Almost three out of four Americans say they’re burdened with debt.1 Whether or not you’re part of the majority here, it’s clear debt is quite common. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Besides, who wants to be common? Who wants to feel burdened?

That’s what debt does. It holds you back from excellence, from achieving your dreams, and from feeling peace.

But again: It doesn’t have to be this way. (Yes, we said it twice so it hits home.)

Not only do you not have to feel burdened by your bills, you also don’t have to spend your life owing money. You can pay off your debt. You can be the one in control of your money—not the lenders you’re borrowing from at a price that’s holding you back.

With these six tips, you can get rid of debt faster than ever. So here we go.

Take just a few minutes to think about your debt—really think about it—and you’ll no doubt begin to feel overwhelmed.

It’s weird, isn’t it? You might spend years swiping credit cards and signing for loans without a moment’s hesitation. And then one day you wake up with a gasp and a realization:

I have to get rid of all this debt!

But like most things that take time to build up, paying off debt doesn’t happen overnight. Thankfully, you’re not alone. Plenty of folks in the EveryDollar community have been right where you are.

And we’re here to offer you the best method for getting rid of debt faster and easier than you ever thought possible: the debt snowball.

Valerie and Gary were the typical American couple.

“We had credit cards, car loans and orthodontic loans,” Valerie said. “We made the mistake of refinancing the house and rolling our credit card debt in there. We swore we would never use those cards again. But we did. And then we took out a second mortgage.”

Keeping up with your budget can be a challenge when you’re a busy family. Just ask Jimmy C. and his wife, who live in South Carolina. With two boys and a hectic schedule, they struggled to keep up with their money. In fact, they’d gotten off track with their spending, too.

Then Jimmy found EveryDollar.

“I looked at a couple of other budget tracking apps, but I didn’t find anything like what I wanted. When it [EveryDollar] finally came out, I got it pretty quick,” Jimmy said.

And it was exactly what the couple needed to get back on track. With the app on their phones, they could keep up with their money in real time.

It’s a common question when paying off debt—Should I pay the debt with the highest interest rate first since it costs me the most money?

Short answer: No. But we’ll explain. It’s best to start with the smallest balance. Here’s why.