How to Get Out of Debt: 10 Steps to Financial Peace of Mind

1. Identify Your “Why” Everyone needs motivation for a debt-free journey. Start by identifying your primary reason for wanting to eliminate debt. Here are some possibilities:
   • Reducing the stress of making minimum payments.
   • Catching up on overdue bills.
   • Allocating extra funds to savings instead of debt payments.
   • Creating a strong financial future for your family.
   • Setting aside funds for a child with special needs.
   • Reducing money-related conflicts with your partner.
   • Avoiding your children needing to take out loans for college.
   • Traveling the world while you’re healthy.
2. Assess Your Current Situation Before making extra payments, review your bank and credit card statements to understand your monthly spending. Include every expense, from small snacks to streaming subscriptions. List your credit cards, loans, and other debts, noting the creditor’s name, balance due, and minimum monthly payment. Sum up your balances to determine your total debt.
3. Review Your Spending Habits Examine your expenses and ask:
   • Are there duplicate charges?
   • Can you eliminate any items?
   • Are you spending more than you earn each month? Identifying these factors helps you determine how to get out of debt faster. Recognize spending triggers such as discounts, negative emotions, envy, and boredom, and work to eliminate them. For instance, unsubscribe from marketing emails if they prompt unnecessary purchases.
4. Make a Budget Budgeting is crucial for everyone, regardless of income. Follow these steps to create a personal budget:
   • Calculate your net income after taxes and deductions.
   • Add up your monthly expenses.
   • Subtract your expenses from your net income to see if you have a surplus or deficit. Example: Cassandra nets $2,572 monthly and has $2,472 in expenses, leaving her with $100.
5. Find Ways to Increase Your Income To tackle significant debt, consider increasing your income. Options include:
   • Getting a part-time job.
   • Starting a service-based business.
   • Selling items online.
   • Delivering for services like DoorDash or Uber Eats.
   • Driving for Uber or Lyft. Be mindful of self-employment taxes if you start a business or work as an independent contractor.
6. Focus on One Thing at a Time Instead of tackling multiple goals, focus on one. For instance, pay off one credit card completely before moving on to the next.
7. Set Short-Term and Long-Term Goals Set a mix of short-term and long-term goals to stay motivated. For example, aim to pay off a small $500 debt as a short-term goal while working towards eliminating all credit card debt long-term.
8. Choose a Debt Payoff Method Select a strategy for paying off debt, such as the debt snowball or debt avalanche method:
   • Debt Snowball: Pay off debts from smallest to largest balance. This provides psychological boosts but may incur more interest.
   • Debt Avalanche: Pay off debts from highest to lowest interest rate. This saves on interest but can be harder to maintain motivation.
9. Set Up Automatic Payments Schedule automatic payments for minimum balances to avoid late fees and maintain your credit score. You can always make additional payments if you have extra funds.
10. Apply for a Balance Transfer Credit Card With 0% Interest If you have good credit, a 0% APR balance transfer card can help pay off high-interest debt faster. Transfer your high-interest balances and aim to pay them off within the promotional period to maximize savings.

By following these steps, you can systematically work towards eliminating debt and achieving financial freedom.