How fast do you want to get out of debt? Overnight is what we would all wish I imagine. But unless you win the lottery, it just isn't going to happen that fast. That would probably be a bad thing if it did.

We have to change what we think about on the inside for us to get out of debt. We have to change our thinking habits just as much as our spending habits in order for us to thrive.

You have to make up your mind to getting out of debt and fully commit to doing it no matter what.

The best thing you can do is write it down on paper and make it a goal. Make it a goal to get out of debt by a certain date. Write down how much credit card debt you have so you can get a total picture of what you need to accomplish. If you have $10,000 write it down. If you have $25,000, write it down. It you have $65K or $150K or more, you have to know where are going before you can start.

Once you set upon a plan to get out of debt and fully commit to it and become focused on that one and only goal, your mind will help you find ways to accomplish is quickly. There will be resouces made available to you to help you reduce your debts fast. Maybe a new job, maybe a promotion, maybe a second job.

But, you have to take the first steps and reduce your spending. You have to eliminate using credit cards.

One other tip you need to keep in mind is that you need to have an emergency fund. You need to have money to pay the bills in case something happens - car trouble, medical trouble, etc. If you don't plan for these, they can derail any efforts you have to getting out of debt. The Total Money Makeover has several tips for getting started on your emergency fund. Once you do this, you can start attacking your debts with relentless force.

Put all your efforts into paying down your bills. Eat ramen noodles and put all that money into getting that debt paid off. You will feel better as you see your balances go down. No more worry and anxiety. No more sleepless nights. Become debt free.

There's nothing wrong with getting help getting rid of debt. You can talk with the folks at Credit Solutions to see if they can help you lower your balances from the get go so you have even less to pay off.

Another book that has been in the news lately is a new book from Kevin Trudeau called Debt Cures. In it, KT promises to help you not just reduce your credit card debt but to eliminate it and fast.

He promises to teach you how to get rid of your credit card debt fast. The thing about this book is that some of it is not new and other authors have said it before. But, many personal finance ideas are not new. They have been around for years and years.

Any new book that comes out just repeats most of what has been said but gives it a different term or uses a different angle. Even Dave Ramsey says in his introduction that what he says is not new.

All that said, I did find some useful information in Debt Cures. He provides some tips and scripts to tell to your creditors and credit card companies to help reduce your interest rates or eliminate some of the fees they have charged you.

He also provides the two magic words to help clear up your credit report - those two words are identity theft.

When you check your credit report and find something that is not yours, you want to dispute it. You need to make sure you are not the victim of identity theft. That's why all personal finance gurus tell you to check your credit report regularly.

What about free money from the government?

KT promotes that heavily in the infomercials. But is it really true? Yes and no. Yes, the government gives away millions and billions in grants and loans each year. However, it's not just for you the individual to pay off your personal credit card bills. It's not just for you to help your own personal situation. You have to use the free money to help others and by helping others, you will eventually help yourself.

The good news is that Debt Cures is a decent book that can help you get out of debt. It will be out on Amazon in May 208 so you can get your cheaper copy instead of $42 on the infomercial.

Or, you can just buy The Total Money Makeover and do the hard work instead of all the shortcuts KT has in Debt Cures.

Here's how to use the debt snowball method to get out of debt fast:

The Debt Snowball approach is:

1. Order your debts from lowest balance to highest balance.

2. Designate a certain amount of money to pay toward debts each month.

3. Pay the minimum payment on all debts except the one with the lowest balance.

4. Throw every other penny at the debt with the lowest balance.

5. When that debt is gone, do not alter the monthly amount used to pay debts, but throw all you can at the debt with the next-lowest balance.

Thanks to Get Rich Slowly