Paying at least the minimum balance on each card every month, on time, is a requirement for maintaining a good credit rating and avoiding additional late fees that will add to your debt. If you can't make the minimum payments, use the tips in Parts 2 and 3, but remember that paying the minimums will not reduce debt. Instead, it helps to avoid late fees, which can add to overall debt. Don't make any new charges on your credit cards, especially on any higher interest accounts or accounts that are near or over your credit limit. If you have to, cut up cards so that you will not use them impulsively. Not adding to debt is just as important as paying debt off. A good tip is to practice just living on cash if possible. Attempt this for one full week to start. Assume that if you cannot afford something with cash, you cannot afford it at all. If you require records and receipts, it is okay to use one credit card and pay completely each billing period. Once you have created a budget that identifies savings to use for credit card payments, make sure you stick with it. Sticking to cash is one of the best ways to avoid impulse purchases that could deter you from sticking to your budget. Your budget takes what cash you earn, and subtracts cash expenses. If you can commit to using cash only, every expense you have for the month should be covered by your incoming cash, which means there is no use for credit. If you find yourself out of cash, it means you were not sticking to your budget. Cutting up credit cards, as mentioned earlier, is an excellent solution to make sure you do not use them for impulse purchases. While closing credit cards can be a tempting option to prevent further usage, it can cause more harm then good. One large aspect of your credit score is what is known as your "credit utilization", which refers to how much of your available credit that you use. By closing cards, you reduce your available credit, and thereby increase your overall credit utilization. This can harm your credit score, and make getting future loans more challenging. A better option is simply to cut up credit cards. In addition, having multiple types of credit (like mortgages, auto-loans, credit cards) improves your credit score. Therefore, by maintaining your credit cards, you are holding an additional type of credit. If you feel you cannot keep the card and not use it, cut it up. You may also want to look into how to improve your credit score.

Summary: Pay the minimum balances on time. Stop making charges. Follow your budget religiously. Avoid closing credit cards.

Find the spot near the top of the bottle where it starts to curve inward. Take a utility knife and pierce the plastic with the knife tip. Cut around the bottle until the top detaches. Be very careful when cutting the bottle. Keep your fingers away from the blade. If you don't have a utility knife, you could also use scissors. Press one tip through the plastic. Then snip around the bottle to cut off the top. If you want more decoration, these are great options. Apply hot glue to rhinestones and stick them around the bottle. You can also use decorative stickers for a simpler approach. This is a great activity for kids. Give them a pack of stickers and let them decorate the vase however they want. Since it's plastic, you don't have to worry about them breaking it.

Summary: Cut the top of the bottle off. Place rhinestones or stickers around the bottle for extra decoration.

Fixing your whole life can be an overwhelming project. Understand that meaningful change cannot be implemented overnight. Changing even a single bad habit can be challenging. Know that it's okay, and expected, for you to take baby steps. Remember the first step in meaningful change is awareness of where your problems lie. Just being real with yourself and shining a light on your habits is incredibly instrumental towards fixing these issues. To build confidence about your self-improvement project, start small. Pick one area at a time in which you would like to improve. Work exclusively in this area until you have seen marked improvement, and then move to a new area. You may find that the positive changes you make in one area of life trickle down into other areas without you even trying. To fix your life, you need to look closely at the factors that are contributing to you being stuck in this rut. It's hard to acknowledge that we are the ones standing in the way of our happiness. Nonetheless, recognizing this gives you power, since you are the only one who can make changes to improve your life. Think about which behaviors you do repeatedly that result in you feeling dissatisfied about life. People who are chronically unhappy often share similar habits. These include the following: Playing the victim Using alcohol, drugs, food, sex or other addictive behaviors to cope Feeling powerless to change their emotional state Neglecting health Having rocky relationships It's common to experience negative thoughts periodically in life. However, if your life is constantly letting you down, your train of thought might be to blame. What's running through your head all day on a loop has the power to cripple you and make you feel powerless at improving your life. Here are the 8 negative thought patterns of chronically unhappy people. Are you guilty of any of these? Self-defeating talk: "I can't" or "I'm not good enough" Ruminating negatively about the past: Rewinding or playing back horrible or stressful events that occurred previously in your life. Assuming the worst: Presuming the negative in all situations, or looking at life with a "glass half empty" attitude Comparing yourself critically to others: Viewing others as more attractive, wealthier, or having better lives Playing the victim: Choosing to look at yourself as weak or incapable of dealing with challenging people or situations Struggling to forgive yourself: Wallowing in guilt over past mistakes Blaming: Attributing your misfortunes to others Fearing failure or mistakes: Setting unreasonably high standards and being perfectionistic If your life is undesirable right now, you may need to assess your social circle. Ideally, you want to surround yourself with people who are positive, uplifting, and who see you value as a person. Such relationships are essential to happiness. However, if your relationships drain you, de-motivate you, or contribute to you maintaining unhealthy habits, then you may need to re-evaluate them. If you are an adult, then you must take responsibility for your role in any toxic relationships. Despite what you believe, you alone have the power to break free. So, if you chose to remain in such a relationship, you must acknowledge that are doing so at the sacrifice of your own well-being.
Summary: Take it slow. Examine problematic behavior patterns. Ask yourself whether your thoughts are bringing you down. Take a closer look at your relationships.