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A nonprofit debt management plan worked with her creditors on one monthly payment she could afford, and she paid it all off. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/0eDTdPDSJKk 159 2025-05-15 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-102k-student-loans-debt-snowball-side-jobs Paying Off $102K In Student Loan Debt https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iTZGRROYVG8/maxresdefault.jpg Mandy Velez left school with $75,000 in loans and a $40,000 salary in New York. She used the debt snowball, took on dog walking, babysitting and freelance writing, and paid the last $32,000 in about eight months. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/iTZGRROYVG8 2021-03-29 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-20k-student-loans-16-months-autopay Woman digs out of nearly $20,000 in debt https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9rbsURKiCXk/maxresdefault.jpg NiaChloe Bowman paid off nearly $20,000 in student loans 16 months after graduating. She listed every debt, automated payments from a separate bills account, and explains why refinancing federal loans can cost you their protections. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/9rbsURKiCXk 2026-02-18 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/pay-off-car-loan-early-principal-payments-34-months 5 Tips to Paying Off A Car Loan Early - How I Paid $40K in 34 Months https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NoXHrcdZItI/maxresdefault.jpg Diamond Edwards bought a new truck with no money down on an 84-month loan. He paid off his smaller debts first, put $9,000 of savings toward the truck and made principal-only payments to finish in 34 months. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/NoXHrcdZItI 2020-04-09 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/single-mom-paid-off-50k-debt-no-spend-weekends How single mom knocked out $50K in debt https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gA1M8gH-41k/maxresdefault.jpg A Chicago single mom tried no-spend weekends, moved somewhere cheaper, cooked from what was already in the cupboard and paid down a high-interest car loan. Her freelance writing side job grew into a full-time one. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/gA1M8gH-41k 2020-01-22 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-55000-debt-with-0-balance-transfer-cards She paid off $55,000 using 0% balance transfer cards! https://i.ytimg.com/vi/I9qvUhSMVJ0/maxresdefault.jpg Lorelei ran up about $55,000 on credit cards. She looked into bankruptcy, then moved most of the balance to 0% balance transfer cards with 3% fees and worked six days a week to pay it off in under two years. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/I9qvUhSMVJ0 1502 2021-04-03 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/pay-off-maxed-out-credit-cards-debt-management-plan GreenPath, a Michigan based nonprofit, helps families regain financial wellness after burden of debt https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aA4f0P7GFuk/maxresdefault.jpg Lavell's debt started with a card that came in the mail when he was a teenager and grew to five maxed-out cards. A nonprofit counseling agency set up a plan estimated at about five years and got one card's rate cut from 24% to 2%; he says he's now out of credit card debt. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/aA4f0P7GFuk 197 2021-09-16 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-70000-eight-credit-cards-debt-management-plan 2022 NFCC Brighter Financial Future Award: MMI client Johnika Dreher https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-Vpf_W3beh0/hqdefault.jpg Johnika Dreher owed about $70,000 across eight cards after furnishing a new home. Her bank referred her to a nonprofit debt management plan that lowered her rates; she finished in 49 months, paying a monthly fee under $50. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/-Vpf_W3beh0 230 2022-09-20 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-10000-credit-card-debt-in-6-months How I Paid Off $10,000 of Credit Card Debt in 6 Months https://i.ytimg.com/vi/f8JjqrVcv6s/maxresdefault.jpg Tiffany explains how uninsured dental work, study abroad and a low income added up to $10,000 of card debt. A strict budget, a jump in income and a few balance transfers paid it off in six months. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/f8JjqrVcv6s 1691 2019-10-24 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/filing-bankruptcy-for-18k-credit-card-debt-at-25 I filed for bankruptcy & have been thriving since! https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aU3ubri4aEo/maxresdefault.jpg At 25, pregnant and on a low income, Caitlyn filed Chapter 7 with an attorney over $18,000 of credit card debt. She walks calmly through the process and how it set her up to manage money as a single mom. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/aU3ubri4aEo 841 2025-04-30 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/chapter-7-bankruptcy-experience-from-filing-to-discharge How Declaring Bankruptcy Changed My Life https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qAzdAYEJazQ/maxresdefault.jpg Jay Swanson grew up believing bankruptcy was shameful, then found himself owing $86,500 on about $2,000 a month. He filed Chapter 7 in 2017 and reflects on how he got there and what changed afterwards. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/qAzdAYEJazQ 1700 2025-02-07 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/pay-off-credit-card-debt-lower-interest-rate How to deal with debt | Life Kit https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kQlQGF7vyxY/hqdefault.jpg NPR's Life Kit on where to start with credit card debt: asking for a lower rate, whether to save while you pay it down, spending less, and handling the hard money conversations. