Mint.com Question: As a recent college graduate, I’ve incurred a number of student loans, credit card debt, and a car payment.  After budgeting for my monthly expenses, I’ve found that I have some extra money that I can use to pay off some of my debt.  Where is the best place to start?

My Answer:

I encourage my clients to have no debt because I believe that debt and unconscious spending steal our dreams.

I suggest you begin by taking the extra money you have in your budget and building a $1000 emergency fund so that you have the ability to handle small emergencies.

Once you have your $1000 emergency fund, organize your debts from smallest amount to largest; either on paper or in a spreadsheet.

Take any available money you have and pay down the smallest balance debt.

Once you finish with the first debt take what you were paying on that debt and add it to the minimum payment of the next largest debt – keep that up until you are out of debt.

You’ll find that getting fewer bills in the mail will reduce stress and seeing real progress will keep you motivated.

You are at an ideal time in your life to get out of debt and stay out of debt so that you can work towards living your dreams.

Good Luck,

Matt

This was a great question asked on Mint.com – see my answer and other in the Mint Answers section.

Personal finance coach, Matt Kelly, lives in Durango, CO.  He blogs here at www.debtfreetribe.com and writes a monthly newspaper column called Money Savvy.

Why is college tuition rising faster than inflation?

Because colleges and universities can charge more when students and parents are willing to take loans to pay the tuition.

On average tuition is going up at a rate of about 8% per year. Like the housing market before the bubble burst…easy money means higher prices. And a lifetime of student loan payments just isn’t worth it.

Student loan debt has officially surpassed credit card debt.  One of the reasons may be that you cannot declare bankruptcy on student loans.

My advice, go to the best college or university that you can afford to pay cash for the tuition and living expenses.  And even if you can afford to pay cash for an expensive school consider a less expensive one because the Ivies just aren’t worth it.

Financial institutions and lenders are marketing debt. Why?  Because they make lots of money when you are in debt.

Don’t believe me that they are marketing debt?  Check out these three examples:

1. Credit has become a media topic. Take for example this CNN Money article, 6 steps to improve your credit score and it’s accompanying graph about how to get the perfect credit score so that you can get the best rates on homes, autos and credit cards.
2. Visa commercials telling you not to pay with cash because it slows life down.
3. Look at your mailbox and how many pre-approved credit card offers are crammed in there every week.

So what can you do?

1. Don’t believe that your “I Love Debt Score” (FICO Score) means anything about who you are as a person.
2. Stop believing the lie that credit is better than cash.
3. Stop the unsolicited credit card offers by calling 1-888-5-OPTOUT (567-8688) or visit www.optoutprescreen.com for more information.

Yes, rental real estate property is really debt.  If you doubt me just stop paying the mortgage and see what happens.

Many people bought rental property as an investment in the last run up of the housing market and today they are now the proud owners of an investment property that is worth less than they paid for it.

Don’t get me wrong, I love real estate as an investment…when you can afford to pay cash for it. Otherwise stay away from real estate.

I know too many people who bought a rental property knowing that they would not be able to cover the mortgage payment with the rental income.

Yes, there are some possible tax deduction opportunities, but in the end it’s just not worth the risk in my opinion.  There is just too many opportunities for financial stress; from gaps between tenants, to costly repairs or declining real estate values.

If you really want to own investment real estate consider forming a legal entity and investing with a group of people who can all invest together.

Take This Job and Shove It became more than a song when JetBlue Flight Attendant Steven Slater made his grand exit and became a working-class hero.

So why did he become a working-class hero to some people?  Because those people feel stuck in jobs that are less than satisfactory.

There are 3 steps be getting out of a job you hate.

1. Get out of debt by paying off all non-mortgage debt.  It will take you about 12 – 18 months if you are really motivated.  A great way to get the help you’ll need is to take a class like Creating True Financial Independence or Financial Peace University.

2. Establish an emergency fund equal to 3 to 6 months of living expenses.  This will give you the freedom to try something new without having to worry about short-term income.

3. Find your passion. The is a wonderful book called The Passion Test and there is an online Passion Test.

These 3 steps will change your life.  Are you willing to do whatever it takes to get what you want?

Found money is any money that comes to you unexpectedly…money you did not necessarily earn as Jimmy Buffett would say.  And there are 3 things you must do every time you are lucky enough to fine some money.

I’ll start by describing what you should not do.  A volunteer firefighter in Colorado won a $1.2 million home in Maryland.  After selling the home and paying the taxes the found money amounted to about $200,000.

So what did she and her husband do with their found money?  They took $50,000 and bought a new truck, paid off some debt and saved the rest.

• $50,000 for a new truck.  Not a good choice.  The truck will go down in value fastest in the first years of ownership.  I would have suggested buying a 2 year-old, low mileage truck.
• Paid off some debt.  I would have suggested paying off all debt.
• Saved the rest.  Good and I would suggest it go in an emergency fund.

The 3 things you must do when you get found money are:

1. Establish a $1000 emergency fund.
2. Catch up on any past due bills and if there are none then use it to pay off debt.
3. If you have no debt, other than a mortgage, then use it build your emergency fund to equal 3 to 6 months of living expenses.

Following these 3 steps make sure you are on the path to financial independence.

Here is an excellent rent Vs own calculator that can help you make an informed decision about how to spend your housing budget. Home ownership is a dream when you can afford it and can quickly turn into a nightmare when you can’t.

The true cost of ownership is not just the PITI (principal, interest, taxes and insurance), but also the maintenance of the home and lifestyle of the neighborhood.

Home maintenance must be part of your budget and saved in your Momentum Account.

Keeping up with the Jones’ is a real thing. Your neighbors are will likely become your friends and your social reference so beware of moving into a neighborhood where your neighbors earn substantially more money than you do. Keeping up can lead to consumer debt.

Green with Envy by Shira Boss is a wonderful look into the lives and checkbooks of our neighbors.

It’s time to change your vacation plans if you see any of these red flags.  And by change your vacation plans I mean – plan a less costly vacation.

These are by no means all of the possible budgeting red flags, but they are common. If you notice that

1. You are unable to pay cash for your vacation – using a credit card is borrowing money.
2. You don’t yet have a minimum of a $1,000 emergency fund.
3. Going on vacation will cause you to stop paying extra on your debt payoff.

Then it’s time to go back to the planning stage so that you can design a vacation that you can truly afford.

I understand that it’s important to rejuvenate by taking time off from work even if you are focused on getting out o debt.  However, ignoring these red flags can make it even harder to get out of debt.

Some of the ways to reduce the cost of your vacation are to:

1. Stay closer to home to reduce the cost of getting there.
2. Reduce the number of days you’ll be away from home.
3. Stay home and be a tourist in your own town.

If you watch for these red flags and adjust accordingly your vacation will be relaxing and fun instead of financially stressful.

Related articles:

• Inexpensive 2-week vacation (mytotalmoneymakeover.com)