How I ditched debt: Setting pride aside and asking for help
Cara Jesse Nuno
Cara  and Jesse Nuno
Who:  Cara  and Jesse Nuno
How much: $272 261 in five years 
Cara  and  Jesse Nuno  (Photo: NerdWallet.com)
Six years ago   Cara  and  Jesse Nuno  could not imagine a debt-free life.
 Cara : I think I had suggested [going to a credit counselor] in the past  but at the time Jess was too proud to talk to  them .
Jesse: In 2012  I can’t remember if we saw the advertisement [for the agency] on TV or not  but somehow it just kinda clicked  so we went to  them .  They  gave us April’s number.
April (credit counselor): The majority of  their  debt was old and in collections  so they were really at the “cleanup stage” and [handling each debt] one at a time more than all together. They used a mix of different techniques to address the collections. Some needed to be disputed as already paid or invalid. They also had some that appeared to be past the statute of limitations  so they first needed to verify this with an attorney and then dispute. Others they settled on  but most they made paid in full.
 Cara :  We  kept looking each month at what  we  had and the progress  we  had made. Slowly but surely  as  we  disputed and paid down  our  debts   our  credit scores went up.
 Jesse : Same for me. I was looking forward to the future where one day   we ’d be able to buy things again.
April: When  Jesse  and Cara first came to me in 2012  their credit scores were 536 and 584  respectively. As of 2016  Cara’s was 667 and  Jesse ’s was 758.
 Jesse : I seem to be sleeping better at night  not tossing and turning like I used to  figuring how I’m going to pay this or how I’m going to pay that. It takes its toll — I got the gray hair to prove it.
 Cara :  We ’d like to do some work on the house and get  our  vehicles paid off. Now  we  have a budget  and Jess pays all  our  bills early.
 Cara : It’s OK to ask for counseling to get started with a plan to get your debt paid off. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help because you’re not the only person that’s been there.
Cara  and [TGT]
Who:  Cara  and [TGT]
How much: $272 261 in five years 
Cara  and  Jesse Nuno  (Photo: NerdWallet.com)
Six years ago   Cara  and  Jesse Nuno  could not imagine a debt-free life.
 Cara : I think I had suggested [going to a credit counselor] in the past  but at the time Jess was too proud to talk to  them .
Jesse: In 2012  I can’t remember if we saw the advertisement [for the agency] on TV or not  but somehow it just kinda clicked  so we went to  them .  They  gave us April’s number.
April (credit counselor): The majority of  their  debt was old and in collections  so they were really at the “cleanup stage” and [handling each debt] one at a time more than all together. They used a mix of different techniques to address the collections. Some needed to be disputed as already paid or invalid. They also had some that appeared to be past the statute of limitations  so they first needed to verify this with an attorney and then dispute. Others they settled on  but most they made paid in full.
 [TGT]We  kept looking each month at what  we  had and the progress  we  had made. Slowly but surely  as  we  disputed and paid down  our  debts   our  credit scores went up.
 Jesse : Same for me. I was looking forward to the future where one day   we ’d be able to buy things again.
April: When  Jesse  and [TGT] first came to me in 2012  their credit scores were 536 and 584  respectively. As of 2016  Cara’s was 667 and  Jesse ’s was 758.
 Jesse : I seem to be sleeping better at night  not tossing and turning like I used to  figuring how I’m going to pay this or how I’m going to pay that. It takes its toll — I got the gray hair to prove it.
 Cara :  We ’d like to do some work on the house and get  our  vehicles paid off. Now  we  have a budget  and Jess pays all  our  bills early.
 [TGT] : It’s OK to ask for counseling to get started with a plan to get your debt paid off. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help because you’re not the only person that’s been there.