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/kQlQGF7vyxY 1047 2023-04-19 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/how-to-negotiate-medical-bills-hospital-financial-assistance How to negotiate your medical bills | Life Kit https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sPBF53vPALA/maxresdefault.jpg Jared Walker of the nonprofit Dollar For explains hospital financial assistance, how to ask for an itemized bill and negotiate it, and paying in installments, with a practice phone call. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/sPBF53vPALA 1270 2023-03-30 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/medical-bill-for-surgery-you-never-had-collections Bill of the Month: Woman mistakenly charged for shoulder surgery she never had https://i.ytimg.com/vi/j4wFfRG7yHo/maxresdefault.jpg A California woman got a $1,100 bill for a Florida shoulder surgery that belonged to another patient with her name, and the debt was sold to a collector. The segment shows how she pushed back and what finally stopped the letters. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/j4wFfRG7yHo 348 2022-12-27 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/sued-for-hospital-bill-charity-care-eligible Hospitals sue patients over medical debt even though they qualified for relief https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-XKl1sQczLM/maxresdefault.jpg An uninsured nursing student was sued over a $6,500 bill from a nonprofit hospital whose policy suggests she may have qualified for charity care. CBS News explains why eligible patients often never apply. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/-XKl1sQczLM 202 2025-04-24 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/signed-up-for-medical-credit-card-in-emergency-room Critics slam medical credit cards as patient shares account of being signed up in hospital https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eucsLkc3jx4/maxresdefault.jpg Rebecca says she signed what she thought was a payment plan for an $850 ER bill, but it was a $2,000 line of credit. Months later, delinquency notices arrived and her credit score dropped 200 points. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/eucsLkc3jx4 381 2026-05-01 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/how-to-fight-a-hospital-bill-after-insurance I fought a $1500 hospital bill and lost...Here's what I learned so you can lower your hospital bills https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0nOlmkSiEcY/maxresdefault.jpg An MRI at a hospital left him owing about $1,500 even with insurance. He walks through six things he tried to lower the bill, why none of them worked, and what he plans to do differently next time. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/0nOlmkSiEcY 742 2022-01-17 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/debt-collector-rights-what-collectors-cant-do Debt Collection: Know Your Rights | Federal Trade Commission https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eqzAFQ67t0M/maxresdefault.jpg A short Federal Trade Commission video on what debt collectors aren't allowed to do, from threats of arrest to calls after 9 p.m. It plays sample illegal calls and explains how to report a collector who breaks the rules. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/eqzAFQ67t0M 84 2017-07-18 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-40000-debt-with-nonprofit-credit-counseling A Yulee woman paid off $40K in debt. Here's how she did it https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9zlSpEba8CU/maxresdefault.jpg Elizabeth, from Yulee, Florida, owed about $40,000 after an emergency home project. A nonprofit credit counseling agency worked with her creditors to cut her interest rates, and she paid the whole balance off. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/9zlSpEba8CU 160 2024-12-13 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-43000-credit-card-debt-before-retirement Delete debt with nonprofit credit counseling https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HDy7JdRwbGs/hqdefault.jpg Eva, from Kerrville, Texas, owed $43,000 on credit cards and feared she'd work the rest of her life to pay them. A nonprofit credit counselor helped lower her rates, and after seven years she was out of debt and looking toward retirement. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/HDy7JdRwbGs 95 2023-03-07 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-30000-credit-card-debt-one-monthly-payment ‘Little over 30K’: A nonprofit that can help you erase credit card debt | WSOC-TV https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GMTu9auJXfk/maxresdefault.jpg Shane, from Charlotte, ran up a little over $30,000 in debt while between jobs and worried about bankruptcy. His bank pointed him to a nonprofit credit counselor, and he paid $300 to $400 a month for four to five years until it was gone. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/GMTu9auJXfk 182 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/how-to-set-up-irs-payment-plan-online Set Up an IRS Payment Plan Online https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OTP0KBDYzSk/maxresdefault.jpg The IRS explains what to do when a tax bill can't be paid in full: file on time, pay what's possible, and apply online for a short-term or monthly payment plan. It covers who may qualify and the interest and penalties that keep adding up. