An important part of overcoming debt, is knowing what you’re up against. It’s easy to shut your eyes and ignore the bills that are piling up – but that’s just not going to help you get out of debt. That’s only going to add more interest to the pile.

While it might hurt initially, here are a few strategies to get in front of your debt and know exactly how much you need to pay off.

Find out what you owe

This is the part that might sting. Get honest with yourself and really look at the numbers. Take a look at whatever you’ve got and record it. Whether it’s student loans, credit card debt, or even just some over-due bills, it’s time to look at the numbers.

What debt is costing you the most?

When you’re deciding what debt to tackle first, you should look at what’s costing you the most in interest. Your high-interest credit card might be better to pay off than your low-interest student loan, for example.

Get a plan together

Sometimes with debt, the toughest payment is the first one. After that, things will fall into place. When you know how much you owe, it’s a lot easier to get your head around paying it off.

Whether you start out with a big payment, or begin grinding away on a weekly/monthly basis, it’s a big mental victory to start turning your debt situation around. That’s going to happen you follow those three previous steps.

For many of us, getting out of debt starts with some consolidation. Putting all of it in one place will make for a more manageable experience, and often speed up the process. Whatever you plan on doing, there’s no better time to start than today. It’s something you’re eventually going to have to take care of, so the sooner, the better.

Check out the rest of our site for more helpful tips, strategies and stories of getting out of debt.