The Oprah Winfrey Show
Suze Orman Answers Your Money Questions
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How can I pay down debt and save when I live paycheck to paycheck?

One woman in the audience owns a house, has a second mortgage and credit card debt, but she's starting to think about her future. "I'm 29 years old and I want to start saving," she says. "How can I save when I live paycheck to paycheck?"

The interest rate on her credit card is 20 percent. "I can guarantee you a way to make a 20 percent return on your money, hands down," Suze says. "Pay off your credit card debt."

She can start by looking at her FICO score. "You can get a high FICO store," Suze says. "You can do a balance transfer from 20 percent hopefully down to 6. When you can start making more out of less money by paying less in interest, you then have more money to save for your future."

But Suze doesn't want her to become so focused on the future that she forgets about the present. "Your present is now determined on what you did in your past, and what you did in your past was you spent money you didn't have and now you're paying the price," she says. "It doesn't matter because you're young. You have time on your side. And as long as you are just willing to be a warrior and not turn your back on that financial battlefield, you will be so okay, I can't even tell you. So don't feel bad about it. Just learn from what you did."

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From the show Ask Financial Powerhouse Suze Orman Anything