Let's face it. You've got a ton of credit card debt and you do not know what to do. Here are some practical solutions to your predicament. No matter how much you would wish to wave a magic wand and make the debt disappear, it won't. No, these will not be magical solutions, but sensible solutions for getting you out of debt and remain out of debt.

The very first move is to realize that your spending is out of control. It really is. I know there were great reasons to purchase as much as you did. Most probably those reasons were emotional reasons. Everyone expected you to purchase what you did. You were emotionally attracted to it. You just could not prevent yourself from buying those things.

Remember, commercials you read, hear or watch have only one purpose: to get money out of your pocket into the bank account belonging to the advertiser. Commercials are built on emotion. You need to recognize this and start acting prudently when it comes to money.

So, now's the time to be practical. Which means you need to start applying money management strategies that work in your best interests over the long haul. You'll need to let go of emotions and do things that make sense. Now, listed below are some practical steps you can take to erase your debt and stay debt free.

First, establish how long it is going to take you to eliminate your debt. Paying the bare minimum required each month, it can likely take 5 to 10 years to pay off your debt. That is if you do not make it even bigger by buying more things. You can possibly pay more and may even be able to negotiate a lower rate of interest with the credit card companies. Both these actions can help you become free of debt faster.

Second, put a small amount of extra cash in reserve for unplanned events. Everyone has unexpected bills. You can anticipate the bills unexpected events will produce by building an emergency fund to cover the costs of these unexpected and unwanted events.

Third, since you can probably tell by now, you are going to be running really tight on money. Therefore, you will need to develop a budget. Recognized how much money is coming in and what your mandatory expenses are. Take into account in your bills money for reducing your debt, plus your emergency fund in addition to other expense like food, housing, utilities and transportation. Find places to cut back. Don't let others kick your emotions into spending mode. Keep to your budget.

Fourth, when you are having difficulty eliminating your debt, you should get help from a credit counseling agency. The U.S. Trustee Program has an inventory of credit counseling services that will assist you. Some provide assistance for free (and are paid by the credit card companies while others charge you a fee for their services. Be sure you agree with any fees before you commit to participating in their program.

The greater your knowledge about credit and debt the easier it will be for you to manage your hard earned dollars and remain debt free.