You know the danger. You know your weakness. But those pre-approved credit card offers keep looking at you seductively from your mailbox.

You did not heed their warning. You tore that envelope open “just to educate yourself” if you “one day” decided to get a credit card. This is the worm on the end of the hook.

You saw the leaflet with the 0% APR for the first 12 months and no annual fee, and as you looked deeper, you found that you could personalize your card with Mickey Mouse or dolphins!

You may apply with the intention of using it strictly for emergencies. Isn’t that a safe and responsible thing to do, you say to yourself.

While you wait for your card to arrive, you fortify your intention of using it only when absolutely necessary. You won’t borrow money to pay for extraneous and unneeded items.

You won’t be tempted by the personalized card, the great rates, or the high balance. You’ll use it for necessary items and pay the balance each month.

Once you diligently read the terms, you get right on the phone and activate it. This is a great step towards financial responsibility.

Now that you have the credit card in hand, ready to go, your mind drifts to what you can buy with it. You’ll definitely pay the balance in full each month, so a few little purchases won’t hurt. And isn’t it better to use it and pay it off than to let it gather dust in your wallet? A few small, inexpensive items, and then only for emergencies.

A few small purchases add up, and when you get your first bill, you are astounded by the accumulation. You can’t pay the entire balance, even though it’s payday.

And so you enter the cycle of debt in earnest. Instead of paying off the entire balance, which you told yourself you would do each month, you pay a minimum payment. Instead of cutting your spending, you continue to use the card and pay only this small amount.

You are driving yourself deeper into debt. Soon, your credit card will have reached its maximum balance. This can leave you in a financially vulnerable position, so you get yet another credit card. Without changing your spending habits, however, you are just perpetuating the problem. Soon, you have to maxed out cards and are making only minimum payments on each.

You buy more and pay the minimum on three cards. Before you know it, those precious twelve months are up, and you are buried in 23.6% APR rates and late fees. Your couple of hundred or thousand dollars owed has now tripled, and it is still skyrocketing!

You fool yourself to prevent the reality of your increasing debt and lowering credit score.

You make plans to pay off the entire balance with tax refunds or bonuses. But these get sucked up in everyday purchases, and still your debt grows.

Soon, you have financial obligations that are pressing on you: how will you pay your heating bill in the winter? How will you pay for the increase in gas and commuting costs? What happens now if your car needs repairs? All that, and creditors calling and sending overdue notices. You cannot pay your debt. You no longer have control of your financial situation, and this affects every aspect of your life.

Cut the cards you own in half. Once you begin to pay them off, the temptation will overwhelm you to start borrowing again. This way they are out of sight out of mind and out of spending reach.

If you do decide to keep one card, make a concerted effort to pay it off in full. This may mean making some sacrifices, but it is well worth it to dig yourself out of debt. Use if for emergencies, but make sure you have a clear definition of emergency. A great sale on shoes is not an emergency. Fixing your car so you can get to work is.

While your first instinct is to ignore creditors, you need to speak with them. They want their money and would rather take something than nothing. They will most often agree to negotiate lower rates or a reduced balance in exchange for some type of debt repayment plan.

Be honest about how much you can afford to pay. They will work with you once, but if you get in over your head again, they may just pass you on to a collection agency.

You also need to be honest with yourself. The truth is that the credit card company isn’t the bad guy. You borrowed the money, knowing that you were under obligation to pay it back. It is time to live up to your end of the deal.

Time allowed this debt to get out of hand, and time is required to get it back in control. This problem will not dissipate overnight.

You may be overwhelmed by the amount of time it will take to become debt free. The truth is that you cannot afford not to become debt free. Continuing with your current habits will only make matters worse. It may be easy to rack up the debt; paying it off takes more control, effort, and persistence.

If you want meaningful credit repair, you need to acknowledge the problem and make a concerted and real effort to correct it. You can start little by little to restore your credit. The first step, though, is to be proactive and not let it overtake you.

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