Could Turning Your Debt into an Art Project Help You Pay it Off Faster?

I think we’ve found a way to make paying down debt… fun.

Seriously. Stick with me.

One of the toughest things about paying down debt is you don’t see it. If your debt has hit the levels mine has — student loans, auto loan and medical debt piling up — you know sometimes it’s easier to avoid it than sort it out.

Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Sort of. Debt’s easy to keep “out of mind” most of the time, but does rear its ugly head — anytime you apply for an apartment, rent a car, want a new credit card or… well, it happens a lot.

Instead of ignoring it, use this fun trick to keep it top of mind and celebrate your progress paying it off.

Use Debt Art to Pay Down Debt Faster

You know those thermometers you see around town to measure an organization’s fundraiser? They let everyone know the fundraiser is happening and that others in town are contributing. They also help the organization track and celebrate its progress toward its goal.

Debt art is like that.

You can create artwork that measures your debt as you pay it off. It’s prettier than those giant thermometers, but still helps you focus on your goal.

Plus, like I said, it’s fun.

Debt art is like adult coloring pages, but with a purpose.

You’ll start with an image, where each section is assigned a payment value. Color in a section as you make payments.

When the image is colored in, you’re debt-free!

To get you started, we created some debt art you can download and print for free.

Download Our Free Debt Payoff Charts

Click the images below to grab free printable pages you can use to track your own progress paying down debt.

(They’re designed to be printed in color or black and white, in case you’re pinching pennies with ink!)

Car Loan Debt Art

Student Loan Debt Art

Credit Card Debt Art

Want a different design? Get creative!

You can use any image or design you want. Just color it in as you move closer to your debt payoff goal.

You can even use adult coloring pages. Download them free here, assign a payment value to each section, and color it in as you make payments.

Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is the branded content editor at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more, attempting humor wherever it’s allowed (and sometimes where it’s not).