Life in Your 20's - Paying Off Those Credit Cards

Paying off my credit cards was one of the hardest things to accomplish, especially after doing it three times. Once, I was mobbed on the Penn State Campus to apply, I did, six months later, I was maxed out. Second time, my shitty job didn't pay squat, so I relied on my cards as "extra, free money." Third time, I was stranded in LA, without a job, without a home, and my freshly totaled car.

I thought that clipping and paying off these evil cards was impossible, but it really wasn't. This is what I did:

1. I ran my credit card reports at (www.freecreditreport.com). I used it like a check list. I went through every item and prioritized what was the most important thing to pay off --first to last.

2. I made payments I could afford and I also cut corners where I could. No more nice meals out, my lunch at work would be packed in a brown bag, no more mani/pedi Saturday afternoons, no more Sunday morning brunches for the next few months... In all honesty, it wasn't that bad because I knew I wanted to rid myself of debt once and for all.

3. The third step was basically following up with all of the things I paid off. I called Capital One, Macy's, IKEA, et. - directly to make sure everything was paid off.

Now, I'm credit card free and slowly making my way out of my cheap, hermit mode. It was worth every Friday night in and now I can sleep peacefully because I don't have credit and debt hanging over my head. I also learned that there's lots of fun to be had without spending oodles of cash. After all, I did it myself.