How to Manage Debt of Any Size

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A woman is sitting on the floor looking at bills and receipts. Photo: © David Sacks / Digital Vision / Getty Images

Everyone with even a little bit of debt has to manage their debt. If you just have a little debt, you have to keep up your payments and make sure it doesn’t get out of control. On the other hand, when you have a large amount of debt, you have to put more effort into paying off your debt while juggling payments on the debts you’re not currently paying.

Know How Much You Owe

Make a list of your debts, including the creditor, total amount of the debt, monthly payment, interest rate, and due date. You can use your credit report to confirm the debts on your list. Having all the debts in front of you will allow you to see the bigger picture and stay aware of your complete debt picture. Debt reduction software can make this process easier.

Note

Once you have a handle on your debt and your income, you can calculate your Debt to Income ratio (DTI). This ratio tells you how much of your income is going toward debt payments. To find yours, divide your debt payments by your income, and multiply by 100. For example, $1,200 of monthly debt divided by $3,000 of monthly income is 0.4 x 100 = 40%. The lower this number is, the better, and tracking it can help you understand your finances more clearly.

Don't just create your list and forget about it. Refer to your debt list periodically, especially as you pay bills. Update your list every few months as the total amount of your debt changes.

Pay Your Bills on Time Each Month

Late payments make it harder to pay off your debt since you’ll have to pay a late fee for every payment you miss. If you miss two payments in a row, your interest rate and finance charges will increase.

If you use a calendaring system on your computer or smartphone, enter your payments there and set an alert to remind you several days before your payment is due. If you miss a payment, don’t wait until the next due date to send your payment, by then it could be reported to a credit bureau. Instead, send your payment as soon as you remember that it was missed.

Note

A budget can help you stay out of debt, and it can help you climb out. It allows you to see how much money you earn and where that money is going. Create a bare-bones budget that allows you to pay for necessities like your rent or mortgage and utilities. Set aside everything else to pay off your debt as quickly as possible.

Create a Monthly Bill Payment Calendar

Use a bill payment calendar to help you figure out which bills to pay with which paycheck. On your calendar, write each bill’s payment amount next to the due date. Then, fill in the date of each paycheck. If you get paid on the same days every month—the 1st and 15th—you can use the same calendar from month to month. But, if your paychecks fall on different days of the month, you'll need to create a calendar every month.

Make at Least the Minimum Payment

If you can’t afford to pay anything more, at least make the minimum payment. Of course, the minimum payment doesn’t help you make real progress in paying off your debt. But, it keeps your account in good standing, which avoids late fees. When you miss payments, it becomes harder to catch up and eventually your accounts could go into default.

Note

While you're working on paying down debt, stop using credit cards. Start carrying cash instead. Stick to the budget you created and only buy what you can pay for with cash.

Decide Which Debts to Pay Off First

Paying off credit card debt first is often the best strategy because credit cards have higher interest rates than other debts. Of all your credit cards, the one with the highest interest rate usually gets priority on repayment because it's costing the most money.

Use your debt list to prioritize and rank your debts in the order you want to pay them off. You can also choose to pay off the debt with the lowest balance first. This might cost a little more in the long run, but knocking off small debts first can build confidence.

Pay Off Collections and Charge-Offs

You can only pay as much on your debt as you can afford. When you have limited funds for repaying debt, focus on keeping your other accounts in good standing. Don’t sacrifice your positive accounts for those that have already affected your credit. Instead, pay those past due accounts when you can afford to do it.

Build an Emergency Fund to Fall Back On

Without access to savings, you’d have to go into debt to cover an emergency expense. Even a small emergency fund will cover little expenses that come up every once in a while.

First, work toward creating a small emergency fund—$1,000 is a good place to start. Once you have that, make it your goal to create a bigger fund, like $2,000. Eventually, you want to build up a reserve of three to six months of living expenses.

Don't Confuse Wants and Needs

It's easy to convince yourself that you "need" to purchase a new tv or that you "need" to go on vacation. The truth is, there aren't that many true needs in life. You need food, shelter, clothing, transportation, and things like that. You want steak, a nice house in the suburbs, designer labels, and a luxury car, for example.

Recognize the Signs That You Need Help

If you find it hard to pay your debt and other bills each month, you may need to seek outside help, like a credit counseling agency. Other options for debt relief are:

These each have advantages and disadvantages, so weigh your options carefully.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is debt consolidation?

Debt consolidation is rolling your debts into a product that offers a single payment and a lower interest rate. Popular debt consolidation tools include personal loans and 0% interest balance-transfer credit cards.

What is debt settlement?

Debt settlement is when you negotiate with a creditor to settle your debt for less than you owe. Creditors will typically only settle debt that isn't current. If you stop making payments in order to settle debt, your credit score will drop due to the missed payments. You can hire debt settlement companies, but they charge fees for resolving your debt. You can settle debt on your own or consider another option like credit counseling.

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Sources
The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Investor.gov. “Pay Off Credit Cards or Other High Interest Debt.”

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