President Bush and Congress are deciding to give federal employees a pay raise of at least 3%. Many government employees hope this will help cover rising expenses in gas, groceries, and life's expenses. However, do you realize that there's a way to get more than a 3% raise?

Prices seem out of control and a 3% raise would definitely help, but it doesn't seem enough. So what can you do about it? One way to give yourself a guaranteed pay raise is to pay off your debt.

For example, let's say that you bring home $2,000 every month and you have $100 per month in credit card payments. By paying off your $100 /month credit card debt, you can give yourself an additional 5% raise in salary! How is this possible? Since $100 a month is 5% of your salary, it's like getting a 5% raise with no federal income taxes taken out!

Just imagine if you could eliminate your credit card debt and then pay off your car and house payments. How much extra money would you have every month? By following a simple plan of paying off debt in this order, you could give yourself at least a 30% raise, depending on how much you owe. In fact, if you have more debt, you would give yourself a bigger raise when you pay it off!

Is it really possible to pay off your credit cards, cars, and house payments? It is if you follow a simple, focused plan. Start by paying off your lowest balance on your credit cards. Once that card is paid off, then take that former minimum monthly payment and apply it to another credit card bill. The key is to focus until you have your credit cards completely paid off. Do this consistently and you will eventually have enough money to attack your house payment.

Once you have paid off all of your debts, you will have given yourself a much bigger raise than your boss ever could. Not only that, but you'll be more financially secure because you don't have to worry about your car or house being taken away because of missing payments.