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It's time to get real. You've got a load of credit card debt and you do not know what to do. Allow me to share some matter-of-fact solutions to your predicament. No matter how much you would like to wave a magic wand to cause the debt to disappear, it won't. No, these will not be magical solutions, but practical solutions so you can get out of debt and remain free from debt.

The very first move is to understand that your spending is out of control. It truly is. I know there were excellent reasons to buy all that stuff. Most probably those reasons were emotional reasons. Everyone expected you to purchase what you did. You were emotionally drawn to it. You just couldn't prevent yourself from buying those things.

Keep in mind, commercials you read, hear or watch have only one goal: to get money out of your pocket into the bank account belonging to the advertiser. Commercials build on emotion. You need to understand this and start acting logically with regards to money.

Hence, now is the time to be practical. Which means you need to start practicing money management methods that work in your best interests for the long run. You'll have to let go of feelings and do techniques that make sense. Toward that end, here are some realistic measures you should take to cut down on your debt and remain debt free.

First, establish how long it's going to take you to eradicate your debt. Paying out the least amount required each month, it could probably take 5 to 10 years to repay your debt. That's if you don't add to it by buying more things. You can possibly pay more and may even find a way to negotiate a lower interest rate with your credit card companies. Both these steps can help you grow to be free of debt faster.

Second, put a small amount of extra money away for unplanned events. Everyone has unexpected bills. You can anticipate the bills emergencies will create by building an emergency fund to cover the costs of these unpredicted and unwanted events.

Third, since you can probably tell by now, you're going to be running really tight on money. Therefore, you will need to make a budget. Establish how much cash is coming in and what your required bills are. Take into account in these expenses money for reducing your debt, and your emergency fund plus other expense like food, housing, utilities and transportation. Find places to reduce spending. Don't let other people kick your emotions into spending mode. Remain loyal to your budget.

Fourth, if you're having trouble repaying your debt, you should get assistance from a credit counseling agency. The U.S. Trustee Program has an inventory of credit counseling services that can provide assistance. Some provide their services without cost (and are compensated by the credit card companies whereas other agencies charge you a fee for their help. Be sure you understand the fee structure before you agree to participate in their plan.

The more you know about credit and debt the easier it will be for you to handle your hard earned dollars and remain debt free.