RescueDigest GOTW: Pay Off Debt

By focusing on a particular goal each week and providing some resources to get you started, RescueDigest is here to help make your world a little but easier and to help you help others. Let’s try DEBT!

With pay rates being what they are for Emergency Responders, it can be difficult to earn enough to cover our bills (even with multiple jobs), let alone pay off debt. But once you start to get into debt, that debt can pile up like a wreck on Interstate-84. Seriously, have you seen how people drive on that road?

Even among emergency responders there are wide ranges in pay scales. Add to that the variety of financial burdens that some of us find ourselves with you’ll see a tremendous variety in debt levels among those who answer the call of 911 (or 999, or, you know, whatever number local people use where you are to call for help when they’ve done something tragic, stupid or both).

Rather than attempt to provide a general plan to work for every single emergency responder, these Goals of the Week (#GOTW) are meant to be the kind of reminders that make you say “Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to get to that!”

As with all of our #GOTW reminders, we’re going to be trying these right along with you!

For this week’s Goal of the Week, here are some resources to help you take a step (or two or four) towards paying down your debt, the first and most important step in any financial plan.

We don’t normally put our own specific advice here, we leave that to the experts (below) but any time you talk about paying down debt you have to also talk about savings. That’s a Goal of the Week #GOTW that we talk about HERE.

General Tips

• 9 Ways to Pay Off Debt
• How I Paid Off $35,000 in Debt, and How You Can Too :zenhabits
• Get Out of Debt with the Debt Snowball Plan – daveramsey.com
• The Correct Way to Pay Off Personal Debt: The Debt Avalanche

Paying Off Credit Card Debt

• 10 Steps to Paying Off Credit Card Debt
• Money Girl : How to Pay Off Credit Card Debt :: Quick and Dirty Tips ™
• Pay Off Credit Card Debt With Better, Smarter, Faster Ways – ABC News
• 9 Ways to Pay Off Debt
• What will it take to pay off my credit card?

Saving, Investing or Paying Off Debt First?

• Should You Pay Off Debt or Save for Retirement?
• Should I Pay Off Debt or Save Money First?
• Should you pay debt before saving?
• Should I Save, Invest or Pay Off Debt? – Forbes.com
• What’s More Important: Saving or Paying Down Debts? – DailyFinance

Calculators, Planners and Apps

• Getting out of debt – Debt reduction planner
• Accelerated Debt Payoff Calculator
• Get Out of Debt Calculator
• App Store – Pay Off Debt
• Debt Planner & Calculator – Android Apps on Google Play

What success (or problems) have YOU had trying to pay down debt as an emergency responder? Let us know below: