Over one million bankruptcies every year are attributed to overwhelming credit card debt. Most people use credit cards as if it is free money, and when you first start using them it may well feel that way. That first statement shows up in the mail and your minimum payment is relatively small and in the back of your head you figure your monthly budget can easily handle it.

Here's the problem though. Once you start spending more then you make and begin making payments on things you bought months ago you have lost control of your money. This is where it starts and before long getting out of credit card debt becomes a matter of financial survival.

And although you can try and place the blame on the banks and creditors who issue these cards with their interest rate hikes, annual fees, and late fees hidden in the fine print of their applications and terms of service in the end the blame comes back to you for not understanding what you were getting into. This may sound harsh but most financial problems are caused by poor decisions about how to spend your money.

If you are facing high credit card balances take a step back and think about how you got to where you are. Those first few purchases probably did not break the bank so to speak. But as you used your card(s) more often those balances began to grow with the additional interest piling on top.

The first step to getting out of credit card debt is recognizing that you have a problem. That problem is usually spending more then you make, which is what using credit cards allows you to do. Now realize that there is no easy way of this financial mess but with some motivation, hard work, and time you can become debt free.

You will have to make some sacrifices during this time, the biggest of which will be spending less then you make. This is the time to make a budget and stick to it. If you've never made a budget before you may not like what you see the first time you list out your income and expenses and compare them, but it is something that must be done.

Next you will need to build a debt payment plan that fits your monthly budget. The idea here is to make minimum payments on all your balances except one. It can be your highest balance, your lowest, or the card with the highest interest rate. This one you send any extra money you can scrape up every month. Attack it and get it paid off, then roll that payment into the next one and keep on going until they are all paid off.

Here's the most important part of getting out of credit card debt. Once you are debt free keep it that way. All your accounts should be cancelled and your cards destroyed. Then you can be assured that your financial future is safe and your money will start working for you again.