considered a brand name station, so often their price per gallon is pretty high. Is it worth saving 5% if you are paying 15 cents more per gallon? Last but not least, the interest rate on these (including the Shell credit card) tends to be astronomical. So although you may be earning a rebate, if you every carry a balance, the 20%+ APR will quick cancel out any rewards you’ve earned.

Regular Credit Card Deals
Alternately, a number of banks (including Discover, American Express, and Chase) offer cards which give a high rebate on gas, regardless of where you’re buying it. For most people, this is probably the best option. That way you don’t have to restrict yourself to buying from a specific company. Instead, you can fill up your tank anywhere you want and still earn an above average discount. The drawback is that these banks are constantly changing the reward structures of these cards, so you will probably have to sort through all the credit card deals to find the best offer currently available.

Ever Carry a Balance?
Whether you go with a gas station issued card or one from a bank, the bottom line is that the interest rates on reward cards generally tends to be rather high. So if you are someone that ever carries a balance, then these so called credit card deals may end up hurting more than they help.

Secondly, it should be for the provision of our families’ needs and service to humanity. These will leave you a happy fulfilled man.

Unfortunately, most people don’t discover what life is all about until just before they die. Don’t wait until you are on your death bed to realise the purpose of life and your role in it.

Often, we attempt to live our lives backwards. We spend all our lives striving to get wealth hoping that would make us happy and fulfilled. Happiness and fulfilment comes when you commit yourself, talent and resources to service for God and Humanity. That is on a purpose that honours God and makes a difference in other people’s lives.

George Bernard Shaw said, “This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognised by yourself as a mighty one, being a true force of Nature instead of a little feverish god of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and, as long as I live, It is my privilege to do for it whatever I can………..” Similarly, Al Koran wrote in “The Secrets of Wealth” that, “When you send your money out, remember always to bless it.

Ask it to bless everybody that it touches, and command it to go out and feed the hungry and cloth the naked, and command it to come back to you a million fold. Don’t pass over this lightly, I am serious.” I said it earlier that when you recognise God as the giver of your wealth through service to Him and humanity, God is committed to ensuring that your wealth lasts. He will block financial waste on your behalf. He is faithful concerning His word.

When others are talking of losses, you are talking of gains. When they are talking of low sales, you are thinking of managing your high sales. Honouring God With My Wealth. Money is the vehicle for effective evangelism (Ex 35:21-29). The expansion of the kingdom of God (evangelism) depends on our individual financial position.

Can a church organise programs, camp meetings, crusades, print tracts, build a beautiful sanctuary or sponsor missionaries on a lean purse? There is no way the work of God can progress if the individuals in the church are poor.

That is why God gave us the ability to create wealth. With this ability, you are empowered to advance God’s work, cater for your family and assist the less privileged in the society. The expansion of the work of God is directly proportional to the individual’s financial prosperity or level. Look at (Acts 28:7) Publius – a prominent and wealthy citizen received the disciples and entertained them for three days.

That is hospitality to God’s servants. Definitely, this man must have been blessed by the men of God. He also must have recognised the source of his wealth and honoured God in his own little way. Read (Rom 12:13) on how to use your wealth. Hospitality is defined as a friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests or strangers especially in our homes. Hospitality is not possible without the means to provide it.

Anyway, most times we get so carried away by our success and we assume it came by our effort only. We forget that there is a supreme being who orders the affairs of man. Do you know that there is a reward when we honour God with our wealth or when we contribute to God’s work? Read (Prov 3:9-10 and Mal 3:10).

When God blesses us financially, it is designed to service God’s work. If you ignore it, you become a victim of financial affliction because God will ignore your welfare. Read (Hag 1:2-9). We should lay up treasures for us in heaven. We shouldn’t be pushed to offer our tithes (10%) and offerings (2Cornth 9:6- 12). Your deposit determines your withdrawal and your casting determines your catching. If you cast a hook, you catch a fish. Cast a net, you catch a net breaking and boat sinking catch.