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/OTP0KBDYzSk 201 2023-08-07 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/irs-offer-in-compromise-without-tax-relief-company Looking to Settle for Less with the IRS? https://i.ytimg.com/vi/X-f5y4fvSsc/maxresdefault.jpg The IRS explains the offer in compromise, which lets some taxpayers settle tax debt for less than they owe, and points out that companies advertising it don't mention taxpayers can apply directly. It walks through the Pre-Qualifier tool and what it asks for. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/X-f5y4fvSsc 246 2026-06-04 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/credit-union-consolidation-loan-to-pay-off-credit-cards How I Escaped $64,000 in Credit Card Debt https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LNpwoFir8YI/maxresdefault.jpg After her card companies refused to lower rates of 29.99%, she and her husband took a $19,800 credit union consolidation loan at 13.49% for five years. She walks through the numbers and how paying early and extra is cutting the interest. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/LNpwoFir8YI 1268 2026-04-20 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/using-heloc-to-pay-off-credit-card-debt I Was Debt-Free at 56. Here’s How I Ended Up Owing $27,000 https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FF8KxUi-huk/maxresdefault.jpg A retiree who was debt-free at 56 explains how a car trade-in, a $10,000 air conditioner and business ideas led to card debt, why he moved it to a home equity line of credit, and why the card balances kept coming back. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/FF8KxUi-huk 723 2026-09-13 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/couple-paid-off-15000-credit-card-debt-7-months How this Couple Paid Off $15,000 of Credit Card Debt in Just 7 Months https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lim-PjrNjZU/maxresdefault.jpg Newlyweds Anthony and Luan paid off about $15,000 of combined credit card debt in seven months by sending part of every paycheck to the cards first. They talk through money arguments, sacrifices and what came next. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/lim-PjrNjZU 2214 2020-01-20 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/couple-paid-off-credit-card-debt-snowball-method How one couple paid off thousands of dollars in credit card debt | GMA https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kWW8Z_eHvlA/maxresdefault.jpg Brian and Lynn Brandow found their five credit cards maxed out while planning a family vacation. They cut up the cards, got lower rates and paid off $109,000 of debt in 50 months, one card at a time. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/kWW8Z_eHvlA 220 2019-08-30 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-30000-credit-card-debt-in-one-year Woman creates method to pay off $30K in credit card debt l GMA https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IPxgNcC1-v8/maxresdefault.jpg After about a decade with $30,000 in credit card debt, Jordanne Wells, a mom of two, built her own six-step plan and was debt-free a year later. The GMA segment walks through each step. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/IPxgNcC1-v8 148 2020-10-01 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/couple-paid-off-200k-student-loans-five-year-plan How a couple paid off $200,000 in student loans https://i.ytimg.com/vi/65IzB4xRGyA/maxresdefault.jpg Tinsley Crisp and her husband, Ben, owed about $200,000 in student loans after he went back to school to become a physician assistant. A five-year plan, a detailed budget, odd jobs and skipped trips got them to debt-free, and they celebrated in Greece. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/65IzB4xRGyA 132 2025-05-30 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/pay-off-student-loans-reselling-thrift-side-hustle Woman pays off student debt by reselling used clothes https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RYNtJUBsCHA/maxresdefault.jpg Kelsey Mikula began reselling thrifted clothes as a side hustle and soon earned more from it than from her hospital admin job. The income helped her pay off about $80,000 in student loans in three years. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/RYNtJUBsCHA 120 2025-03-22 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/public-service-loan-forgiveness-private-loans-side-hustle Living On $65K A Year Working Three Jobs In Houston, TX https://i.ytimg.com/vi/awsAaaaxLYw/maxresdefault.jpg Shonnita Leslie graduated into the Great Recession owing about $101,000 in student loans. Public Service Loan Forgiveness cleared her federal loans in 2022, and DoorDash income paid off her car loan and chipped away at her private loans. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/awsAaaaxLYw 484 2024-04-18 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/student-loan-debt-anxiety-mindful-repayment-tedx-talk A Mental Health Remix on Student Loan Debt Repayment | Jaz Burgess | TEDxTexasStateUniversity https://i.ytimg.com/vi/elkLr7D9YHM/maxresdefault.jpg In 2018, Jaz Burgess logged into her student aid account and found a balance she puts at about $100,000, and years of stress followed. In this TEDx talk she explains how faith, therapy and mindfulness helped, with steps for people before, during and after school. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/elkLr7D9YHM 873 2022-04-13 2026-09-15 https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/behind-on-car-payments-voluntary-surrender-vs-repossession More people behind on car payments, many surrender cars before they get repossessed https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5-vaWX8z18I/maxresdefault.jpg A Salt Lake City report on rising car loan delinquencies and more borrowers handing their cars back. A credit union lending executive explains why surrender doesn't end the debt and why calling early matters. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/5-vaWX8z18I 231 2025-12-17 2026-09-15