Start Here to Get Out of Debt
1. Get your credit report - You can freely obtain your credit report from each of the credit reporting bureaus. By law they are required to provide you with one free copy annually if you request it. If you have already received your report from them or don’t want to hassle with contacting each bureau you can also apply above for a small fee. The contact information for each of the bureaus can be found at the bottom of this page.
2. Negotiate your debt - While you wait for your credit report, call your creditors to see if you can get a lowered rate. Many times, mortgage lenders and even utility companies are willing to lower your bills if it means you will stay as a customer.
Video: Negotiating Credit Card Debt
3. Review your credit report - If your score is below 600, you may not be able to get a debt consolidation loan with a good enough interest rate to be helpful.
4. Realize the grim reality of loans - 70% of Americans who take out a debt consolidation loan of some kind to pay off credit card debt, be it a home equity loan or otherwise, will have the same or higher debt within 2 years. You just might be better off consolidating on your own by following the steps in these next three sections.
For Homeowners
1. Call your lender - Ask what a home equity loan might look like in your situation. Talk about interest rates, how much time to pay it off, tax deductions, and what may happen if you don't make the payments. If it still sounds like a good idea to you, go on to the next step, otherwise skip to the next section.
2. Apply for a home equity loan - Don't get a higher loan than you absolutely need (you may choose to only borrow enough to pay the highest interest debts). Try to make sure the required payment is more than manageable so you can pay more than the minimum later on.
3. Negotiate your rate - Compare interest rates and negotiate a better rate for your loan.
Pay off your creditors - If you don't have enough to pay all of your debts, pay off the highest interest or highest cost debts first, and work your way from there.
4. Consider whether to keep your credit cards - If you have a good payment history with a credit card, it will actually hurt your credit score to close that account.
5. Try to pay more than the minimums - On your credit cards and on your loans, paying more than the minimum will save thousands of dollars in the end.
For Non-Homeowners with Credit Card Debt
1. Consider introductory rates - You can make use of low introductory rate cards without transfer fees to help pay off your credit card debt. However, only use this option if you are absolutely certain you can pay off the debt before the rate hike.
2. Look for a better option - Look for a low-interest card without transfer fees.
3. Keep your accounts open - Closing accounts with a good payment history will hurt your credit score. However, don't spend money on your cards without paying the balance each month.
4. Budget well - Plan to pay more than the minimums each month. In fact, making multiple payments throughout the month, say once per paycheck, will help decrease your interest owed even further.
5. Realize the reality - Your score will drop for a time because all of your debt is on one card (when your utilization rate is over 30%, your score suffers). However, you will only lose a few points, and only for so long as your utilization rate is high on the one card.
Creative Solutions
1. Borrow from your boss - Contact your human resources department to see 
if you can borrow from your retirement or life insurance plan and be sure to ask about taxes, repayment, and other losses. If it sounds like a good idea to you, your HR department can help you through the rest.
2. Refinance - If you have owned your car or home for more than 1 year, you may refinance them to get lower rates and potentially get cash out too.
3. Contact a credit union - Typically the best small loans are obtained through credit unions. If you're not a member though, you may not be able to qualify. Otherwise, get in touch with your credit union to see what they can do for you.
4. Family and friends - You should definitely speak with a tax professional before moving ahead with this plan, but if a friend or family member is willing and capable, you could take out a loan from them. For the lender, they get a better savings rate than a bank would offer, and you get a lower interest rate than a bank would offer.
5. If all that fails... then it's time to use a debt consolidation loan.
Get Debt Consolidation Help
Video: Tips on Consolidating Debt
1. Call to schedule a consultation.
2. You can speak with the NFCC and the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies about agencies you are considering to make sure you don't get ripped off.
3. Find out your fees - Calculate your fees before agreeing to a service. If you don't feel comfortable with them, or they can't explain their fees to you in a straightforward way, then go to another agency.
4. Stick to your guns - Once you have a plan, stick to it, and eventually you will pull out of debt.
Credit Reporting Bureaus:
Experian
P.O. Box 2104
Allen, TX 75013-2104
888-397-3742
www.experian.com
TransUnion
P.O. Box 390
Springfield, PA 19064-0390
800-916-8800
www.transunion.com
Equifax
P.O. Box 105783
Atlanta, GA 30348
800-685-1111
www.equifax.com
Helpful Credit and Debt Businesses:
Champion Credit Repair Services
(203) 663-1388
DebtRx.com
(888) 933-2879
Envision Debt Solutions
(714) 656-4145
Free State Mortgage, LLC
(919) 562-7283
Credit Restoration Bureau
(757) 351-1111
Complete Mortgage
(989) 227-8483
Precept Financial Solutions
(972) 788-8126
California Credit Solution
(619) 980-5861
American Home Loans
(727) 898-0500
Americross Mortgage
(888) 889-4411
Austin Credit Svcs, Inc
(229) 382-4499
Lenders Financial
(570) 420-0166
TruClose Financial Services
(888) 510-9665
(412) 344-2350
American Loans
(801) 590-4627
Capital Resolution Service
(716) 664-4500
(800) 823-2469
Christian Debt Consultants
(800) 819-6843
Debt Reduction Services
(208) 378-0200