If you are frustrated with the way your debt keeping piling up, even though you are trying to best to pay it off, read on for the stories of 8 people who were able to kick off their debt smartly.

8 People who kicked debt smartly

You don’t want you to end up with your debt being transferred to CBCS collections. That’s when you know you are deep water. We hope that these stories would inspire you to take charge of your own debts and help you pay your debts smartly.

Ty’Lisha

Ty’Lisha has a debt accumulating to over $100,000 dollars after graduating from college. With her husband, she was able to pay off this staggering amount in 8 years. How did she do it?

Ty’Lisha was inspired by the debt snowball method outlined by radio host and national best-selling author, Dave Ramsey. She hired a financial planner to help her put the snowball method into play. What this meant was paying off the debt with the highest interest rate all the way down to prioritizing the lowest interest rate at the end of the payment plan.

The couple later introduced their own app, SpenDebt to help other couples and families achieve the same debt-free lifestyle.

Austin Netzley

Austin Netzley realized he had a debt problem when he received a letter from Salle Mae showing a debt statement of $72,000 in student loans plus another auto loan debt. What Austin did was take charge of his situation.

He created his strategy based on the debt stacking method. He completely stopped taking any more loans. Living frugally, he started by paying off the minimum amount due on all loans on time.

At the same time, he tried to pay off the highest interest rate loan with all his leftover cash. Paying off the highest interest rate loan first meant that he would be paying less interest over time, meaning his debt amount was significantly reduced.

Apart from this, he started putting money in his retirement fund the month he got his first real job. He also strived for extra income sources during this time. This he put into paying his high-interest rate loans.

Phil

Phil, from the Young Survival Guide Blog, was not only able to pay off his $30,000 in student loans within 12 months but also ended up making an additional savings of $48k! He saved up enough to buy his condo in cash.

How did Phil do it?

He lived frugally. He went to live with his dad, saving up a great amount of money that he would otherwise be spending on rent. He then got his dad to give him money by helping him with babysitting and other menial chores.

Phil also cut down on all his expenses. He stopped eating out. He made his own lunch for the office. Now Phil has his own blog where he helps others to pay off their own debts while making additional income.

Lauren Bowling

Lauren Bowling, a financial blogger, and author, found herself in a credit card debt of over $8,000 dollars. While her debt might not be as staggering the previous stories, Bowling was able to pay off her debt in just 90 days!

Bowling claims that the right way to pay off any debt is to make more money. So, she found her additional income in blogging. She started freelance writing and took up many paid writing gigs. Eventually, she also began her own blog and monetized that too. Apart from that, she also made money by renting out her house.

But that’s not it. Bowling sold products on eBay too. She even opened two checking accounts. From the starting bonus she got from these accounts, she paid off part of her credit card bills.

 Anna Newell Jones

Anna Newell and her family owed a whopping $147,000 dollars of loan that they were able to pay off in 3 years. The family were a debt nightmare. They had taken out all sorts of debts- from students loans and mortgage loans to credit cards and home improvement loans.

The Jones paid off their debt by going through a lifestyle and mindset change. The first step was realizing that they had a problem. From there, they went on to cut down their expenses drastically. They started putting up all their leftover cash to paying their bills. At one time, they even made 8 payments in a single month!

Jones’ story is truly an inspiration. They didn’t come into money all of a sudden. It took them a lot of time to pay off their debts but they are enjoying a debt-free lifestyle now.

They realize that this lifestyle is liberating and happier for them. And we hope that yours will be too. Take charge of your debt today and live a happy debt-free life tomorrow.