The road to conquering debt is a challenging one, but through debt reduction you’ve made it. The question you now ask yourself is, Now that I’m done with all the collection calls, and debt-related hassle, how do I avoid going through this nightmare again? You’ve learned a lot about your spending habits by this time. And obviously you’ve employed techniques from the wide array of debt reduction strategies to eliminate your debt. Unfortunately, doing this often is not enough for debt avoidance.

People are creatures of habit. We do things at first consciously, and as time progresses, we find ourselves doing things subconsciously. To go beyond debt reduction to debt avoidance, you must add to all the learning you’ve already completed a whole new series of unlearning. You have to unlearn the subconscious debt inducing expenditures and indulgences that made your wallet bleed. Additionally, you have to not only unlearn these habits, but you have to replace them with healthy alternatives. Left untreated, people will replace one bad habit with another freely and readily.

As a result, the first thing you need to do is review your list, or if you managed to complete debt reduction without a list, you’ll need to construct a list. The list refers to the spending habits and choices you make that landed you in debt in the first place. It should include not only an itemized account of purchases and obligations, but also you should write in a new section on why you went into debt. What is it about your inner workings that trapped you in a prison of debt? Avoidance of your inherent characteristics and mannerisms will surely undermine any effort you make to avoid a relapse into debt.

Do you find yourself a conspicuous shopper who will make a purchase just because you feel pressured to “not wait, hurry now, supplies are limited” or “act fast sale ends today?” Or do you find yourself a lonely consumer who flips the channel to QVC to do more than pass time or get to sleep? You’ll quickly discover everyone has characteristics that make them subservient to debt, and make avoidance of it well neigh impossible for a foolish mind. Are you someone who has to buy a new riding mower, even though yours works fine, just because your neighbor bought one? Or, are you courting a member of the opposite sex and trying to be more than you really are? Whatever the cause, whatever your underlying debt inducing strategy is, identify it .

Now that you’ve identified what caused your billfold’s weight reduction, you can begin formulating a plan to combat your inner nature. You’ll accomplish this by avoiding the vices and crutches that unleash the weaknesses specific to you. If you are a high-pressure pushover, avoid going to car lots without doing research, perhaps online car buying is for you. If you’re finding you buy the “quartz-sapphire debt monkey” off QVC, stop watching the channel. And what about envy? Debt avoidance is impossible if you’re envying someone who has more than you. You’ll do better to find someone who functions as a better role model in your life to find a poor person to envy.

The reduction of your bank balance to have extra stuff will just leave you feeling empty in the end. At all costs, while some portion of spending is unavoidable when starting to date, if you simply don’t have the money to support your spending habits, you shouldn’t consign yourself to repeating debt reduction after you successfully woo a potential mate. Instead, focus on creative ways to avoid re-entry into debt and impress your prospect at the same time. The park at sunset can cost far less than a movie, and is less likely to be a flop. It also helps you get some exercise in, which leads us to the next point.

A great debt avoidance strategy is to exercise more. Do a daily walk. While you’re walking, you can easily avoid debt by committing not to reduce the time of your workout. Go on your walk, and come back. Not only have you just spent time that previously you may have felt the need to incur additional debt, but exercise triggers the release of endorphins which make you feel good. Unlearning your shopping highs and replacing them with healthy and natural highs is ultimately what will lead you from debt reduction to debt avoidance.