If you’ve fallen into a debt hole, it can be impossible to dig your way out. But conquering $10,000 in credit card balances is possible with a solid payment plan. Additionally, there are ways to lower your borrowing costs, such as using a personal loan to pay off credit card debt or negotiating better terms with your creditors. If you’re ready to get out of debt, here are six strategies for paying off your credit cards.

Before you can pay off $10,000 in credit card debt, it helps to know exactly what you’re up against. Start by gathering the details of each credit card in your wallet. Record this information for each card:

• current balance

• Interest rate

• Minimum monthly payment

• Payment due date

You can also calculate the quant numbers interest you pay on each card. For example, a $10,000 balance at 20.97% (the current average for credit cards) costs about $174 in interest each month.

If you’re clear about these costs, you can determine exactly how much you need to pay to be debt-free by your target date.

Your next step is making a budget so you can see where your money is going. Record your income and expenses, including fixed expenses like rent or mortgage payments and variable expenses like groceries and utilities.

With a budget, you’ll see how much you can realistically afford to put toward your credit card debt each month. You can use a simple spreadsheet or a budget application to track your cash flow each month.

Tip: If you want help, consider working with a nonprofit credit counselor through an organization like National Credit Counseling Foundation or the Financial Counseling Association of America.

Once you’ve created your budget, look for areas where you can reduce your spending or increase your income. You may be able to reduce subscriptions to restaurants, entertainment, or streaming, for example.

Cooking at home more often, cutting back on impulse purchases, or cutting out other non-essentials are some other ways to free up extra cash to put toward your credit card debt.

On the other side of the coin, consider ways to earn extra income. This could include anything from working to a promotion at work, sticking to side hustleor selling your old clothes or other household items. Whether it’s spending less, earning more, or both, following these steps can help you pay off your $10,000 in debt faster.

If you have multiple credit card debts, you may not know which balance to prioritize. Two approaches you can use are debt snowball and debt avalanche strategies

With the debt snowball method, you make extra payments on your card with the smallest balance (even though you keep up with the minimum payments on all your other accounts). Once you’ve paid off your balance in full, switch to the card with the next smaller balance. Repeat until you have your debt under control.

The debt avalanche approach, on the other hand, has you prioritize the credit card with the highest interest rate. Make additional payments on this card before moving to the card with the next higher rate, and so on.

The debt avalanche will save you more money in interest, while the debt snowball can be more motivating as you close smaller balances faster and reduce the number of accounts you have to keep track of. There is no single approach; you just have to choose the strategy that will move you forward.

Related: Credit card payment calculator

Using a personal loan to pay off credit card debt can simplify your payment, save you money in interest, and help you pay off your debt faster. With a debt consolidation loanreplace your current debts with a single personal loan with a fixed monthly payment.

Depending on your credit profile, you can opt for a best interest rate than you have now Personal loan rates currently start around 7% to 8%, with the average two-year personal loan rate at 11.65%, while the average credit card rate is much higher at 20.97%.

After you consolidate, you no longer have to juggle multiple credit card balances with different interest rates, payment due dates, and creditors. Some personal loan providers will pay off your credit card balances for you, so you don’t have to do the work yourself.

This option is best for creditworthy borrowers who can opt for a competitive interest rate. Many lenders allow you to prequalify onlineso you can compare loan offers without affecting your credit score.

Be on the lookout for fees that could increase your borrowing costs, such as a origin fee. You want to make sure that your debt consolidation will ease your debt burden, not add to it.

Your credit card issuer may be open to negotiation conditionsespecially if you are worried about missing payments. Call the company and ask if they would be willing to lower your interest rate, lower your minimum paymentsor waive some fees.

While there’s no guarantee of success, it’s worth a try, especially if you’re a long-time customer with a solid payment history. Another option is to work with a credit counselor who can negotiate on your behalf.

You can contact a nonprofit credit counseling agency and work together to create a debt management plan. Your advisor will try to negotiate better terms for your $10,000 in credit card debt.

You will usually send the payments to the credit counselor, who will apply those payments to your debt. While this approach can be useful if you need additional support, it will likely come with monthly or setup fees.

Paying off $10,000 in credit card debt is no easy task, but you can achieve it with focus, discipline, and the right strategies. Following a budget and consolidation with a personal loanfor example, they are two steps that can help you reach your debt payment goals.

Once you’ve taken that weight off your shoulders, you can redirect your money toward other goals, like building an emergency fund or saving for retirement. From now on, be mindful of your credit card usage and try to pay off your balance in full each month to avoid going into debt.