In the past I found it helpful for myself to eliminate all credit options and to start being more structured in how I did my spending. For example, I would pay all the bills at the start of the month and then try to budget the remainder for what I wanted or needed. I found that I could save money in certain areas (i.e. not eating out) and also start to slow down my process of making purchases. I would several times look online and add something to my cart but wait until the next day to come back and decide if I really wanted to order it or not.

I know this is all easier said than done and every person is different. For me, though, I found that setting some hard limits helped. I didn't have anyone else to help keep me accountable, so I had to find a system that worked for me and then practice it regularly.

I can relate to the feeling of being trapped in debt. I'm currently carrying a lot of it, in addition to student loans. Keep strong. Debt is not who you are, and there are more important things in life.