Many people find that the source of their debt problem is their credit card bills.  It seems that there is a major credit crunch sweeping the world right now, and many people are facing a serious credit card problem with their monthly income decreasing as more and more businesses face closure or employment layoff.  Credit card debt management is imperative at all times of the year and especially around the holidays, in order to not drive yourself deeper into debt that you will not be able to handle after the holidays are done. 

The first key to credit card debt management is to make a budget and stick to it.  If you can keep to your yearly budget and pay more on your credit card than just the minimum balance due, you will find that you have some disposable cash to put away throughout the year to accommodate buying birthday and Christmas gifts as well as being able to handle any eventuality that may arise.  Keep your Christmas spending to a minimum, opting for less expensive and fewer gifts to save some money. 

If you do run into a credit card problem, contact a credit counseling company that can set you up on a programme that is free of cost and can deal with your creditors on your behalf.  The best programmes are the federal counseling ones as they can give you more options that most of the other companies.  They will also make sure you are left with enough money to pay your regular monthly bills while still repaying your overall debts.  They will also explain to you the difference between debt consolidation, debt management, IVAs, and bankruptcy and advise you if any of these options are better than the others based on your unique situation. 

Always make sure that you refrain from using your credit card if you enroll in one of these services.  Sometimes the debt management services will hold onto your credit card for you until your debt is paid off in full.  Make sure that the companies you use are competent and professional with a good track record of helping their customers.  Because credit cards are considered unsecured debt, make sure that the plan you enter into - if you go that route - keeps your credit cards as unsecured debt.   

Credit cards are tricky in that paying only the minimum monthly payment will keep you in an endless loop of never getting ahead.  If you are able to pay more each month, do so as it will help pay not only interest fees but also principle.  Otherwise, you may need to look into alternate debt management solutions to help you out of a tough financial situation.