I'm sure everybody will agree that being a hospital nurse in the Philippines is not well compensated with regard to salary rate especially now that it's pandemic and the inflation rate is increasing. My monthly salary is not sufficient to provide the needs of my family as price of goods and gas dramatically elevated for the past few years. That led me to apply for a credit card and loan from a government agency to have a fund for other expenses we might need in the future. 

It has been very hard for me to pay off these borrowed money, but I really have to finish my obligations as I plan to transfer and work in another country. I definitely want to go abroad debt-free and hopefully with a pocket money that I can use while I adjust to this new location. 

I would like to share to you some of the tips that I have been applying and trying to do in my daily life to be able to achieve this goal:

1. Remove all online shopping applications/Stop all notifications from these applications

Before, whenever I see notifications that there is a sale/promo, I get so excited to check which stuff are on sale. Even if I don't really need these things at the moment, I feel like getting them at a huge discount is a good enough reason to purchase the item. But I realized that some of this promos are not really true, some usually make the "original price" higher than usual to make you see that you are getting the item at a bargain. So if you are like me, better remove or stop the notifications for these online shopping apps.

2. Have an end goal as to when you want to finish paying your debt

As for me, I already decided to be debt free on Nov 2023. Having a planned date will help you be realistic on ending your debt. I have already computed as to how much money I should pay monthly to be able to reach a 0 debt on November 2023 and if ever I have extra money, I try to add that to my payment, too, as it would be better to finish my loan/credit card even before my target date. Click here to be able to start your debt free plan as it helped me start on my own plan.

3. Control your food cravings 

Before the pandemic started, I have loved using food delivery applications because it is very convenient to use. You just pick the restaurant you want, choose the food you like to eat and they deliver it to you at a certain amount of time. But when the pandemic occurred, these apps have been a necessity since no one really wants to go to the mall to eat there and risk getting the virus. But depending on the app made me crave so much food as the choices have grown so much more than it was before. Everything you might think of is already in the app and it has been more expensive because of the demand. Try to control your cravings as this can help you to avoid spending too much on food delivery apps and at the same time, also cut your caloric intake.

4. Find an extra job

I work as a nurse, and at the same time, I am a blogger. Being a nurse means that I have a hectic work schedule but whenever I get the chance to have a side line, whether to make an article, or to post a review for a certain product or service, I grab the opportunity. This is basically a passive income and it will really help pay my debt faster and earlier than my target date. 

5. Try to save money

This is the most difficult for me, as my salary goes to paying my debt and to buying necessities. But as much as possible, try to save money even the tiniest amount possible every month. This will help you be financially dependent after you have paid all your debt. It's better to have your own money ready even after you have settled all your obligations.

6. Learn from other people's ways on how to be debt free

These tips are what I apply to my life and you might want to try doing some of these as well. It has been effective on my part and I really hope that it can help you also. I also search on the internet on ways that can help me achieve my goal the shortest time possible. 

How about you? What are your ways to have a good financial standing and a debt free life? Let me know in the comment section as I would like to learn from your experiences, too.