4 Great Ways To Pay Off Your Debt For Good

great ways to pay off debt for good

Debt isn’t always a force for evil. It can be used responsibly and sensibly to help you make investments that help you get ahead in life. Home loans, car loans, and business loans are examples of very helpful debt.

But if you’re getting caught in the kind of debt that’s anything but helpful, you might want to get rid of it entirely, start with a relatively clean slate and give your finances some breathing room. So, how do you go about it?

Stop procrastinating

One of the biggest issues facing most people’s finances is that they’re not taking the time to put money aside. Even when you’re not working a great job, you can find even a little bit every paycheck to contribute towards the repayments of your debt above the minimum. Find opportunities to make more money, such as a side hustle, as well as ways to save by taking a closer look at your budget. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away, it will only grow bigger and uglier.

Rearrange your payments

If your debts and your minimum payments are too large to accommodate in your budget, it’s time to rethink them. Negotiating with the creditor is a good first step but some, like payday loan providers, aren’t as open to negotiation. In cases where you can’t find any wiggle room, ask “how do I consolidate my payday loans?” Consolidation can help you freeze or lower interest rates, as well as restructuring the debt so you have more time to pay it off in more manageable installments.

Strategize your approach

Rather than paying all your debts off evenly, it’s a good idea to weigh your repayments more in favor of one at a time. There are two common methods to approach this. The first is the snowball method, where you pay off the smallest debt first to give yourself some momentum and work your way up. The other and the one that is most cost-effective in the end, is paying off the debt with the highest interest first. It might take a longer time, but in total, it means paying less money to get out of debt entirely.

Stop using your credit

This is essential. If you want to get out of debt entirely, you have to wean yourself off credit cards and avoid applying for any loans that aren’t for consolidation. Credit cards have become such a convenient tool that it’s easy to simply forget about how often we rely on them. It’s not recommended you cut up a credit card before closing that account, but simply refusing to take it with you when you go shopping or go out can help you avoid the impulse to use it as frivolously as you might have in the past.

You need a plan that takes a closer look at your finances, what steps you can take to make repayments easier, and addresses impulses that can get you deeper in debt. The tips above should help you put it all together.

2 responses to “4 Great Ways To Pay Off Your Debt For Good”

  1. Bruce Avatar

    Hi David,

    This is the medicine I need, especially “Stop using credit.” I am currently trying to crawl my way out of this abyss of debt and once out, I will never incur careless debt. The tricky part is that getting stuff on credit feels like a giveaway. But when the debt is due, it feels like hell.

    I am a freelance writer and I do make a little money off my three YouTube channels. I will break my back to free myself from this. I still remember how it feels to be without debt stress. Great work you are doing educating us, or in case someone has heard this information before, reminding us on how and why to keep away from terrible debt.

    Thanks!

  2. Qeemat Avatar

    Lucky for me, the moment I realized I had debt (yeah, signing the papers with the bank didn’t light up any emergency light bulbs in my head…) and actually had to pay it off “or else”, I became the most frugal person I know! Then I met my other half, also in debt, so we at least had each other’s support while paying the bills ?

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