i have a cyclical struggle with credit card debt and it's because i use credit cards as loans to get out of tight spots. this pattern started in college because i never received student financial aid. for example, years ago a computer died so i used a card to buy a new computer and it took forever to pay it off. a more recent example would be that i have a card for a clothing store and once i was back from nz and returning to the job market, i needed to get some clothes and i didn't have much money so i used that card. at the end of january, i had managed to pay off my two lowest cards in terms of amount owed. i thought within 1-2 months, i'd be able to pay off that clothing store card. that's what i did with my last paycheck i received on friday. by the end of the day though i felt that i should've waited just 1 more month because i need to spread my funds wisely since i'm still the only one bringing home the veggie bacon. then i got stupid and bought too many things the next day.

i have 2 other cards that i've almost maxed out on. i don't add charges to them and i don't just pay the minimum owed, but it takes a long time to put a dent in those 2 cards. in order to save some money on financial charges, i did take up a transfer balance offer given by one of the cards i had recently paid off. i wasn't able to transfer the entire balance of my highest card but since the balance has been divided, i think that over the months i'll be able to make noticeable dents.