There is little doubt how bad the economy is right now and that most people are really struggling financially. The job market continues to be scarce and a lot people who are looking for employment have just about given up. When the financial situation gets to be bad like this then the key factor to surviving during an economic crisis is to put together a plan. Just because the national economy is in bad shape, that doesn’t mean that your own ‘personal economy’ has to be in bad shape also. One of the key factors to improving your own personal economy is eliminating debt. When you are eliminating debt it will make your whole life so much easier. For instance, when you eliminate your debt, you will help improve your monthly cash flow, thus allowing you to investment your money in other things. Eliminating debt will allow you to start saving money and hence start a retirement plan amongst other things.