DebtSafe Blog

5 Tips to Stay Young, Happy and Financially Free

Are you a young, twenty-something individual, relatively fresh out of high school, college or university kick-starting your career? This new chapter in your life goes hand in hand with also getting your finances going. You don’t want bad habits or debt to steal your youth, happiness, and freedom. You are indeed capable of becoming a

Freeze Your Spending

Who said winter is cold and tedious? It is never too late (or chilly) to apply new financial habits to help you clear old debt. Make the last bit of winter your spending freeze to practice financial fasting by curbing all non-essential expenses. This temporary arrangement can range from a few weeks to a month

SMART Financial Goals

Who said you can only set goals every New Year? Not to mention financial goals. No, goals should be a hot topic year-round and that includes financial goals. There is no better way to keep it simple than by keeping it SMART. “S.M.A.R.T. is an ideal framework for setting goals, including financial goals,” says Matthys

Time to Re-GROW Your Savings

As many consumers may have noticed, July is National Savings Month. It is, therefore, the best time to start afresh and rethink savings strategies. Matthys Potgieter, spokesperson, and expert at DebtSafe, believes in the GROW coaching model to achieve his life goals and his savings goals. The GROW model enables everyday South Africans to plan

Bad Financial Habits Can Lead to Debt Disasters

A personal financial disaster can happen when you least expect it. Although you may feel that the bank, creditors and every other provider are to blame, a combination of your own bad financial habits can ultimately lead to a debt disaster. It is often the small things that you neglect, like repairs, that push your

The Swearword for Consumers

RECESSION First South Africans received the shocking blow of being downgraded to junk status, then the fuel price increase was announced and NOW consumers are trying to make sense of a curse, yet crucial, word – recession. Recent news about the technical recession is leaving some individuals feeling a bit topsy-turvy at this stage. Just

Charity Starts at Home

Ever considered being part of something bigger than yourself?  Now is your chance. A day to take action and doing a bit of reflection is here – looking back at the life of one of South Africa’s amazing leaders, Nelson Mandela, and continuing the legacy he helped build. Mandela Day (18 July) together with the

Create a Savings Culture

July is National Savings Month and there is no better time for us South Africans to get proactive with our savings habits. By improving our own savings behaviour and by encouraging others to save we can be the start of a much-admired nationwide savings culture.  National Savings Month is an initiative that came about in

Stop Leaving Your Finances out in the Cold

Face it, spending a few minutes doing fiscal planning, budgeting and continually improving your finances, cannot be seen as a waste of your time. If, however, you are a first-timer and you can only relate to an unending financial winter, it is time to get your money situation back on track. You are not the

Voluntary Surrender vs. Repossession

Anyone’s financial situation can change overnight. It is nothing out of the ordinary for unforeseen crises (like retrenchment, divorce, life-threatening illness or an emergency) to occur. This can make it difficult to pay your debt instalments. There are two things that you can get confronted with if you can’t pay for the goods that you