 TITLE: How to Recognize the Signs of Too Much Debt CONTENT: ###### Written by: Kristy Welsh\n_Last Updated: September 11, 2017_\nYou know things have been tight financially in your household, but just how bad are things really? Most of us want to believe the lack of cash and the ever increasing mound of debt will only stay with us momentarily — that we will be able to dig ourselves out of this hole. But, if you can agree with most of the following statements, it is time to make some major changes along with a few minor ones in your spending habits.\nSigns You May Be Carrying Too Much Debt\n---------------------------------------\n1.  You have been late paying your bills more than once.\n2.  You never pay the full amount billed to your credit card accounts.\n3.  You are starting to take out cash advances to cover basic living expenses are these loans are becoming more frequent.\n4.  Late fees are beginning to appear on such a regular basis that you are surprised when they aren't listed.\n5.  Bank charges for insufficient funds have begun to eat into your disposable income.\n6.  Making the payments on your installment loans, including your car payment, is becoming difficult.\n7.  Each new expense including appliance repairs, home repairs, dental bills, prescriptions, unexpected doctor visits, or car repairs is a major expense that you cannot afford.\n8.  You've gone through all of your emergency cash reserves, or worse yet, your retirement funds.\n9.  Your spending habits seem compulsive.\nIf you don't have any cash reserves to cover unexpected costs, no matter how minor, weathering a recession or even a simple slowing down of the economy is going to take its toll on your financial situation. It is time to attempt a personal debt reduction by developing a personal debt reduction strategy that includes an increase in savings, a decrease in spending, and a reduction in debt.\nHow to Stop Accumulating More Debt\n----------------------------------\nHopefully you have honestly looked at your financial situation and realized you are drowning in debt. Don't feel bad — you are not alone! Now that you know the problem, time to fix it. Here's some articles that will help you stop the bleeding:\n*   Reduce Your Expenses — Yes, no matter how tight things are, you can do this.\n*   Eliminate Your Debt — This article offers step-by-step ideas to eliminate your debts.\n*   Manage Student Loan Debt — Learn how to manage the seemingly un-manageable student loan debt.\nIt it never too late to begin the process of trying to stop accumulating more debt. It may take a bit of will power, but once you start seeing the rewards of spending less and saving more, you will wonder why you did not start down this road to recovery much sooner. END