How to pay off debts is one question everyone in debt keeps asking. No one finds it simple to get out of debt, but with the following steps, you could pay off your debt faster and easier. You can also explore the 9 Strategies to Help You Stay Out of Debt For Good! and Avoiding Bankruptcy: How to Generate Cash for Startups.

How To Pay Off Debts

Here are some tried-and-true methods to quicken your payoff: 

1. Debt Snowball

In learning how to pay off debts, you prioritize paying off your smallest obligation first. List your debts starting from the smallest to the greatest debts first, pay off the smallest, while making minimum payments on the rest, then roll the amount you were paying toward the next greatest debt. 

Apply the same plan to the other debts. You’ll have extra money for other debts as you pay off balances. Additionally, making progress is motivating and can help you stay on pace for debt repayment. 

The debt snowball is the greatest debt repayment strategy if you want to see results quickly.

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2. Debt Avalanche 

You should first list all of your loans in order of highest to lowest interest rate. Then, while making the minimum payments on all other loans, you concentrate on paying off the debt with the highest interest rate first. 

As a result, you pay less in interest and have more money available to pay down other debt. Throughout your debt repayment path, it can end up saving you time and money.

The debt avalanche is appropriate if reducing your interest costs is a top goal and you are driven to pay off your debts rapidly. 

Read- How Do Freelancers Handle Debt Collection? – What Startups Should Know.

3. Debt Consolidation

To make payments more reasonable or the payout time shorter, combine several previous debts into a single new one, ideally at a reduced interest rate. A personal loan is an example of debt that requires debt consolidation. 

With debt consolidation, the lender settles all of your outstanding bills and combines them into a single, new loan. Even while the new interest rate may be higher than some of your other payments, by avoiding missed and late payment fines, you can end up saving money.

If you can commit to refrain from using credit cards or taking on additional debt as you try to pay off what you owe, then consider debt consolidation.

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4. Debt Management Plan

 If you have a lot of banks debt and are having trouble paying it off, a nonprofit credit counseling service can draw up a debt management plan for you that will lower your interest rate and put you on a repayment schedule.

Nonprofit credit counseling organizations can assist you in creating a debt management strategy. A company will speak with the businesses you owe money to and seek reductions on your behalf. 

This can require negotiating reduced payments, creating fair repayment schedules, or potentially getting debt relief. 

Consider debt management. If you have trouble making your minimum monthly payments and want a strategy that can help you pay off your debt faster and with less interest, debt consolidation may be a possibility for you.

Read- How Series A, B, and C Funding Works for Your Startup.

6 Tips for Debt Payment for Startups

  1. Stick to a budget: The best way to stay focused as you pay off your debt is to know your budget and make the most of every cent that comes in and goes out. 
  2. Reduce your bill payments: By lowering your monthly bill payments, you will have extra money to use for debt repayment. 
  3. Boost your income: Start one or two side businesses to boost your income. Some offer flexible hours and can be completed online. 
  4. Think about consolidation: Your interest rate can be reduced by consolidating your debt with a personal loan, allowing you to spend more money toward your outstanding balance. 
  5. Don’t be afraid of debt relief: If you are having trouble paying off your bills, you may need to seek ‌debt relief.
  6. Open an emergency savings account

Conclusion

There is no magic formula for reducing debt and increasing savings. Just some self-control and planning are needed. Depending on how much you owe and who you owe it to, you might need to look into some debt relief options. 

But setting aside some time to plan will undoubtedly be worthwhile in the long run.

Author Chidimma

Hi, I am Chidimma, the Chief Editor of StartupSpot. I hold a bachelor's degree in Business Education (with a major in Accounting) from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria and online certifications in Digital Marketing by SEMRUSH Academy. Startupspot was therefore born (in 2021) out of my passion to reach startups, small businesses and a greater audience to educate them about startups, the challenges facing startups and how to manage their finances. I also wish to educate people (especially women) to attain financial independence. I hope you find the contents useful, and should you need further help, I hope you ‌reach me.