Part 3: Lifestyle Creep — The Slow Drift That Becomes the Avalanche You had a few splurges. Then came the crisis—car repairs, a medical bill, a stretch of unemployment. You figured you’d bounce back. But now, the bounce isn’t happening. And without fully realizing it, your lifestyle—the routines, the spending patterns, the monthly “norms”—has quietly expanded. At the same time, the world around you has shifted. And holding steady now costs more than it used…

Part 2: Crisis Spending — When “No” Isn’t an Option In Part 1, we talked about the “Yes Trap”—how seeing a generous available balance on your credit card can flip your inner script from “Can I afford this?” to “Why not?” It usually starts with a few small splurges: You’ve had a long week, so you treat yourself to dinner out—twice. You finally grab those concert tickets before they sell out. That coat you’ve been…

Part 1: The “Yes” Trap — How Available Balance Leads to Debt Quicksand You’re making payments. You’re trying to get ahead. But no matter how often you chip away at your credit card, it feels like you’re stuck. Why is it so hard to pay it off? Here’s the truth: credit cards are designed like quicksand. Easy to step into. Hard to climb out of. And the deeper you go, the more stuck in it…