Here is a strategy you can use to get yourself out from under a burden of debt. And you can probably do it a lot faster than you realize. If your credit is messed up, in time you can restore credit history.

One, stop spending so much money. That makes sense, right? Yet, many people who are in debt just don’t think about doing that, or if they do, don’t really believe that there is any way to cut back on spending.

But in most cases, there are ways to reduce the outgo allowing a person to pay down current debts. Maybe it’s that regular stop at the fast food restaurant in the morning on the way to work where you buy a coffee and breakfast sandwich. Do a little math and see how money could save in a year if you ate breakfast at home instead (and you might lose some weight too). Traveling, clothing, and entertainment are some usual suspects when looking for ways to cut back. What about composing? You can save literally hundreds of dollars by using coupons when you buy your groceries.

Two, if you have credit card debt, you have to pay it off. Maybe you fell for one of those easy credit with no credit history check deals, and now you have a ton of debt. You can never get ahead if you don’t get it paid off. Think about it this way. If you are making payments on credit card debt, not only are you paying the bank an exorbitant interest rate, but you are also losing the interest you would be paid if you had the money in the bank earning interest. It’s a double whammy. But don’t’ just take any extra money you may have and invest it. The best investment for you right now is to pay off your credit card. You want earn more interest on invested money than you are losing every month by paying the credit card companies interest rate.

Third, if you have a problem controlling your use of credit cards, get a debit card instead. A debit card does not “lend” you money like a credit card does. It simply takes the money directly out of your checking account. You can’t spend more than you have like you can with a credit card.

Reducing your spending, paying off credit card debt and maybe getting rid of it altogether can be difficult things to do. But think about how good it will feel when you are completely out of debt!