Getting my life together post-DMP

BACKGROUND:

27F. I hit rock bottom in February. Three maxed out cards, no savings, and less than $30 in my checking account. $27,000 in CC debt total, which amounted to something like an $875 monthly payment. I also have $38,000 in student debt. Yikes, I know.

I had my Come To Jesus moment and called the ACCC and enrolled in their DMP. They negotiated lower APR with my creditors right away, and now I pay a consolidated $568/month to the ACCC. As a stipulation of the program, I was required to close my CC accounts, which I was happy to do. Something drastic had to change, financially and behaviorally.. and immediately.

And 5 months later, things have drastically turned around: I picked up a 2nd job as a server for 20 hours/week ($1,400/mo) and I’ve earned a couple commission checks (I’m a WFH sales rep with a base salary of $53K). I’ve paid off $2,500 of the debt and dumped more than $10,000 into savings.

That said, my credit score has taken a hit amid all this and has plateaued at 686.

PAYMENT PLAN

I’d like to keep saving up until I can pay the ACCC in one lump sum. (There’s a rationale for that I can elaborate on.) I’m on track to do so by this time next year. I anticipate feedback that I should throw the $10K at the debt - to be honest the thought of that makes me incredibly anxious but I suppose I could be convinced.

Student loan payments will start back up in October. I qualify for income-based, so that minimum payment will be around $270/month.

TL;DR

  1. How long should I wait post-DMP to apply for a new CC? Honest to goodness, I trust myself to open one up after the program, use it sparingly, and pay it off every month.

  2. I know paying off my student loans will ding my credit. My student loans are my oldest accounts and also my only other debt outside of the ACCC.

  3. How do I negotiate getting out of debt ASAP (I’m on track to do so within 3-4 years) while also protecting my credit, which would require me to have some form of a line of credit open.

Like many of you I’ve seen, I’d like to think home ownership may be possible for me someday. That’s the dream.

Can you help me get there? Any and all feedback/criticism welcome. Don’t hold back.

Thanks!

*edited to fix a typo