I’m a 50-year-old single mom of 2 and my finances are in shambles — I have no savings, no retirement fund and I’m $80K deep in debt. Where do I even start?

Her credit card debt alone is larger than the average American household’s credit card balance of $6,065. In terms of overall debt, the latest data from the Federal Reserve shows that the average U.S. household debt is just over $105,000 per household, but this includes mortgages as well as auto loans, student debt, credit cards and other forms of personal debt.

Beyond the almost $2,000 per month in debt payments, Sarah also needs to cover her $2,100 mortgage payment. With retirement age on the horizon, she feels like she’s drowning under mounting financial pressures. And without savings or retirement funds, she wants to map out her next steps carefully.

For Sarah, bankruptcy is off the table, but she still wants to find a way forward. So. here is what she — and you — could do next, when faced with such a situation:

1. Evaluate your finances and set a realistic budget

When facing a mountain of debt, the first step is to assess the situation. Gain clarity by tracking each of your expenses and income.

This will give you a realistic picture of where you stand with your expenses and income, help you plan ahead and stretch every dollar as far as it can go, while helping you eliminate any unnecessary spending. Next, build a bare-bones budget that allows you to cover all of your basic needs.

With this in place, ratchet down your spending. Move on to actually eliminate any unnecessary spending. This will alter your lifestyle and feel uncomfortable, but it doesn’t have to last forever if you do it right.

Take a closer look at your largest expenses. For most Americans, housing, transportation and food represent the biggest line items in any budget.

Start by taking a look at your housing expenses and how they ladder up to your long-term financial goals. Sarah is a homeowner with a $2,100 monthly mortgage payment and $100,000 in home equity.

If you don’t want to relinquish homeownership, then refinancing your mortgage to lock in a lower payment could help. Downsizing or renting out a room may be other ways to help offset housing costs.

If you aren’t married to the idea of homeownership, then look into the cost of renting a reasonable place to call home. Selling your property with $100,000 in equity would help you wipe your debt in the quickest way possible.

Beyond potentially paring down your housing costs, evaluate your transportation costs. If you drive a relatively expensive vehicle, swap it out for a more affordable ride. You may also want to consider remote work, if this is possible for you, as this would further free up both any time and money spent on commuting.

Lastly, try to meal plan once a week, so you only buy the groceries you need (preferably at discount or cheaper grocery stores), avoiding dining out.

2. Make a debt repayment plan

After making adjustments to your spending habits, it’s time to make a debt repayment plan.

Starting with the tax debt, consider applying for an IRS payment plan to break down your large tax bill into more manageable monthly payments.

Next, tackle your credit card debt. If you have the debt spread across multiple credit cards, start by making a list of each balance and the attached interest rate.

Common repayment strategies include the snowball or the avalanche methods. The snowball method involves putting all available cash toward the smallest balance so you rid yourself of that first before moving onto the next one, while the avalanche method tackles the balance with the highest interest rate first.

Technically, the avalanche method is more mathematically efficient, reducing the total amount of money you pay on interest but the small wins of the snowball method might give you the motivation to stick to the plan.