Started from the Bottom Now...Wait..I'm Still Here

 A lot of my readers really enjoyed one of my previous blog posts, "Started From the Bottom", where I quoted a famous hip hop song by Drake. The target audience was for young junior enlisted, but was general enough for anyone just starting out in the finance world. But some readers reached out to me and they were concerned about being over 30-years old and having very little flexibility to start improving their finances. They felt like they were at the bottom and couldn't go anywhere. Here are some steps to take if you're at the bottom and nearing the breaking point with your finances.

• Find flexibility. Most people feel like they have no flexibility with their finances. They've reached a point where there is no money left over between paychecks and they may even be adding more to their credit cards each paycheck just to get by. This is the standard negative snowball effect which will ultimately lead to bankruptcy. You must stop this process. A good way to find additional savings is to track everything you spend for 30 days. Inevitably, you will find some savings; whether it is: not going out to eat one night, reducing your cable or phone bill or finding a cheaper alternative to a routine expense. Use the flexibility you find to stop using your credit cards each paycheck.
• Finding this flexibility is the single most important step. A lot of people start to feel "suffocated" about their financial position and they ignore it making it worse. Track everything for 30 days and find the flexibility. I know it's there. Contact me at bjone6@gmail.com anytime and I'll help you find the flexibility (for free, I'm not selling anything, absolutely free). 
• Pay down your credit cards. Some people find themselves having no money after they pay their normal bills and their credit cards. You must pay down your credit card debt quickly, even if it's only adding $5 to your minimum payment. This extra $5 will go straight to the principal and it will start building momentum to paying of the credit cards quicker. You'll start noticing the minimum payments go down and you'll start to open positive options in your financial life.
• Seek assistance. If you're a military member, go see your First Sergeant or your service-specific Family Readiness center. The Family Readiness Centers are an underutilized benefit we all have in the military. They employ or have access to professional money managers who could help you with your finances for free. Financial advice in the civilian world could cost $50-$200 an hour.  If you're financial situation is really bad, they can grant you a no- or low-interest loan to help prevent bankruptcy.

Starting from the bottom can be difficult but there are many ways to get out. If you're staying up late at night because you're worried about your finances then you need to find help. Finding flexibility and paying down your credit cards can be a slow process but it'll be worth it when you can finally say, "Started from the bottom, now I'm here."