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Unfortunately, getting yourself into debt is a whole lot easier than getting yourself out of it. Once that hurricane picks up speed it can leave a pretty destructive path of money owed in its wake. It is so important that you try your very best to get on track and pay off your debts.
Of course, you’re standing at the bottom of the mountain and looking up at the peak – a Mount Everest of repayment arrangements. It’s not exactly a view anyone wants to wake up to, and not a challenge anyone is enthused by.
You’re looking at your situation, and all you see years and years of hard work, sacrifice, and heartache when, in truth, there are plenty of strategies out there that can help you pay off your debt much faster than this. Yes, the mountain is the same size, but the battle doesn’t have to last as long.
So if you’re ready to get yourself out of debt and out of stress, it is time you adopted these tried and tested strategies and methods:
Get Yourself Out Of Debt By Paying More Than You Have To
Okay, so the average credit card balance of American citizens currently stands at around $16,000. Add to that the typical 15% interest rate, and it is easy to understand why your battle to have a debt-free life looks like an unwinnable war. If you pay the minimum monthly payment, you’re looking at almost 14 years before you finally pay it all off.
That is where the pay more than you have to strategy comes in. It’s great because it can be used on any debt you have. Student loans, credit cards, mortgages, personal loans – whatever. The more you can afford to pay off the quicker it will happen, and the less it will cost. You can usually refinance student loans in certain situations to make payments more manageable.
This is the single most effective strategy available to you. It may feel like an insignificant amount now, but paying just an extra $20 a week (or a month) is going to have a major impact over the course of a decade. If you don’t think something small can have an impact then you must not be a parent.
Make Sure Your Credit History Is Accurate
So many people – in fact, too many people – just accept the credit rating as gospel, but it may not be. It is well worth it to check everything on your credit history and make sure it is up to date and accurate. If it’s wrong, it could have a significant impact on even the more mundane things like your insurance premiums.
You see, insurance companies use your credit rating as part of the variables that make up your premiums. This goes for things like home insurance, car insurance, life insurance and just about every other form of insurance out there. So having two incorrect late payments show up your credit score doesn’t just affect your rating, it affects everything that falls within that bell curve. So check your history for any inaccuracies, get them amended, and you should see a nice chunk of change when it comes to your insurance renewals.
The Snowball Method
This one latches onto the paying more than you have to method of paying off your debt. If you are into the idea of paying more than the minimum monthly payments, then this strategy could maximize the efficiency and speed in which you pay off your debts.
Make a list of all the debts you have and put them in order from smallest to biggest. After this, throw any extra money you have at the smallest debt on the list, while still making the minimum monthly payments on your other debts, of course. Once you have paid off the first debt, well, you move onto the next one, throwing any extra money you have at that one. This process keeps going until you’ve paid them all off. Simple but effective.
Get Yourself Some Extra Work
You may have just read about the snowball method and thought to yourself, “Where am I going to get extra money from?” Well, there are more ways than ever to cash in your skills and talents and do it in your own time. It is simply a matter of knowing what you have to offer and then knowing how you can monetize it.
Let’s say you have a way with words; it could be that you pick up a few writing gigs on Upwork. Perhaps you are good with kids and have evenings off, then why not become a regular babysitter. Apart from the most extreme minimalists, everyone has clutter and/or junk in their home that they don’t need. So why not sell it? It could get you that extra money you need.
Become That Little Bit More Thrifty
One of the most efficient ways to get extra money that will allow you to pay down your debts faster is to become frugal with money. There are TONS of ways to do this!
One method is to come up with a budget that cuts out luxury spending. This may sound horrendous, but it can be an incredibly rewarding period in your life. People that go down this route often find out a lot about themselves. It’s nice because you can choose the degree of severity you go down. You could just make your grocery list a needs-only list, or you could go further and stop eating out. It is in your control. But the more you sacrifice now, the quicker you’ll be able to pay off your debt.
Every little bit helps; trust us on that one.
2/6/18 Oreo can no go down on command. She’s the only one that goes down at all. The others have a hard time with a lured down. Proud puppy parent!
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
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Great tips! Ive started throwing everything to my smallest debt and it feels great to pay one off!
