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7 Things You Didn’t Realize You Could Do to Pay Off Debt

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Are you ready to be out of debt? Of course you are. That’s the understatement of the century; you can’t wait to be debt-free. But you feel like you’ve tried everything. And everywhere you turn, your debt is still there — affecting just about every area of your life. 

Have you really tried everything, though? We’ve got seven strategies you probably didn’t realize you could use to help you pay it off.

1. Have This Company Pay Your Credit Card Bill This Month 

No, not just part of it… the whole bill. All of it. 

While you’re stressing out over your debt, your credit card company is getting rich off those insane interest rates. But a company called Fiona could help you pay off that bill as soon as tomorrow. 

Here’s how it works: Fiona can match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every credit card balance you have. The benefit? You’re left with just one bill to pay every month, and because the interest rate is so much lower, you can get out of debt so much faster. Plus, no credit card payment this month. 

If your credit score is at least 620, Fiona can help you borrow up to $100,000 (no collateral needed) with fixed rates starting at 3.84% and terms from 24 to 84 months. 

If you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online. It takes just two minutes, and it could save you thousands of dollars. 

2. Know What You Owe and Track Your Payoff Progress 

One of the toughest parts about paying down your debts is simply knowing where to begin.

Which of your credit cards is carrying a balance? Is your name attached to any unpaid loans? Are you behind on medical or utility bills you didn’t know about? 

That’s where a free website like Credit Sesame can help. It takes about two minutes to sign up and access your free credit score. From there, Credit Sesame will outline your debt — exactly what you owe and to whom — and offer personalized recommendations. It’ll even break down the interest rates and minimum monthly payments attached to your bills. 

Armed with this intel, you’ll be able to more easily devise your payoff plan. Do you want to use the debt avalanche method, where you’ll pay off your highest interest rates first? Or maybe you prefer the debt snowball method, where you start with the smallest balances first. 

3. This Research Company Could Pay You $225 This Month

What if we told you a research company would pay you to watch cooking videos on your computer?

It’s too good to be true, right? 

But we’re serious. InboxDollars will pay you to watch short video clips online. One minute you might watch someone bake brownies and the next you might get the latest updates on Kardashian drama. 

All you have to do is choose which videos you want to watch and answer a few quick questions about them afterward. 

No, InboxDollars won’t replace your full-time job, but it’s something easy you can do while you’re already on the couch tonight wasting time on your phone. Plus, it’s extra money you can put toward paying down your debt. Everything helps. 

It’s possible to earn up to $225 per month watching these videos. InboxDollars has already paid its users more than $56 million. 

It takes about one minute to sign up, and you’ll immediately get a $5 bonus to get you started.

4. Stop Giving Your Car Insurance Company Extra Money

When you’re trying to pay off debt, you might feel like you have to cut every enjoyable thing out of your budget. But the truth is, one of the simplest — and most impactful — expenses you can cut is car insurance.

If you really want to get the best price on car insurance, experts say you should be shopping twice a year. OK, we can hear you laughing from here. Who has time to do all that?

That’s why we like using a free website called Savvy. It helps you find the best rates — in just 30 seconds. In fact, it saves people an average of $826/year.

All you have to do is connect your current insurance, then Savvy will search hundreds of insurers for a better price on the same coverage. It’ll even help you cancel your old policy and get you a refund from your current insurer. Best yet: This is totally free.

If you find a better deal, you can switch right away and don’t have to wait for your next renewal or even your next payment.

5. Try Starving and Stacking 

Don’t worry. You can still eat. The starve-and-stack budgeting method is geared toward couples, especially newlyweds. Couples combine their finances and live exclusively off one income for 18 to 24 months. 

Use the additional income to invest, establish a rainy day fund and pay off debt. That’s what Jen Smith did. She and her husband practiced the starve-and-stack method for two years and were able to pay off $78,000 in debt. 

6. Make an Extra $600/Week to Throw at Your Debt 

The one thing you can’t always change when you’re trying to pay off your debt: Your income. But have you thought about getting a side gig? Even just for a few months? 

An app called Doordash will pay you to pick up and deliver food while you’re already out and about — things like lattes from Starbucks or food from Chipotle, Chick-fil-A or Five Guys. 

With Doordash, you set your own hours and work as much or little as you want, meaning how much you make to put toward your debt is up to you. You’ll earn money for each delivery, plus tips. Jose Neri, from California, reports earning $500 to $600 a week working just lunches and dinners. 

The best part? No passengers. 

If you sign up for Doordash now, it’s possible to get your first paycheck this week. 

7. Cut Your Cell Phone Service to as Little as $5 (and Bring Your Own Phone)

How long have you been with your cell phone company? Probably a while, right? Which means you’re probably paying way too much. 

But we found a discount wireless company called Tello that offers plans starting at just $5 a month. How much are you paying now? Exactly. Imagine cutting that to just $5. 

Tello operates on Sprint’s nationwide network, offering 4G LTE data everywhere Sprint does. It lets you choose a wireless plan based on how many minutes and how much data you want, and you can even use Tello’s coverage tool to see how strong its network is where you live.

You can bring your own phone (Tello works with any Sprint-compatible phone), or buy a new one through them. Even better — there are no early termination or activation fees, no contracts or phone-exclusive plans, no tricks of any kind. 

If you decide you don’t like it, you can always just change your mind. See how much you could save here

First for Woman has partnered with The Penny Hoarder to bring you expert money saving tips like these.

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