I Was $9,400 in Credit Card Debt and These 4 Budgeting Apps Helped Me Climb Out (One Month at a Time)
In January 2024, I sat down with a cup of coffee and opened every credit card statement I'd been ignoring. Three cards. $9,400 in combined debt. The minimum payments alone were eating $280 per month, and at that rate, I'd be paying them off for the next seven years. I wasn't living extravagantly. No luxury vacations, no designer clothes. It was death by a thousand small charges — takeout three times a week, subscription services I forgot about, "treat yourself" purchases that added up to $200 a month in stuff I barely used. Classic lifestyle creep on a $52,000 salary. I needed a system. Not a financial advisor (couldn't afford one, obviously), not a spreadsheet (I'd tried three times and abandoned them all), but something on my phone that would make the invisible visible. Something that would show me exactly where my money was going and help me redirect it toward that $9,400 monster. Here's what I tried, what worked, what didn't, and where I am now...