It’s easy (and often fun) to get into debt, but it can be painfully difficult to get back out. It can take just a few months to create tens of thousands of dollars in debt, but it may take decades to pay off that debt.

Everyone who pays off their debt does it a different way. They often combine strategies to chip away at their debt, and they stick with those strategies until the debt is gone. If you’re struggling and need a starting point for your debt-reduction strategy, here are some ways to get out of debt.

Stop creating more debt

This alone won’t get you out of debt, but at least your debt won’t get worse. If you continue adding debt, it will be much more difficult to make progress on reducing your debt, if you make any progress at all.

Increase your monthly payment

The less you pay toward your debt balances every month, the longer it’ll take to pay off your debts. Interest can exponentially expand the timeline for your debt repayment. Any remaining debt balance racks up interest charges every month. By increasing your monthly payments, you reduce the debt balance. It’s only ok to pay the minimum on some of your credit cards when you have a debt-repayment strategy that requires you to make a big payment on one of your credit cards. The key is to be making significant dents in at least one of your outstanding balances every month.

Build an emergency fund

An emergency fund may sound counterintuitive if you’re trying to get out of debt — you could be using that money to pay off your debt instead of sticking it in a savings account — but an emergency fund can actually keep you from creating more debt. These savings provide you with a safety net you can use when an emergency expense arises, which saves you from getting into debt.

Pick a debt and give

it all you’ve got

Some people increase all their minimum payments by just a little bit, but that way your payments only drop by a small amount each month. You can make more noticeable progress by making a big payment to just one of your accounts each month until that debt is completely repaid. In the meantime, make the minimum on all your other accounts. Then do the same for another debt, and then another, until they’re all paid off.

Look for ways to put more money towards your debt

The more money you put toward your debt, the faster you can pay off your debt for good. If you don’t already have one, create a monthly budget to better manage your money. Seeing all your expenses detailed in a budget can also help you figure out how you could cut out some expenses and use that money for your debt. You may also be able to come up with extra money for debt by selling things from your home or generating income from a hobby.

Settle with your creditors

Debt settlement may be a solution if your accounts are past due or you owe more money than you could repay over a few years. When you settle your debts, you ask the creditor to accept a one-time, lump-sum payment to satisfy the debt. Creditors who agree to a settlement offer also agree to cancel the rest of the debt, but they typically only accept these offers on accounts that are in default or at risk of defaulting. – The Balance.