You can have a do-over starting today. But you have to get over the feeling that it's too late

By definition, saving - for anything - requires us to not get things now so that we can get bigger ones later.

No company can promise an end date, but if you have multiple debts, the first one should be settled within a year.

Unless you have multiple accounts that you need to negotiate and you think the project is just too big to tackle on your own, you're better off just calling your creditors directly.

You fall a bit behind on a credit card bill, your interest rate soars, your minimum payment rises, and you start falling more and more behind every month. You don't see an end. But you don't want to file bankruptcy either. What you can do - and should do - is negotiate.

Take the cards out of your wallet. A debit card is accepted just about everywhere that credit cards are, and you'll be spending money you have - always a good thing.

If you'd asked me a few years ago about debt settlement companies, I probably would have told you to avoid them.