Change Your Attitude

• Stop whining. Stop making excuses. The first step to taking control of your debt and getting your head above water is taking responsibility for that debt. You bought things that you could not pay for, either by taking out loans or by using credit cards. You brought this on yourself and only you can fix it.
  
  Change your attitude. Getting out of debt is hard but it is far from impossible. Your attitude toward debt will go a long way toward getting out of it. You must stop looking at debt as something that you need and start looking at it as your enemy. Begin to hate debt and soon you will find yourself searching for more and more ways to pay it off and be done with it.
  
  

Change Your Interest Rates

• Look over your credit card statements. Some of them may be incurring interest at rates of 20 percent or more. This is not acceptable. The credit card company is overcharging you because it can.
  
  Collect all of your credit card statements. Be sure you have all of the account numbers and phone numbers and begin making calls. Talk to an account representative and explain that 20 percent interest is unacceptable and you want your interest rate lowered. In most cases, they will lower your interest rate to something far more reasonable. This will lower your minimum payment.
  
  

Change Your Life

• Pick a small debt. Perhaps a $150 medical bill or a credit card with just a few hundred dollars on it. Scrape up every penny you can find, sacrifice spending any extra money at all and pay off that debt as quickly as possible. You will feel so good when you feel that weight off of your shoulders, it will motivate you to feel that way again by paying off another debt.
  
  Work your way through your debts one by one. Make short term sacrifices for long term financial gain. For example, instead of a big family vacation this year, just go to the local amusement park for a day. The money saved can be put toward debt. As you pay off each one, it will free up money in your budget to pay extra on the next debt. Starting with the smallest and working your way up to the largest debt is wise, but it's fine to make exceptions to this rule when necessary. When you have any extra money, put it toward your debt.
  
  Each time you pay off a debt, reward yourself. Paying off debt is hard work and you deserve to celebrate your success. You are changing your life, one debt repayment at a time.