Credit card debt can easily add up, especially if you've put it lower on your priority list.

But if getting out of credit card debt is on your to-do list, a credit counselor gives us his best advice.

"A lot of areas I'd suggest people cutting back that aren't painful or even noticeable." When you're a Consumer Credit Counselor like Wayne Jennings, you're all about the budget. Where can you squeeze out more money to apply to your debt?

Jennings asks, "Do you need all the features you have on your cell phone? Do you watch the premium channels or would it be cheaper to rent a movie?"

Jennings recommends sitting down, and writing out a budget that will serve as your road map to avoid the dead end of credit card debt.
Budgeting more than the minimum payment is key as well.

"Minimum payments are going to keep them paying for a very long time. I have calculated where some of the minimum payments on higher balances would literally take close to 100 years to pay off. Is that the average? It's not the average but 15 years is not uncommon if you look at minimum payments," Jennings notes.

If you feel like you can only take a baby step of sorts, he says paying 1/3 more a month will cut your pay off time in 1/2.

For example: If you pay a minimum of $30, sending $40, just $10 more a month will have you paid off in half the time.

But if you want to tackle the total faster...

"There is a process of stacking the debt or snowballing the debt. You can start off by paying the smaller balances off first or what I consider to make more sense is to pay of the ones with the higher interest first and send extra money to that. When that's paid off send it to the next highest."

Here's an example:

Let's say you can manage to throw $250 at your highest interest credit card until you pay it off.

Then you add that $250 to your next credit card bill of $150 bucks.

That immediately has you sending in $400 a month.

You pay that bill off and add that $400 to your car payment of $350 and that equals $750 a month you're knocking off your car.

Keep snowballing your payments until you're debt free.

"Looking at sending anything extra you can is going to make a huge difference," Jennings added.

If you're at the breaking point, Jennings stresses use a legitimate debt management program (check with the Better Business Bureau to find out). Also he says be very wary of debt settlement companies. He says with some companies, that process can hurt your credit score.

If you need some help, Jennings says the Consumer Credit Counseling Service is a non-profit agency. You can get free help budgeting and free credit counseling as well.

He says you don't need a referral, just make an appointment. Now if you need to use the extra debt management service, that does cost $25 plus a monthly fee.

If you want to make an appointment at the Eau Claire office, call (715) 834-7171. To find one in your area, call 211.