If you're handling credit card debt like a hot potato, chances are, your credit cards are getting too hot to handle. Do you find yourself shifting money from one credit card to another just to make the minimum payments? Are you constantly seeking a limit increase? Maybe it's time to cool those cards off and hold on to some of your cold, hard cash.

It's Easy to Get Burned by Credit Card Debt

It seems so easy at first, doesn't it? You just pull out that little piece of plastic and swipe. Just like that, you're the owner of a sexy new skirt, a new leather wallet or a take-out Chinese feast. It's so satisfying, so appealing . . . until you get the bill.

It's one thing to splurge once in awhile on something you really want or need. It's okay too to use a credit card to track business expenses. But if you find yourself living on credit cards and relying on them to by groceries and pay your electric bill, you're paying way too much for the convenience plastic promises.

Freeze Your Hot Cards and Get Control

Take all of your credit cards now. Put them in a plastic water-proof bag. Freeze them in a block of ice to cool off them - and you.

Make a list of all of your credit cards. Find out exactly how much interest you're paying on each. Tally your monthly minimum payments. Determine exactly how much interest you paid last month compared to principal. Add in late fees and service fees and fees incurred because you put the fork on the wrong side of the plate while setting the table. Could you actually survive without your credit cards?

You Don't Have to Do this Alone

Avoidance is a common practice when it comes to facing financial reality. If it's too hard for you to do it alone, you're among the best of us. Consider debt counseling.

A qualified debt counselor can help you negotiate with creditors to reduce your interest rates and sometimes a settlement for less than you actually owe. Such a counselor will help you create a livable budget and come up with a plan to pay those credit cards off completely in one to three years - depending on how much you owe, of course.

Contact a qualified, reputable debt counselor today and finally relax knowing there really is a light at the end of the tunnel and it's not the warm glow of your future going up in flames.