Once you achieve the American Dream, you’ve made it, right? Society says you must have 2.5 kids and a home with a white picket fence to achieve this dream. If you’re in debt, this ideal American life may seem impossible to achieve, which can be discouraging. Buying a house is one of the more difficult achievements, especially if you have massive debt. But that doesn’t mean it’s completely out of reach. It’s still possible to buy a house if you’re already in debt.
Even if you currently have too much debt to get a mortgage approved, these tips will get you closer to a home of your own:

When you are young and working, retirement savings may be put on the back burner out of necessity in order to pay off more immediate bills and debt. If so, you are not alone. A shocking 36% of Americans have yet to begin saving for retirement. In fact, 41% say they don’t even have $500 socked away for emergencies. But without retirement savings or a retirement plan you will not be able to maintain your standard of living when you retire. Although retirement may seem far away and it may seem very difficult to save, saving money now has major benefits.

Every store you go into in October is filled with Halloween themed décor, food, and candy for sale. Putting your mortgage, rent, and other monthly payments before Halloween festivities is not always an easy task. Especially when you see everyone all over social media buying pumpkins and attending expensive Halloween attractions.  

Studies show that Americans are expected to spend $9 billion on Halloween candy, costumes, and decorations alone. This is a very large amount since American household debt has reached over $13 trillion this year. The average consumer is found to spend $169.81 each on Halloween festivities, which can be out of reach while paying off debt.

If you’ve ever been in a situation where you didn’t have health insurance or were under-insured, you may be faced with some medical debt. Two-thirds of Americans state that they are “very worried” (38 percent) or “somewhat worried” (29 percent) about being able to afford unexpected medical bills for themselves or their family. A surprise medical bill can be an extremely stressful occurrence, especially if you’re already facing debt.

You may have heard that medical debt disappears after seven years. Like all myths, the “seven-year-rule” does have a grain of truth to it—but medical bill debt forgiveness is not as easy as it sounds. In most situations it’s better to pay off the debt before it hits the seven-year mark in order to avoid harassment and the potential for a lawsuit.

New Era Debt Relief explains what can happen when medical debt is ignored: