Generally speaking, I don’t know a way to make your debt problems go away in the next few months unless you can come up with the money yourself. Most debt relief programs range from 12 months to 7 years depending on the type of program you enroll in so I don’t know of an easy way to get out of debt fast.

I wish I had better news. Talk to a few debt relief companies, explore your options, do your research, and most importantly, start saving immediately. Best of luck to you.

1. The person who is in debt because they cannot control their spending

-Yes, you must destroy your credit cards.

2. The person who is generally OK with their spending but a series of small events (temporary loss of job, unexpected but mandatory expenses, etc) have caused them to have to go beyond their debt comfort level and they are slipping into the danger zone

-You probably are OK keeping your cards, provided you have the discipline to immediately stop all non-essential spending.

3. The person who finds themselves in debt because of a large one time event such as a medical illness or other uncontrolable life changing event.

-You most likely are OK leaving your cards open and you probably will need them. Use them very sparingly only for essential expenses while you get out of financial trouble.

However, you must remember above all that if you use the services of a debt relief company, you must do as they say. If they believe you should immediately cut up your credit cards to avoid further debt problems, listen to them. They are the professionals and they have helped many people before you become debt free and they know the ways to reduce your credit card debt.