Work hard now for the sake of a better future.

Every year, especially in the last few years, whenever New Year’s Day rolls around, everyone shouts “good riddance to (insert previous year here).” It’s just kind of a tradition at this point, though I don’t think it’d be hyperbolic to say that when 2021 begins next week, that usual “good riddance” will ring a little truer than usual. 2020 has just been pretty monumentally awful for just about everyone, and while 2021 probably won’t be as bad, it wouldn’t hurt to take some preventative measures.

2020 has probably left your personal finances in a bit of a pretzel, so in the interest of your continued financial health, you should strive to ensure that 2021 is a debt-free year. The goal here is to stave off any new recurring debt while working to pay off debt that follows you into the new year. This may be a little difficult at first, as the economy will probably still be weird for a few months of 2021, but once the COVID-19 vaccine starts reaching the public and places start reopening, it should become much easier.

So how can you commit to a debt-free year? You gotta live within your means, under your means if possible. Tighten your belt, cut out any unnecessary expenses, and keep your necessary expenses to an absolute minimum. Any money you save, direct it toward paying off any existing debt. It’s probably not going to be fun, and you may not be able to pay off all of your debt, but if you can at least lessen your existing debt, you’ll have more room to breathe, more money available to save or utilize in the future. The future is always worth betting on, never forget that.