Creating a Plan of Action
You first need to know your debts.
Take out all your credit card statements, Student Loan statements, Car Loan Statements, everything! You also may want to get a copy of your credit report. This is something you should do at least once a year, if not more.
For me, I do order it at least twice a year. Last June, I got a copy of my credit report and I was very alarmed to find a ton of stuff that wasn't mine. It was for the most part derogatory items. I found out that somehow another womans social security number was ONE DIGIT different than mine, and therefore all her information somehow got on my credit report. It took MONTHS of Online Credit Disputes and letters to get all that information removed. I did get it all removed, but it took a lot of time and effort. So, my point is---Order your credit report, and order it often! You never know what you will find!
Set Your Payoff Goals
What is your goal with paying off your debt? Do you want to be debt free in 1 year? 2 years? What do you want to pay off? What do you want to pay off first?
Get It On Paper and Organize it
You need to get all your debts listed. Find an order and list it all and the amounts due. Maybe you want, to pay the little stuff first... Maybe you would feel better paying the bigger stuff first. Some people want to pay off the debt with the highest interest first.
How Will You Accomplish your Plan?
Do you have enough funds coming in to help facilitate your payoff plan? Do you need more money coming in? Do you need to take a second job temporarily to help get your debt down? Do you need to cut down on some areas of spending?
In my situation, I decided I needed to take on a second job to help pay down my debts. Its not always easy, but I am working toward being debt free, so it is all worth it!
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