No one wants to be in debt — and if you’re working on digging your way out (kudos!) how and when you pay can matter just as much as how much. Some small changes in timing, habits and structure can help you get ahead faster, with less stress. Let’s look at some smart strategies to make your payments work smarter, not harder.
1. Align Bills with Your Paycheck
One easy way to stay on track is to time your payments with your paycheck. If your bills are due at weird times that don’t line up with when you get paid, it’s easy to miss a due date or fall behind.
How to Make it Happen:
- Ask your lenders if they’ll change your due date to better match your pay schedule. Most will say yes.
- Split big monthly bills in half and pay part of it with each paycheck. This makes it feel smaller and easier to manage.
Even just syncing your bills to your income can give you more control and fewer surprises.
2. Optimize Extra Payments
Putting extra money toward your bills is great. But when you do it can make it even more powerful.
How to Make it Happen:
- Make your extra payment right after your regular one, even if it’s just $20.
- That extra payment goes straight to your balance (not interest), so it reduces what you owe faster.
Watch Out: Some lenders may apply your extra payment toward future bills instead of lowering your balance. Always check that it’s going toward your principal (the amount you actually borrowed), not just the interest.
3. The “Auto + Manual” One-Two Punch
Setting up automatic payments can help you stay current. But adding one small manual payment each month — whenever you have extra cash on hand — can speed things up big time.
How to Make it Happen:
- Set up Auto-pay to cover the minimum payment so you’re never late.
- Manual-pay anything extra when you have it—$5, $25 or more (bonus points if you put extra funds into your highest-interest debt first!).
Utilizing both a minimum payment and manual overpayment protects your wallet from unnecessary fees and chips away at your debt faster.
4. Organize by Type, Not Just by Size
Some people focus only on the balance or interest rate (as in the snowball or avalanche methods). But it can also help to group your bills by type:
- Credit cards have no set end date and usually cost you the most in interest.
- Personal or car loans usually have an end date (aka, “the loan maturity date.”)
Pick one group to focus on first, and avoid mixing strategies across types. It keeps things cleaner and less overwhelming.
5. Not a Juggler? Consolidate Your Debt.
If you’re trying to juggle five or more separate bills, it might be time to look at debt consolidation. Our program collects all your eligible unsecured debts (like credit cards and personal loans) and combines them into a single, affordable monthly payment. Accredited Debt Relief’s consolidation program can help you.
- Get instant financial flexibility by reducing your eligible monthly payment by 40% or more
- Become debt-free in as little as 24–48 months
- Feel less overwhelmed with only one bill to track
Small Tweaks, Big Progress
Sometimes, making your debt go down faster is as simple as a smart game plan. One small shift could be the start of a much smoother path toward financial freedom. But know that we’re always here to help you assess your options — and share how much our debt consolidation program could save you.