All Saved Up? Good… now attack!
So you have saved at least a month’s worth of income. You are ready in case some quick emergency comes up. That is awesome! Now it’s time to attack!
It’s time to say goodbye to that debt!
While creating your savings, you found extra money somewhere. Its time to use that extra money to pay off the debt. But first you have to devise a plan of attack. Most “experts” agree that you should go after the highest rate card first. Again, I disagree with that. Don’t worry about the rate right now. I want you to focus on the amounts you owe.
Grab up all your bills. Sort them out…. let’s start with the revolving ones first. You know them best as credit cards. Today, we plan our attack on them. Right now I want you to list out the names and balances on a sheet of paper. Once you have done that, I want you to rank them in order starting with the SMALLEST BALANCE. That one will be #1. If you have 2 cards with the same amount, then focus on the one with the largest payment. That one would go before the other one.
Once you have numbered your order of attack, take the extra money you have been using to create your savings (not your savings itself!) and apply that money on top of your normal payment to work at paying off this first card. Once you have paid off that card, add the payment you had been making to that card and apply to card #2. Repeat until all are gone.
This is the best approach because it does 2 things. With every card you pay off, you feel a sense of accomplishment and hope that you will make it out. And, if something does come up that pauses your efforts, you will have less payments to make in a shorter period of time so you still feel like you are getting somewhere, even when you have to focus on savings again.
One note. When you pay off these cards, do not close the accounts. We will talk about what is next, but you will need them open. If you must put them up so you are not tempted to use them, that is fine. You can even cut the physical card, but do not call them to close any open accounts. You will see why soon.
I am excited for you in your plan of attack. Be patient. You did not get here overnight, and it will take time to dig out. But with a good plan of atack, you will get there faster than you think!