The majority of people understand and will readily tell you that credit card debt has the ability to ruin lives and relationships. These very same people will assure you that they do all they can to avoid the debt trap, but unfortunately, there are still many more who are not fortunate enough to avoid it. Learning how to stay out of credit card debt is the most successful way to guarantee that you are not financially embarrassed and to prevent a recurrence of the same mistakes.

The first thing that you must recognize is what a debt that is spiralling out of control can do to you and the associated effects it will have on your family, your home and possibly even your job. Credit card debt has to be controlled. It can be likened to being in "quicksand" - you find yourself going further and further down until you are almost choking.

Picture this scenario - you have reached your credit limit and the only thing you can do is make the minimum payment each month. You might as well toss your money away - you are only succeeding in paying interest rates and account fees and the balance remains the same. At this stage you are stuck - you cannot afford to make higher payments. If you miss even one payment, the overdue fees will put you even further behind. You feel that you will never catch up with this debt!

Stop and think!

To climb out of this self-destructive spiral, you must make yourself understand what you have to do to stay out of debt with you existing credit cards. To discipline yourself, write down a list of "acceptable" things to charge, such as emergency car repairs, tires, unforeseen medical expenses etc. Ensure that you NEVER charge for things such as paying for other bills (you are just compounding the problem), nights out, gifts, clothing or jewelry. Make it a rule that you only use the card when it is absolutely necessary. When you do need to use the card, as soon as you get home, estimate what the new payment will be for that month and if you can, pay it. If you cannot pay the balance off, pay as much as you can or check out interest-free balance transfers to save up. Be as firm as you can with yourself.

Another way to discipline yourself is to take the temptation to spend out of the equation. Unless you are traveling a distance from home, leave the cards at home in a safe place. Then you are forced to either spend cash or rethink the purchase - buying something on impulse is the easiest way to get yourself into the debt trap. Teaching yourself to be wiser with your spending is the best way to get yourself out of debt.