Maybe Don't Follow This Weird Advice For Getting Out Of Debt

Today, all of your money problems are going to be solved. I know — you're thrilled. But don't thank me; thank this woman who is offering advice for how to get out of debt — and it's so simple, I can't believe we didn't think of it already: all you need to do is act like a rich person, avoid paying bills, and spend your money on silver spoons to stir your coffee.

I can imagine this has rocked your world — along with the other 75 percent of Americans who have some kind of debt — so I'll give you a moment to compose yourself before I go on.

Simone Milasas is the founder of the Joy of Business, a company that (according to their Facebook page) offers "tools and processes, so you can look at business from a very different place." (If you don't quite understand what that means, well, it's OK because neither do I.) From what I gather, many of their viewpoints are based in the law of attraction, meaning that what you give is what you receive: if you have a positive relationship with money, you'll attract more. This is a wonderful perspective, so don't question the complete lack of logic you're about to encounter.

Seriously. Ignore it completely.

Milasas' personal story is that she got out of $187,000 of debt in just two years; and in her new book, Getting Out Of Debt Joyfully, she's explaining how she did it (full of joy, apparently), and MamaMia has the excerpts (along with an Editor's Note reading This is one person’s experience and should be treated as such.)

Grab a pen so you can write this down.

Tip #1: Don't Pay Your Bills First

Put away 10 percent of everything you earn, as "an honouring of you." This is very important, because you should honor yourself before you honor your bills. Says Milasas, "... if you pay your bills first, you will always have more bills. When you pay the bills first, the universe says, 'Oh, okay. This person wishes to honour their bills. Let’s give them some more bills.' If you honour yourself by setting aside 10 per cent first, the universe says, 'Oh, they are willing to honour themselves. They are willing to have more,' and it responds to that. It gives you more." This is sound advice, people — particularly if you're part of the roughly 25 percent of Americans who are not able to pay their bills in full every month.

To recap: honoring yourself is the priority — not honoring bills. Hopefully the following chapter covers what to do when you don't honor your electricity in time and it gets shut off.

Tip #2: Carry Money Like A Rich Person Would

Yes, even if it is totally out of your budget, carry around the amount of money that you think a wealthy person would carry. "I like to have at least $1,000 on me at all times," says Milasas, making life easier for every thief within a 25-mile-radius. So... might that be a little risky? Sure, she admits, but it's still a wise idea. Case in point: her friend who was mugged carrying $1,800 and was "much more willing to be aware of her money" afterward. Ah, silver linings.

While you might not carry cash on you anymore because you don't feel safe or because, oh, I don't know, a measly nine percent of Americans prefer paying in cash, you might want to reconsider your ways: "If you avoid having money on you or in your life because you think you will lose it or it will be stolen from you, you will never allow yourself to have money at all," she says.

Takeaway? Carry lots of money on you. $1,000 if possible. If you don't have $1,000, honor yourself by telling your health insurance bill to eff off and the universe will probably throw a couple Benjamins your way.

Tip #3: Buys Lots Of Diamonds

So, do not pay bills first. Carry around large sums of money that you may or may not have room to spare. The third gem from Milasas' book is to spend that 10 percent you put away on "things of intrinsic value," like gold, silver, platinum (!), diamonds, or pearls. If you feel totally overwhelmed by this and suspect it might be an awful idea, you would be correct; so she suggests to take baby steps: "You could start with buying a silver teaspoon to stir your coffee with, and add from there." What's that, you say? You typically use those little plastic sticks they give you at coffee shops? Please. Those are for poor people.

"I have purchased lots of gold and silver with my 10% account and it’s fun for me," she writes. There was no mention of whether or not her phone got shut off because she bought a gold spoon for her tea instead of paying the bill.

It was by using tactics like these that Milasas got out of nearly $200,000 in debt — debt she wasn't "even cognitively sure" how she got into, as she told the Good Day Colorado breakfast show. "I would definitely go away on a weekend or buy a nice bottle of champagne." She must've been honoring herself a little too much. Or not enough. I don't know anymore.