When Deacon Hayes and his wife Kim sat down to discuss their finances, the newlyweds discovered they had $52,000 in debt, including $18,000 in car loans, $27,000 in students loans, and $7,000 in outstanding credit card balances. That jarring realization prompted the Phoenix couple to spend the next 18 months paying it off through a combination of cutting back their spending, selling their belongings online, and taking on a second job.