One of the most frustrating things about out-of-control debt is simply trying to keep up with the bills and notices and emails and phone calls. It’s not just that we can’t always make every payment in full each month; sometimes we can’t even keep track of what’s owed, who we’ve spoken to, and what we promised to do. When we feel overwhelmed, everything else is more difficult. It’s like being tired all of the time, but with an extra helping of stress and confusion – the exact opposite of how we’d like to feel if we’re going to step up and take back control of our financial circumstances and the rest of our personal world.

We can’t solve it all for you in one miraculous swipe, but we can help you take a few important steps. The possibility of consolidating some of those bills might go a long way towards reducing that chaos and stress. Then, just realizing you’ve started to shift that momentum can do a great deal for your confidence in tackling other messy issues. At the same time, it can be difficult to know where to start – after all, part of the problem is that it’s sometimes difficult to keep up with everything. You’d like to look into loan options, or put together a better budget, or learn a bit more about steps you could be taking to lower your utility bills or cable bill, but who has the time?

At Loanry, and throughout the Goalry.com family, we’d like to help simplify the world of personal and small business finance by gathering together practical online financial tools, information about a range of financial issues and terminology broken down into accessible language and examples, and easy online forms allowing you to connect with lenders or other professionals who want to work with you to take control of your financial life. Don’t worry about what you think that should look like in a few years. Start by imagining what it could look like in a few months – bills organized, debt restructured into manageable monthly installments, and you building your money knowledge and power by utilizing the tools available across Goalry.

There are no classes. We’re not dangling a certificate or gamifying anything with points or cartoon coins. It’s all there when you need it, when you’re ready. Take ten minutes after the kids are in bed to read that article on why we can never seem to pay down credit card debt effectively. Close that game on your phone in the waiting room during that oil change and use our online tools to compare loan options. Take your kids to the library and use those free computers to submit a little basic information in pursuit of that consolidation loan.

No one said everything in this life would be easy; that doesn’t mean we have to make things harder than they need to be.

In the short term, your most pressing goal may be to avoid debt collection or legal action. It’s difficult to think too much about the future when most of your energy is spent putting out fires with your finances and playing whack-a-mole with your debt. We certainly don’t want to face eviction or repossession or even overdraft fees or suspended credit cards if we can at all help it.

But at some point, the solution to any short-term crisis is to develop and pursue your long-term goals. Planning for the future doesn’t mean sitting around and sighing periodically, wishing things were different. It means taking tangible steps, starting today, to make the changes you know you need to make. It means tackling the issues you know you must tackle if anything’s going to get truly better. It means less sighing and more doing – even if you need a little help along the way.

An important part of this is eliminating excessive debt and avoiding delinquency on required payments. That’s only the starting point, however. Prioritize cleaning up your credit history and strengthening your credit score. It took time to get where you are today; it will take time to improve it. But it doesn’t always take as long as you might think. Eliminating multiple debts improves your income-to-debt ratio. Consolidating them into more manageable monthly payments reduces the chance of late or forgotten payments. Repaying your personal loan to reduce interest builds a positive credit history.

Why does it matter? Because no matter what your situation today, you will eventually need financing again. The time will come to purchase a new home or vehicle. You’ll want to finance major home repairs, or a wedding, or go back to school. When that time comes, the decisions you make between now and then will greatly influence the number of resources available to you and the terms on which you’re able to utilize them. Interest rates, length and amount of the loan, even the number of lenders willing to compete for your business – it all starts today.

That’s a positive thing, by the way. Shall we get started?