When I got out from our office, a man approached me and wanted to talk to me for a few minutes. He promised it would take about three minutes only so I agreed. It turned out that the man was a credit card agent. Since I did not have a credit card yet, I grabbed the chance and applied for it. It did not take long until I got my first credit card. I was so excited to use it. One thing led to another to another until I got out of control. I reached my spending limit. And the hard part is, I found my self about to drown in paying my credit card bill. At first, it was so easy until I realized that even if I pay more than my minimum amount due, my outstanding balance seemed not to move. It is as if it is doing some baby steps. I right realized right away that I need help.

I talk it out to some people that I trust- I told a few friends about it and listened to their advices. One friend told me that she had a similar experience. She applied for a balance transfer to help her out in managing her finances since most of her salary went to her credit card bill. Therefore, I applied for another credit card so I can also do a balance transfer. True enough, it helped me manage my finances. I transferred my balance and needs to pay a certain amount every month for one year. After a year, I was able to pay it all. And what happened to my credit cards? They are still with me and I still carry them around. But I learned the most important lesson from that experience. SELF CONTROL. I learned to control myself and I learned to discipline myself. And I am glad that I have to go through that experience because in that way I learned something. Though it was the hard way, but it was all worth it. If it were not for my friend who suggested me to apply for a balance transfer, then maybe until now, I am not over with my credit card bill. Balance transfer is good in a way, but it should not be the case all the time. We must learn to control and use our credit card only if we really need to purchase something important. Lesson number one: Do not use your credit card if you can pay cash. Paying cash is still the safest way to be out of debt.