Many people who find themselves with too much credit card debt are considering filing bankruptcy, and for some, that may be the best option, but there are other ways to eliminate credit card debt without bankruptcy.
If you would like to be able to pay off or reduce credit card debt yourself, you need a plan.
First, make the commitment.
Living without credit cards takes commitment and effort, but it is possible.
Next, cut up all but one card, and put that one card away somewhere so it is not as easy to reach as your wallet is.
It is a good idea to keep one card, as life can hand us all emergencies from time to time, and if you need the card, you need it.
Then, take a good hard look at what constitutes an emergency.
A health crisis that requires immediate payment is an emergency.
A tree coming through your roof in a storm is an emergency.
Being stranded on the side of the road at night with a flat tire or mechanical breakdown is an emergency.
That gorgeous handbag or new computer is not an emergency.
Finally, begin paying off those cards one at a time.
Most people will tell you to always make more than the minimum payment on all your cards, but paying just barely over the minimum on all your cards really doesn't get you anywhere either.
What you need to do is make the biggest payment you can on the card with the smallest balance while you make minimum payments on the others.
Keep paying the higher payment until that one card is paid off.
Then, choose the next card.
Take all the money you were paying on the previous card, plus the minimum you were paying on this next card, and pay that every month until the second card is paid off.
Continue in this manner until you are living debt free or until you have sufficiently reduced your credit card debt.
There are also some other things you can do too.
You just need to research a little until you find a solution you can live with for a while.