Are you motivated to pay off debt, but unsure where to start? If so, you don’t have to figure it out on your own. There are tried-and-true steps anyone can follow to move from wishing their debt would disappear to actually reducing what they owe.
If you’re ready to get out of debt, here’s a step-by-step process you can get started with today to get on the right track.
Before you can make a plan of attack for your debt, you have to get clear about what you’re up against. Instead of guessing about the details (and potentially getting things wrong) you’ll need to take a look at your financial account statements to get the following information for each debt:
To be certain you’re not missing anything, review your credit reports, too. You can pull your reports from all three credit bureaus for free at AnnualCreditReport.com once a week.
Next, calculate the total amount you owe each month on your debt. To do this, add up the minimum payment amounts due for each account.
Note that making the minimum payments on your debts will help you avoid late fees and other penalties, like damage to your credit scores. So, if your budget is tight, ensure that you pay at least the minimum amount each month.
That said, this isn’t a good plan for getting out of debt. That’s because the interest charges on your debts will cause your balances to keep growing despite the payments you’re making.
For example, if you owe $3,000 on a credit card with 21% APR and you make a minimum payment of $55 a month, it will take you almost 15 years to pay off the card — and you’ll pay $6,800 in interest charges.
To make a significant dent in your debt, you’ll need to pay extra toward your balance each month. Which brings us to the next step.
Once you know how much your total minimum debt payments are, it’s time to figure out how much extra money you can put toward your debt.
To figure this out, you’ll need to compare your monthly income to your essential expenses, including housing, utilities, food, transportation, and healthcare. In other words, you’ll need to put together a budget.
If you’re not sure how much each of your expenses is, take a look at your recent financial account statements to make your best estimate of the average monthly cost.
Even if you only have $100 left over to put toward extra debt payments each month, it’s worth doing. If you consider the credit card example we used above, adding an extra $100 a month toward the payment would mean paying off the account in just two years and saving $6,105 in interest.
Read more: Budgeting basics: What are monthly expenses?
The more monthly cash flow you can free up to pay off debt, the faster you’ll be debt-free. Additionally, paying off debt early means saving more money on interest.
Here are a few ways you might be able to free up extra cash for debt payments:
Review financial statements: Review your credit card and bank statements to find automatic charges and subscriptions you can cancel.
Swap out non-necessities: When it comes to discretionary spending, such as dining out and travel, swap them out for cheaper alternatives or cut them altogether until you get a handle on your debt.
Increase your income: Look for ways to increase your income, such as by working overtime, finding a new job, or starting a side gig. Put all of the extra earnings toward debt payoff.
Now that you know how much money you have for debt payments, you’ll need to decide how to approach paying off the debt.
You might be surprised by how many different options are available. Depending on how much money you have for debt payments, and the type of debt you’re in, one or more of the following debt-payoff strategies could be best for you:
If you’re not sure which of these plans is best suited to your needs and preferences, you can reach out to an NFCC-certified credit counselor for guidance. They’ll review your budget, debt, and credit and make personalized recommendations on how to move forward.
Read more: Debt snowball vs. debt avalanche: Which method is better for paying off debt?
Deciding on a debt-payoff strategy is a step in the right direction. But next, you have to back up your strategy with funds. Make sure you include your debt payoff as an “expense” in your budget. One of the best ways to make sure things go as planned is to set up automatic payments for your debt.
Even the best-laid plans can go awry. If you come up against roadblocks in your debt payoff process, like an unexpected expense or a reduction in your income, don’t give up.
Instead, adjust the numbers in your budget and keep moving forward. You may have to reduce your monthly debt payments for a period of time, but that doesn’t mean you have to throw your plan out altogether.
