Debt Management: A Practical Handbook

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• Keep one household debt register with every loan, card and family borrowing, including whose name it is in and what it is secured against.
• Line up every due date against the day money arrives, then move dates or automate minimums so nothing falls due before payday.
• Choose a payoff order on paper, and when a debt is cleared, roll its whole payment into the next one on the list.
• Before calling a lender, write down your account number, the amount you can truly pay and your exact request, and get every agreement in writing.
• A short monthly family money meeting shows children that debts are planned and paid, without handing them adult worries.

In deze bit

1. Setting up the household debt register

   A register is one page, on paper or in a spreadsheet, that holds every debt the household carries. Use eight columns: lender, whose name it is in, balance, annual rate, minimum or EMI, due date, what it is secured against, and notes.

2. A payment calendar built around payday

   Most missed payments are timing failures rather than money failures. The fix is a calendar.

3. Choosing a payoff order and rolling it forward

   With minimums protected, extra money needs a direction. Two orders are common.

4. Scripts for calling a lender

   Calling a lender is easier with a page in front of you. Before you dial, write down the account number, the balance, the reason for the call in one sentence, the amount you can genuinely pay each month and the exact thing you are asking for.

5. Family money meetings with the children

   Children notice money stress even when nobody names it. A short, regular meeting lets them see the opposite: a family with a plan.

6. Checklists before the next borrowing decision

   The cheapest debt to manage is the one you never took on. Before any new borrowing, run the same five questions.