Updated: Dec 16, 2018
Every one of us has some sort of credit card debt, but when do we know that it’s spiraling out of control? Well, one way is if you’re paying more than 15% of your monthly salary to your credit card bills.
The worse way of dealing with this is borrowing cash from one credit card to pay another, this will only put you into more debt. If a light comes on in your head after reading the start of this article then it’s time to sit up and take some action, don’t think for a minute you are the only one dealing with credit card debt, almost 40% of credit card holders are in this position, why? I will tell you... minimum payments.
Yep, minimum payments. If you only pay the minimum payment on your monthly balance, what once was a small credit card bill will turn into a very costly one. You’ll end up paying back thousands, and will take years to clear.
How can I help myself sort out this problem?
Well if you have more than one credit card and you pay the minimum payment on them all, then this is what to do, get the credit card with the highest APR and pay the most to this card, keep paying the minimum payment to the rest of your cards once the credit card with the highest APR is cleared, go on to the next highest APR and so on until all the credit cards are paid off.
Another way to help is balance transfer deals. Try switching your card with one that has this on offer, they also offer 0% interest free period for 6-9 months, a great way to save some money.
If you only have one credit card and are unable to monitor your spending, then try not to use that credit card. You’ll be amazed at the silly things you put on your credit card, including groceries, petrol, and night’s-out. You’ll be amazed at how much interest is added on. People tend to forget about money, credit cards are handy but they don’t have to be used all the time. I guarantee if you monitor what you spend for a few months you will see the difference.
I know these things sound easy but it’s amazing how many people just use their plastic friend to pay for everything, and really when you sit down and think it really is just common sense. Hopefully following these simple steps will get you back on track.