Woman says she and husband paid off $200K debt in 5 years: Here's how

Now debt-free, Tinsley Crisp and her husband share tips for paying off debt.

How to stay debt-free in your 20sAs part of a new series on being debt-free at any age, ABC News' Rebecca Jarvis interviews young professional who paid off...Show more

Tinsley Crisp knows what it feels like to be overwhelmed by debt.

At 31, the stylist and writer is now proudly debt-free -- but just a few years ago, she and her husband, Ben, were staring down a mountain of $200,000 instudent loan debt.

"It felt like I would never accomplish this goal," she told "Good Morning America" in an interview aired that aired Friday. "I would be paying this off until the day that I died."

The couple initially started with around $30,000 in student loan debt, but when Ben decided to go back to school to become a physician assistant, their total ballooned to $200,000.

Tinsley Crisp and her husband Ben paid off their $200K student loan debt in 5 years.

Courtesy of Tinsley Crisp

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, student loan debt in the U.S. has reached a staggering $1.63 trillion as of the first quarter of 2025.

For many borrowers, the weight of repayment can feel crushing.

How this couple paid off $52K debt in 18 months

But Crisp and her husband, who now works full-time as a physician assistant, decided to take control of their financial future. With the help of a financial planner, the couple created a five-year plan and stuck to it.

"We said, 'This is how much we're making. This is how much debt there is. These are our goals.' And we really laid it all out there," Crisp said.

From there, Crisp and her husband -- who did not disclose their total income to "GMA" -- built a detailed monthly budget and a debt-payoff timeline. Crisp said the financial planner helped them determine how much they needed to pay each month to stay on track.

After five years of what they called disciplined budgeting, intentional sacrifices and unwavering commitment, the couple made their final payment and rewarded themselves earlier this year with a dream trip to Greece.

"To get to that moment and to enjoy that vacation really felt like our dream becoming a reality," Crisp said.

Tinsley Crisp and her husband Ben paid off their $200K student loan debt in 5 years.

Courtesy of Tinsley Crisp

Now, Crisp and her husband are sharing their three tips for paying off debt.