By guest blogger: kls

Building an emergency fund can take a very long time.  Just when you get close to your funding goal, an emergency could arise, and you unwillingly return to square one in your financial freedom journey.  Take heart.  This is a marathon.  This race is raced at a steady pace with an attitude of perseverance.  In order to complete it, you must FOCUS.

 When a man courts a woman, he is focused.  When an athlete plays a game, he or she is focused.  When an employee trains for a new job, he or she is focused.  The same is true with working to beat debt.  A lack of focus, a selfish nature, and unplanned emergencies all contributed to getting into debt.  It will take motivation and FOCUS to overcome it.

 We do not set out to get into debt for the pleasure of being in bondage or a slave to some institution.  Too often, we want (and sometimes need) something, and we want or need it now.  The terms on the credit card or loan agreement are easy to agree to, especially if the company dangles a large sum of money in front of us.  But the debts (no matter how legitimate) always end up hurting in the here and now. There is always too much month at the end of the money.  Sometimes we are afraid to face tomorrow. 

 Focus and perseverance.  These are two elements to beating debt while saving something in an emergency fund and will help you find ways to spend less and make more of what you have.  The following ideas will give you a place to start reducing your expenses.

 1.  Change the temperature.   Turn down the thermostat in winter and raise it in the summer when no one is home.  It does not take long to get the house back to a comfortable temperature once the family gets home.  Leaving the HVAC on during the day when no one is home causes the unit to have to keeping turning on and off to keep the house at the desired temperature.  Raise the thermostat to 79^o during the hot months, and the A/C will not use as much energy to cool the house.  Consider 65-68^o for the winter when no one is home.  Run the exhaust fan only when absolutely necessary.  It sucks out valuable heated or cooled. 

 2.  Use the oven as little as possible.  Use the microwave, a crock pot, or the stove top instead.  A stove top version of Tuna Noodle Casserole tastes just as good.

 3.  Turn off ‘phantom loads.’  These items use electricity 24/7.  Phantoms include digital clocks, sound systems, TV, cable boxes, and computers and their peripherals.  Unplug these items when not in use.

 4.  Switch to using compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs).  A regular 100 watt bulb costs about $1 a month when used 3 hours/day.  A CFL costs 25 cents/month!   It is estimated that changing just 25% of your home bulbs can cut your electric bill in half. 

 So focus on what you can do to cut spending.  Find one thing a month.  Take small steps so you are more dedicated to completing the challenge.  Put the savings in an emergency fund or toward a debt.  Enjoy the satisfaction that results.  Persevere .You CAN beat debt. 

Photo by: guano  

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