I’ve shared my elaborate story on how I got out of debt.

If only I had had “The Total Money Makeover” book by Dave Ramsey.

It takes you through “Baby Steps” to get out of debt. Here are those I remember off the top of my head:

1. Save $1,000 asap as a mini emerg fund.

2. List your debts smallest to largest and attack the smallest one first. You do that to feel “traction” regardless of interest rate. He calls this the debt snowball. While doing this, you turn off saving for 401k, kid’s college fund-those come later. This step should take about 18months.

3. Create an emergency fund (cash savings) of 3-6 mo. of expenses.

The book in various formats is on sale right now for $10. It’s a real bargain and one of THE most life-changing books I have read.

If I had to do it again, this is how I would approach it:

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