For years I used my credit cards and made minimum monthly payments.  The arrangement worked well since I  had  a lot of cards and made enough money to keep up.  When I was laid off and got a new job, my salary was less and I was in financial trouble.  I knew I needed to learn debt management and the first thing I did was get a Free Credit Score.  The low number convince me I needed to create a budget, and I did.  By the time I paid everything off, I was addicted to thrift and now look forward to seeing my rising credit score.