Advice for getting out of debt

Debt/Loans/Credit

I have fallen victim to the ease of apps like Affirm, Klarna, and anywhere else where I can finance my payments. I approximate my total debt somewhere around 8-9 thousand between financing payments and a loan. I've defaulted on many of the payments just because I don't have any money to pay them off. 

My rent costs more than a single paycheck. The rest of the money is scraped together to buy food and pay other bills. I have unsuccessfully tried to get another loan to pay off everything and then just have that single loan but I have been rejected since I don't make much money. 

One option I've debated is getting a loan and using my car as collateral. I have also considered trying to get a credit card and consolidating the debt that way but was told that's not a good idea. The last option I can think of is pulling the money from my 401b and paying for the most important stuff first but that'll only pay off a small amount and would mean I'd have to start over in regards to saving for retirement. 

I don't know any other way other than eating the cost and having to pay off all the interest when I start working full time once I'm out of school. Selling or letting people rent my car is not an option because it is used by a family member. I have no one I can ask for financial help from. The worst of it is I have a care credit balance that will accrue interest if not fully paid off in a month and there's no way I can afford to pay the rest and save money for my rent. 

I just don't know what other options I have. To my knowledge I don't have enough debt for debt relief programs or if I'd even qualify because of the nature of my debt. I just want to know the best way I can quickly put this all behind me. 

Posted Apr 9, 2026, 9:21 PM UTC

352
Loading comments…