Do you take this woman and her debt?

Debt.

A four letter word if ever there was one. Debt has ruined marriages, careers and lives. The number one argument topic in marriage? Money.

Some children were raised with the fear of God, some with the fear of jail. I was raised with the fear of my credit score. My parents were so diligent in teaching us the importance of good credit, that once I hit middle school I was putting my lunch money in a high yield, low risk IRA account.

I fear debt like some people fear snakes. Even getting pre-approval offers in the mail makes me feel woozy. When I turned 18 and started college, I got my first credit card offer. It was a VISA card with a $1500 credit limit. I signed a deal with the devil that day. I accepted the card. Life was great! I charged CD's, Cheap Trick concert tickets, and several tanks of gas for friends. Then I got the bill. Reality hit like lightning. I. was. toast. $1007, please!

There was no way I could tell my father, he would rather I call from jail. There was also no way I was going to pay that debt before retirement. My parents were providing me a monthly allowance, but I tended to use that on luxuries, like eating.

I did what no self-respecting college freshman should ever do. I got a JOB. At the time, words like adjustable interest rate and revolving credit were foreign to me. I worked part time, while carrying a full time course load, and mailed $50 a month to the credit card company.

One day, about six months later, I looked at my statement to see my balance had INCREASED! WHAT??? How is that possible? The card was cut up into pieces, and flushed down the toilet!

Seems my card had an annual fee- of $159. They were charging me $159 for flushing their card down the toilet. Of course, this threw a huge wrench in my payoff plan, and I was late with my payment that month.

This started a snowball effect. Not only was I charged a late fee, but my interest rate went from 8% to 29.9%! Even Tony Soprano only charges 15%! I thought about going to the mafia for the money, but realized the difference between owing MBNA money and owing the mafia money is that MBNA was not going to break my knee caps if I couldn't pay on time.

The only thing worse I could think of than calling the mafia, was calling my father. I knew he wouldn't break my knee caps, but I was certain my eardrums would rupture from the tongue lashing I would certain to receive.

I called. He paid the balance. And warned me that if I ever did this again, I was on my own. Like an alcoholic the morning after a bender, I swore I would never do it again.

I did.

You see, I fell in love. He was perfect in every way. Always there to pick me up when I felt down. His name? Jimmy Choo. Over the course of the next two years, I charged more for shoes than I imagined was possible. By then, I was working full time, and able to make sizable payments on my card every month. It wasn't until I realized I was basically working to feed my love affair that I put a stop to it. What is a girl like me, who is driving a 5 year old car that needs to be started with a screwdriver; doing wearing $300 shoes?? I realized life had bigger priorities. It took me FOUR years to pay off that card. FOUR YEARS! And I have never looked back. Oh, Jimmy and I still have a love affair, but we are on a cash only basis these days.

According to MSNmoney.com- 43% of Americans spend more than they earn in a year. And the average household has $8,000 in debt. Many of us ease the pain of our debt by believing that it's 'The American way.' Die in debt, right? Wrong!

If your credit card debt is keeping you awake at night, here are some pointers from me. And I am NOT an expert! I am just a been there, done that, have the T-shirt girl.

• A lot of experts will tell you to pay off your highest rated interest card first. It makes practical sense, yes. But I say pay the smallest balance first, regardless of the interest rates. The sense of accomplishment you will feel in paying off one card will drive you to keep paying the rest.

• Call your credit card company and ask them to lower your interest rate. Many will do it without blinking. Some will require threats from you to take your balance elsewhere. Some will flat out refuse no matter what you say. It's worth a try, isn't it?

• If you have the credit score worthy of a NEW credit card with a lower rate- take it. But make sure it's a FIXED rate. Adjustable rates will have you stuck when the rate rises, and you'll have to switch AGAIN- which WILL catch up with you. Transfer the balance from your higher rate card and cut up the NEW card.

• Re-write your budget and allow for bigger monthly payments. Even an extra twenty dollars a month can knock months of your payment.

• Pay your bill ON TIME. Most cards have 'small print' that paying your bill late even ONE time will cause your interest rate to skyrocket.

• Lastly, realize that you didn't incur all that debt in one day. (Or did you??) You can't pay it off in one day. Slow and steady. Eat peanut butter and jelly instead of sushi and caviar. Put every extra dime you find toward that debt.

You CAN pay it off!

Just don't call my father. He handed me a bill for $876 on my wedding day. With a handwritten note: Past Due- 7 years. Make me a Grandpa, and I'll consider it paid in full.

Until we meet again,

Cici