Doesn’t it feel glorious?! Starting with the small ones and working your way up is a great plan!
I do not have a lot of debt; however, I appreciate these tips. Thank you for sharing this information.
That’s a plus! Thank you for visiting 🙂
We paid off our credit cards a few years ago and it was the best thing we ever did! Love your tips!
Congratulations! That is such a tough thing to do for most people.
These are awesome tips. My husband and I have been working on our debt, and i will say those little side hustle jobs are a big help. With both of us doing it we should have our debt paid down rather quickly.
Good for you guys! It shows amazing control and determination to pay off debt as quickly as possible. Side hustles make SUCH a big difference. It’s not as noticeable until you do them either.
These are all great tips! I’ve known about Dave Ramsey’s snowball for years, and used it a few times in the past. We only have two credit cards now that we are working on paying off, but it honestly feels like it’s going to be forever! I know one day they will finally be paid off, but I’m so ready for that day!
Good for you on staying on top of it and slowly working towards your goals. You will get there!
This is such a great article, and so important for people. It’s so so important being able to get out of debt. It is such a huge cause of stress.
You are very right! Debt issues are the cause of so much grief for people. A little bit of focus on your debt can be life-changing.
Thank you for these tips! It’s such an important topic and one to be taken seriously. There are a few things in this article I will start doing.
I’m glad you found them handy! Thanks for stopping by!
You got me at thrifty. I need to be much more thrifty so that I can pay off more debt. Great reminder…
When you have the money or the means, sometimes it can be hard to remember that being thrifty may help you down the road when you don’t have it.
I have done the snowball effort and it works! The other piece is… don’t use the card while you are paying it down!
That’s a great tip. You don’t want to be adding to your own pile as you’re trying to clear it away.
I definitely agree about clearing off the smaller ones first. Being able to tick off debts from your list will make you feel so much better, and make you feel like you’re getting through them quicker x
Getting rid of those small ones makes you feel like you’re making progress! It keeps you fired up and encouraged to keep going.
I just heard the credit rating agencies are changing the way our credit scores are determined. It seems they are going to penalize you for having any balance on your card so paying off your cards is becoming even more important.
Wow, I’ll have to look more into that. I do know that they have always said being at a 10% or less usage is the best spot. We shall see if that changes!
Starting is the hardest part! The easiest for me was to start with the small amounts and work on to the bigger ones.
In my opinion, that’s the best way to do it. Even removing small debts makes a big difference and it gets you into the swing of things.
I love these tips! We just paid of a TON of medical bills last year and it was no small feat. It’s so overwhelming when dealing with debt.
I know what you mean. It feels like it takes every ounce of effort to reach that goal. Congratulations on getting so much paid off!
Debt is something that affects so many people, and it can be really scary! Thankfully the only real debt I have is student loans but I know how easily people can get into debt and how it can spiral out of control. Some great tips!
It truly is SO easy to get caught up in debt in a short period of time. Some people think it’s no big deal but they don’t realize the harsh consequences that can come from it.
Love Dave Ramsey! We got out of debt using some of his ideas! It feels so good to be debt free!
He has some amazing insight! So glad to hear that! Congrats!
It’s going to be a headache, but it’s also worth it especially when you finally get out of debt. These are all great suggestions!
Oh yes, lots of hard work and budgeting but you’re right, it’s well worth it. There’s nothing like that satisfied feeling when you reach your goal.
These are all such great tips! Taking on freelance work can really make the world of a difference. Living debt free feels oh so good.
I couldn’t agree more! Being debt free and staying that way is an amazing feeling.
Im in so much student loan and car loan debt, its sooo complicated. Thanks for all these tips though! Definitely going to incorporate them!
I’m glad you found them useful! Good luck on that mountain of debt! School loans are the worst.
I have student loans and medical bills. Thanks for the tips..
I hope it helps you out. Having debt is no fun!
Very good points. It’s not easy to pay off debt but it can be done if one buckle down! We no longer have credit card debt, are putting our child through college, and have less than $20,000 left on our house mortgage! It has NOT been easy! cars are over 20 years old, we never eat out, but it’s all worth it!
It sounds like you do a great job at keeping track of your finances! You are doing great 🙂