<prompt> Human: Ive seen many threads about getting out of debt, but it seems to lose some of its luster for me when the OP has a 6-figure salary. So, I decided to share my story of getting out of debt. This was 10 years ago so my memory on specifics is a bit hazy, but the big figures are correct. Also, its way past midnight and I need to go to bed, but heres the basics version.Scenario: I was 24 years old, living in the DC area, circa 2004. Rent was 1,500month. I was working a shht job selling gym memberships, and my salary was about 25,000. I could barely make ends meet, so I used my CC to pay groceries, electric bill, etc. Before I knew it, my CCs had ballooned to a combined balance of 18,000 and i had a student loan of 14,000 I went to community college and worked all through school, loan was only for senior year. When I sat down and did my budget, I knew it was spiraling out of control. Heres what I did to get out of debt. Im not in finance or anything, so take it with a grain of salt:1. My credit was good, despite having high balances, and I had a consistent work history this is key. First thing I did was consolidate debt. I called my Credit cards and asked if they had 0 APR on balance transfers. If they did, I transferred everything to that 0. Any leftover got transferred to the lowest rate I could get. That way, every penny I paid got put towards principal. At 175month interest, thats about 2,000 extra bucks that went to paying it off. If it wasnt paid off at the end of the year, I did it again... Negotiated 0 or as low APR as I could find. Remember, CCs WANT you to be in debt so you can pay them interest. If you transfer to another card, like Discover, Amex, etc, they stand to make no money off you. 2. Find secondary source of income. Every little bit helps. I did odd jobs, I collected scrap metal, I even went through the lost and found YES, with the bosss permission and sold the sunglasses and garage door remotes in there before they got chucked in the trash. I liked firearms, and even sold gun magazines clips, to some people on Ebay before they banned selling that stuff. Found a place that sold em cheap, bought, then resold at 10 profit each. Not much, but 20, 30 a week equals 80-120month. Thats gas right there. 3. I realized I wasnt making enough money and I started looking for a new job. After selling memberships at 25K, I went to renting cars at 32K. Working 60 hours a week, washing cars in a suit and tie. Hated it, but fought on. After giving it a chance for a year, I decided it was time to leave. Every customer I met that wasnt haggard and stressed, I asked What do you do? Do you like it? and learned quickly which industries paid, which didnt, and which I was qualified for. I applied applied, applied then applied some more. Finally got a gig in Pharma, and pay immediately boosted to 45K. Not a HUGE jump, but I stuck to my original budget, and now I had more income to throw at my debt.From the time I realized I was spiraling down to the point where I was debt free, was approximately 4 years. My max salary at the time was less than 50K. It feels like forever, but its really not long in the big scheme of things. Im no poster child for anything and Im not saying this is the right wayonly way, but this is the way I did it. In the 10, 12 years since I started, I saved money, bought property, rented them out, bought more property, had two kids, and got a second college degree. Income is now 100K. I still drive that same car, and the shirt Im wearing says Summer Camp, 2003. Much of my income now goes to paying mortgages on rental properties, one of which is paid off. Good financial habits are easy if you train yourself to live by them. Good luck.TL;DR: Getting out of debt is doable on any salary, but to get ahead, youll have to make a concerted effort and need to step out of your comfort zone. Assistant: What Id add as far as tips - live within your means, like as far as actually living. If this means moving to a more affordable area or in with roomates or something, so be it probably easier in your 20s than if youre older, though. The end justifies the means. If you live in an urban area and theres public transport in your area, chances are you can make do without a car unless its absolutely necessary to get to work. Yes, the bus can suck. But gas, car insurance, and maintenance expenses and lease or car loan costs if you have that gone, you just pay fare or for a monthly pass which will be much cheaper than car expenses. Or look into carpooling if you have a long commute. If you have interest-accruing loans out, save a little nest egg and from then on apply as much as you can to the principal as early as you can to get rid of the loan faster and pay less interest in the long run. Human: Adding on to the live within your means, if you get a salary bump and still have debt, dont start spending more money just because you have it. Put that extra money towards the debt and keep the original lifestyle that you have. Of course you may make a few more purchases with that additional cash, but on the other hand the additional cash you are now making can help decrease that debt drastically if you keep your original lifestyle. Assistant: YES YES YES! Thats why Im not impressed with the big salary earners getting out of debt. I feel like for many people in debt, they have an earning problem. For people with more money, they have a spending problem. People seem to gloss over this difference.  <response>: My brother is an accountant, the stories he tells me about how terrible rich people are with money KILLS me.People that have always had money invest in horrible ways like buying 5 rental houses right before a recession while living at pretty much 100 percent their means all of a sudden are ruined with nothing to show for it 