How to Get Out of Credit Card Debtor's Prison

This Element is an excerpt from America, Welcome to the Poorhouse: What You Must Do to Protect Your Financial Future and the Reform We Need (ISBN: 9780137020171) by Jane White. Available in print and digital formats.

A five-step, commonsense plan for wiping out your credit card debt and starting to save for your future again!

Stop buying things you don’t need, replacing stuff that’s not worn out, paying too much for anything, and borrowing to buy anything if you can avoid it. Step one: Cut the “Junk Spending” out of your household diet. Step two: Realize what unsecured debt can cost you. Step three....