 TITLE: How to Pay Off Credit Card Debt When You’re Short on Cash CONTENT: Create a Budget and Stick to It\n-------------------------------\nA budget can give you helpful structure when you're ready to change your spending habits and eliminate credit card debt. It won't do you much good unless you follow the guidelines you've set for yourself, though.\nIf you don't already have a budget, creating one can provide clarity where you previously might have had none. Your first step in making a budget will be to view your expenses for the previous month (or several months) to see if you can spot any patterns. One look at your expenses might show you that it's time to cut back on services you no longer use, or that it's possible to streamline grocery shopping trips so you spend less on meals.\nOnce you understand your expenses, it's time to pick a budgeting strategy that appeals to you. If you're organized and love a good spreadsheet, a zero-based budget that you track closely might motivate you the most. On the other hand, if budgeting every penny that comes in and goes out feels unsustainable to you, you could try budgeting using multiple accounts instead. This is a more hands-off approach that has you split your income into various deposit accounts that have their own specific purposes.\nIn any case, following a spending plan that helps you determine where to allocate your money will be helpful. Experts often recommend the 50\/30\/20 method, which encourages you to spend 50% or less of after-tax income on essentials such as housing and food, 30% or less on items you want but don't need, and 20% or more on savings goals such as retirement and paying off debt. That may not be realistic right now, but these are guidelines to aim for. END