<prompt> Human: My husband and I are in the process of getting our first mortgage and today we each got notification of the credit score pull done by the bank and I opened mine up to find out I have an Equifax score of 800.Like so many young people, I got into credit trouble while in college. I got a revolving store charge card at 18 my first job was at a department store, so as soon as I legally could I got their card which led to another store charge, and another, and another. Then the credit card applications started coming in the mail. Of course I had to get one.Soon, I was spending completely irresponsibly, racking up thousands in debt, paying only minimum amounts on everything - that is, when I was paying. I was a severely underemployed university student and had absolutely no right spending that kind of money. I avoided answering my phone for the collection calls, dreaded opening the mailbox, you know the drill. I got to the point where I could recognize an overdraft notice from the bank at a thousand paces. It was a miserable existence that went on for far longer than it should have. I admit it - I was stupid. I didnt get into debt because something bad happened to me. I made spectacularly awful choices without thinking of the long-term consequences.My turning point came when my boyfriend got out of me just what kind of situation I was in, and told me that he wouldnt marry someone who was in credit-card debt. Period. I knew I had to take some action.I suppose it would have been easy to declare bankruptcy or beg him to subsidize my recovery. I knew, however, that there was no reason I couldnt or shouldnt do it myself - I was reasonably employed. So I used all the common-sense principles - Spend less than you make - Pay off your highest interest debt first - stuff like that. I started living really frugally, and cut up all my store charge cards and all but one of my credit cards. I dumped all I could into my highest-interest card which was almost out of control because of all my late payments and after that was paid off, I moved on to the next one. Every raise I got, the additional money went to the pile of debt.In all, it took me four and a half years to pay everything off. Some days it felt like I would never climb out of the pit Id dug for myself, but I kept at it. Finally, two months after I sent off my last payment to my last card, my boyfriend took me to Disneyland to celebrate and proposed in front of the Sleeping Beauty castle.Weve been married for five years now. All the bad history is finally off my credit report. I have a savings account, retirement funds, and a small collection of T-bills. My husband and I should be moving into our new house in a few weeks. We have enough cash on hand to put down 20 on the house, plus pay the mortgage for six months. My 23,000 debt is long gone - the old-fashioned way, through perseverance and sacrifice.My 800 feels like a trophy Ive earned at the end of a very long, very hard race. Looking back I remember when I thought it was hopeless - things feel so much better now.For anyone out there struggling with the same thing crushing debt, not knowing where to start but realizing that you could get yourself out if you apply yourself - you can do it too. It takes time and work and all that, but you can do it.  <response>: Congratulations, well done. 