# You'll never guess how I got out of debt! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 26, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926 "2011-06-26T18:51:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/1 "2011-06-26T18:51:31Z")
Around this time last decade, I was pretty much screwed. My debt was more than 100% of my annual income and I was having trouble keeping up with it. It really looked like my whole future was on the line. Did I cut my spending? Sure. I’m naturally a miser anyway, and under pressure I can easily live like a college student. At a certain point there isn’t much to cut though. What am I gonna do, switch to an all-rice diet to save that last $50 a month? Nah. What really did it, without going into all the details, was jacking up my income. I have just about tripled my income since those days and have paid off most of the bills. Technically I suppose I am still in debt for carrying a credit card balance, but I’m only doing that because I have been making more on investments than I lose on interest payments. I \*could \*pay it down to 0, it just hasn’t been the best option. So today I consider myself out of debt. 🙂 I did it all on my own- I certainly didn’t get bailed out. So, does that make me some kind of bootstrapping, modern-day Galtian analogue? If so, the wisdom of this Incarnation of Galt is: Increase Revenue to Get Out of Debt. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/2 "2011-06-26T18:54:16Z")
Congratulations! What do you attribute this increased financial productivity to? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/3 "2011-06-26T18:57:16Z")
Let this be a lesson to legislatures across the U.S., including the one in D.C. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/4 "2011-06-26T19:00:57Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > What really did it, without going into all the details, was jacking up my income. BP stocks? ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/5 "2011-06-26T19:51:59Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Congratulations! > > What do you attribute this increased financial productivity to? A few things. For one, it was starting to feel a little ‘do or die’ and I was quite motivated. Another, I greatly increased my athleticism, which made me dramatically more energetic and less in need of sleep, such that I could work two jobs. Eventually two jobs really sucked, so a long term campaign for a better job ultimately set me up for… modest success. I’m not rich, I’m just out of debt. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/6 "2011-06-26T19:53:28Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > BP stocks? Um, selling one’s soul is worse than being in debt. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/7 "2011-06-26T19:55:53Z")
Well done! ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/8 "2011-06-26T20:11:53Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Let this be a lesson to legislatures across the U.S., including the one in D.C. Yeah, I had that kind of thing in mind when I wrote this. I don’t really expect anyone in government to take me seriously enough to follow my example. I just get annoyed with the scene I hear painted by politicians: “When ordinary folks gather 'round their kitchen tables to figure out how to make ends meet, they talk about what to cut. Government ought to follow the common sense of these ordinary folks.” Well that isn’t reality. In reality I was planning how to increase my income when at my kitchen table. Please enter this anecdote into the record. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/9 "2011-06-26T21:47:49Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > Well that isn’t reality. In reality I was planning how to increase my income when at my kitchen table. Man! That Amway \*IS \*something! Best wishes, hh ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/10 "2011-06-27T08:52:27Z")
Stylistically, I assumed the OP was spam, and would end with an invitation to join a pyramid scheme or send $5 to join up with something. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/11 "2011-06-27T09:14:06Z")
Brilliant idea! You should write a self-help book. I bet all those other people in debt didn’t realize all they had to do was triple their income, and all their problems would be solved. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Goliath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rex\_Goliath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Goliath)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/12 "2011-06-27T09:22:20Z")
Ah, I see. It’s a _profit_ thing. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/13 "2011-06-27T09:23:54Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Let this be a lesson to legislatures across the U.S., including the one in D.C. So what you’re saying is that our representatives should pick up a few night shifts at the Quickie Mart? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/14 "2011-06-27T09:27:00Z")
It’s good to see that you’ve finally worked out [Phase 2](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dd/Gnomes_plan.png). ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/15 "2011-06-27T09:55:28Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > Stylistically, I assumed the OP was spam, and would end with an invitation to join a pyramid scheme or send $5 to join up with something. Five bucks is too much. But at four ninety nine, I could be convinced. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/16 "2011-06-27T11:19:45Z")
Or a $0.99 iPhone app. I can’t help myself around those. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/17 "2011-06-27T14:55:24Z")
Congrats! Getting out of debt is almost as hard as losing weight. My wife and I, just this morning, made our final payment on our biggest credit card balance. Nearly $9k paid off in just under a year. It took a lot of sacrifice and will-power but we got it done. Feels pretty damned good too! We’re not totally out of debt, but this was the biggest and it won’t be hard to clean up the rest of our smaller debts. Also, we’ve both increased our incomes significantly over the last six months so we’re doing better in both directions. Congrats again! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/18 "2011-06-27T15:05:56Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Five bucks is too much. But at four ninety nine, I could be convinced. 😛 $4.99?! Here at Undercutters Pyramid Scheme we’ll sell you the _same_ scam for a mere $4._95_! ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/19 "2011-06-27T15:29:46Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > So what you’re saying is that our representatives should pick up a few night shifts at the Quickie Mart? I’d pay $2 to see that. Put up a webcam with a pay-to-view button and you could balance the budget. Especially if they throw in a pratfall or two. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926/20 "2011-06-27T15:35:52Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > I’d pay $2 to see that. Put up a webcam with a pay-to-view button and you could balance the budget. Especially if they throw in a pratfall or two. Just send that $2 to me asap and I’ll email you the secrets of how to view that webcam. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youll-never-guess-how-i-got-out-of-debt/586926.md?page=2)