I have tested everything I have written in this article and I testify to the validity of the word of God. Finally,

Please do not neglect your health and family in your quest for wealth. If your family is in disarray and your health is being affected, you can not call yourself a truly successful person. My advice is taken from: (Pro. 23:4-5). It says, “Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle towards heaven.”

Give God your heart and you will make your mark.

• Essential Expenses – these are expenses we can’t cut like bills, food, rent etc.
• Optional Expenses – Everything else.

Our personal values determine where we draw the line. George S Clason said, “All men and women are burdened with more desires than they can gratify. And each of us with our good families has more desires than our earning can gratify.”

Please take note that our essential expenses will be equal to our income unless we protest. However, we should not confuse our necessary expenses with our desires. Even if we satisfy these desires, more will still come up. The economist says human wants are insatiable. That is true.

You must realise that we live in a society where marketers have devised sophisticated means of selling what they want us to buy and at their terms. Well, they are only doing their job. We on our own must be wise. Prioritize your needs, wants and desires.

Let us therefore look critically at our habits of living andidentify certain accepted expenses we can reduce or eliminate temporarily or completely. Select the necessary ones and others that your 80% can accommodate. Cross out the rest without looking back.

Budget your necessary expenditure. These secrets would surely create wealth for you but the wealth will ONLY last when you first recognise the unseen hand that gave you the ideas and the strength to implement them.

Here are a few examples of those who for one reason or the other failed to acknowledge this unseen hand – GOD Make a personal reflection about this………….It is as interesting as it is thought provoking. Read till the end.

John Lennon (Singer):
Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said: “Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, today we are more famous than Him” (1966). Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.

Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil):
During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from His party, not even God would remove him from Presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President, then he died.

Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet):
During A show in Canecio (Rio de Janeiro), while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said: “God, that’s for you.” He died at the age of 32 of AIDS in a horrible manner.

The man who built the Titanic : After the construction of the Titanic, an article asked him how safe the Titanic would be. With an ironic tone he said: “Not even God can sink it.” The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic.

Marilyn Monroe (Actress)
She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said: “I don’t need your Jesus”. A week later, she was found dead in her apartment.

Bon Scott (Singer)
The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang: “Don’t stop me; I’m going down all the way, down the highway to hell”. On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked by his own vomit.

Campinas (IN 2005)
In Campinas, Brazil a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend….. The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter – holding her hand, who was already seated in the car? “My Daughter, Go With God And May He Protect You…” She responded: “Only If He (God) Travels in the Trunk, because inside Here…..It’s already full” Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died, and the car could not be recognized, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact.

The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs, none were broken.

Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist and entertainer) Said the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written. In June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle. It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7): “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever man sows, that shall he also reap.

These facts are not intended to scare us but to state the obvious: God sure rules in the affairs of men and we all need to acknowledge HIM if we are to experience dominion in every aspect of our life.

Before investing, you must first determine the type of investor you are. Are you a high, medium or low risk taker? Depending on your temperament, some investors are great risk takers while others are not.

The timeless success principle says, “Life is nothing more than a game of numbers – the more risks you take, the more rewards you will receive.” Or in the words of Sophocles, “Fortune is not on the side of the faint hearted.”

Therefore, your risk level determines your investment vehicle and your investment vehicle determines your income. Remember, the higher a risk, the more income you can make.

Take a wise risk, otherwise later in life, when you are spent, your greatest regrets and sadness will usually be from all those risks that you did not take, all those opportunities you did not seize and all those fears you did not face.

The real secret of abundance is to spend less time searching for security and to spend more pursuing opportunities. You will win some and lose some. But failure is nothing more than learning to win.

Secondly, you have to acquire knowledge in your area of interest. This means that if you are interested in buying shares, then you must seek knowledge in the stock exchange. The same goes for any enterprise you wish to embark upon.

Sun Tzu in his book ‘Art of War’ said,

“If you know yourself, you need not fear the result of a
thousand battles.”

“If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every
victory gained, you will also suffer defeat.”

“If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will
succumb in every battle.”

The first sound principle of investment is security for the principle. Therefore read and educate yourself on the investment vehicle of your choice.

• It restores a sense of focus in our lives where there are many distractions and conflicting demands. These distractions can make us lose focus in life. It provides us with a framework for smarter choices. If you know exactly where you are going, it becomes far easier to select those activities that will get you to your destination.

• It keeps us alert to opportunities. Knowing what your goal is, you will be able to see early, an opportunity that you can take advantage of in order to achieve your goal. A clearly defined goal commits you to a course of action. Therefore setting your financial goals is a secret to wealth creation and achieving financial freedom. It could be monthly, yearly, bi-annual etc.

Let’s assume that you set out to make $1,000,000 this year. Fine…………..the next thing is to plan how to achieve that goal. This plan could include generating the income from many sources. These sources may include one or a combination of all these:

• Stream 1 – Income from work place, allowances. Etc
• Stream 2 – Income from private practice. That is outside your official work and it requires your presence.
• Stream 3 – Investments in stocks, real estate, deposits, commerce etc.
• Stream 4 – Others not included in 1-3.

Develop The Habit of Savings :

Many of us have different reasons for not saving. Some of these reasons are:

• The money I make is never enough.
• There’s just no way to reduce my expenditures.
• Maybe when I get promoted.
• After paying my debt.

To save is to resist the temptation to spend money. It starts with the determination to save. If you don’t determine to save and make it also a habit, then you will always have an excuse not to save.

The reason is that our desires are insatiable. So if you don’t control your desires, you will always be in debt. Even when all the reasons given above have somehow been met, the money will never be enough, if you don’t have the determination to save nor to control your wants. In savings, I adopt the principle of “The Richest Man in Babylon” Get the book and read it. In a nut shell, he said that “double taxation” is a key element in establishing financial freedom.

This double taxation involves giving a 10 % of you income to God first and keeping a second 10% for yourself. The remaining 80% is for you to cater for your essential needs and expenses.

The 10% for God is in obedience to His word in Mal 3:10 which gets God committed and bound to honour in your favour. He promised to block all avenues of financial waste. These wastes could be from sickness, bad investment, theft and loss. This 10% is to be given to your local church or in support of missionary works and charity.

Even if you are not religious, try this secret. It works. Sometimes, we feel that the 10% could go a long way in paying for one bill or the other. But let me ask, what if you hadn’t gotten the money, wouldn’t you have still paid the bills anyway?

Having 80% for personal need in my opinion is enough if we set our priorities right. I have tried God in this particular secret and I must confess it has been good for me. God can’t lie whether we believe it or not. He is committed to His promises.

So much has been written on savings and I advice you get some good investment manuals to learn more. The bottom line is SAVE for the future and the unforeseen now.

That is on a purpose that makes a difference in our lives and that of others. To achieve financial freedom, you need to:

• Have a relationship with God.

A relationship with God is a very vital element in our wealth creation process. The realisation of your limitation as a mortal and your absolute dependence on God for ideas, guidance and strength is the No. 1 secret.

When your spirit is in tune with the Spirit of God, you receive ideas divinely designed to enable you create wealth. Remember, the steps of a righteous man are ordered by God. You will be divinely guided and empowered with strength and ideas for success. Every creation or invention first starts as an idea which is later nurtured to fruition.

The ideas you receive, once implemented, will definitely bring you wealth because God is committed to honouring His words concerning His children. You must act on the idea; remember God does not waste ideas.

If you are not ready and willing to implement it, it will be given to someone else who is ready and willing to implement it. The other fellow takes the advantage and you end up regretting. I am sure you have seen an idea which first occurred to you being implemented by someone.

Therefore, develop a personal relationship with God. Make His business your business and God will make your business His business. Remember, “the desires of the righteous shall be granted.” (Prov.10:24)

• Changing Our Mindset.

