.1. Create a debt payoff strategy.<span> If one of your financial goals for the year is to get a better handle on debt, put together a debt payoff strategy that complements your budget and won't overextend you financially. It's also a good idea to create a master list of all your recent </span>holiday-related expenditures<span> that were paid for with a credit card or a </span>personal loan. Knowing what your total debt load is will make it much easier to create a realistic payoff strategy. And reward yourself when you hit certain milestones to keep the momentum going!
2. Pay off the most expensive debt first. Look at the interest rates of all of the credit cards you use to make purchases and sort them from highest to lowest. By paying off the balance with the highest interest first, you increase your payment on the credit card with the highest annual percentage rate while continuing to make the minimum payment on the rest of your credit cards.
3. Lower your interest rate. <span>You can often lower your credit card interest rates by doing a </span>balance transfer<span>. This means moving your credit card to another bank that might lower the interest rate to get your business. Shop around and try to get the lowest interest rate for the longest duration (preferably until the debt is paid off completely). Just make sure you fight the temptation to use that new card, and commit to paying off the balance you moved over in a timely manner.</span><span>
