In 2008, Deacon Hayes and his wife, Kim, "were newly married" and "living paycheck to paycheck" in Phoenix, Arizona, he says.
She was a teacher and he was selling wood floors, and, "between credit card debt, student loans, and car loans, we had about $52,000 in consumer debt," he says.
But by tackling each debt a little differently and paying off between $500 and $6,800 per month, the couple achieved their goal.
Here's how Deacon and Kim Hayes, now 38 and 40, respectively, and living in Scottsdale, Arizona, paid off their debt.
Deacon ended up getting a job at Long Wong's, a local Arizona eatery, and working there for six months.