We need to replace false assumptions with the true ones. No one is created to be poor. You are destined for greatness but it all depends on whether you believe in yourself or not. Bishop David Oyedepo said, “Life delivers to you only what you are willing to accept.” This is a fact. If you accept poverty, WOW, it will come knocking but if you accept a good life, you sure will have a good life.

Let me repeat what Benjamin Disraeli once said, “Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think.” And I know for sure that as a man thinks in his soul, so is he.

You will get uncountable ideas to generate wealth when you are positioned for a change. When you mindset has been recreated. It will be open to ideas which you will recognise as a potential wealth generator. It’s all about our belief system.

• Identify Your Skill/Talent.

Take stock of your skills and interest and begin to develop it for use to glorify God and serve humanity. Let service and not money be your vision and before long, God will single out some skills which you can commercialise and the money will roll in.

When a need is identified and fulfilled, you are in business. Norman Cousins once said, “The tragedy of life is not death, but what we let die inside of us while we live.” These are our talents and skills which could have been harnessed.

It is said that the cemetery is the greatest reservoir of ideas; because a lot of ideas die with their owners without being nurtured to fruition. These ideas could have changed the world. What a tragedy.

What a pity that most of us have lost sight of the talents and gifts that lie within us and have resigned ourselves to spending our best years watching television.

And we spend too much time focusing on our weaknesses rather than developing our strengths. The greatest people among us focus on their talents rather than their weaknesses. You see, we are all gifted in one thing or the other. We can indeed be geniuses. So take the time to discover what your personal gifts are and become a genius in it, then use it for the benefit of others and the money will surely come.

God desires for us to have life and have it more abundantly. It is His desire for us to live a rich and fulfilled life. Fulfilment in life can only happen when you impact on the lives of others through selfless service. Wealth is a factor to achieving this. You can’t give what you don’t have…..can you?

But let me ask you as a Christian……..Do you live in an average house, go to an average place of work, and have an average bank account? Do you also hope to die an average death unknown and unsung so that you can make heaven?

That is the small box mentality. Don’t just exist, live life and live it well. Dream dreams and make an impact on humanity and for God. Life is about living your dreams; don’t dream of a good life, live a good life. Don’t dream of making an impact on mankind, make an impact.

Now coming to the question I earlier asked, can religion and wealth go together? I will answer as a Christian…. My answer is YES…Christians MUST desire and work to get wealthy for it is part of our redemption package. Besides, it is a vehicle for the advancement of God’s kingdom here on earth. Wealth or prosperity is a right for every child of God. There are so many scriptures that buttress this. However, let us examine (Deut. 8:18) It says, “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to create wealth that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” (NKJV).

Looking at this and many more, you will agree that nobody is created poor. As a matter of fact, God is not glorified by our poverty. How can the Kingdom of God advance if all Christians are poor?

But God has made the provision for us to improve our financial standing that His work might go on. The problem therefore lies in us. Believing His Word and honouring Him with the wealth. Do we have the right mindset to achieve financial freedom to the Glory of God?

You need to create a mindset of abundance. The mindset of an individual is what makes him rich or poor. You are the only person who can prevent yourself from achieving a financial freedom. God has already given us the ability. Benjamin Disraeli once said, “Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think.”

It is not what you think that is holding you back in life. It is what you think you are not. God has given us the power to make wealth. Until we change our mindset and back it with action; we shall continue to struggle financially.

My friends, the mindset of the wealthy and upper class people confers in them, the habit of wealth creation and gathering. They are not into liabilities. The middle class believes in showing how many cars they own. While the poor have a certain mindset – they are destined to be poor.

The poor believe that God created them that way – no connection or a rich background. But we forget that the thoughts of God towards us are of peace and not evil, to give us a future and a hope. (Jer 29:11). God has deposited in each and every one of us a lot of potentials and abilities to harness and create wealth for Him, our families and the society. But our mindset limits us and we end up blaming people and the society.