It's an issue nearly every American faces. The Internet site cardweb.com says we carry an average of $9,200 
in credit card debt alone.
   But paying it off doesn't have to break your bank.
   Many people pull out plastic when shopping. But with the buy now, pay later mentality, debt can build up 
quickly.
   Financial expert Chris Bardos of the Ascend Advisory Group says consumers need to identify their debt: how 
much they are spending.
   "Somebody gets a windfall. They get $1,000 bucks back from their IRS refund," he used as an example. "And 
immediately, they'll spend it. Maybe what they should do is use some of that to pay down their debt," Bardos 
advised.
   Consolidating debt into one payment and one interest rate can help, too. But try to pay more than the 
minimum.
   "If you can, try to apply any additional payments to the cards that carry the highest interest rates because the 
compounding of that higher interest rate is going to make that balance even worse," said Bardos.
   Bardos added people should resist the urge to borrow money for bills from things like home equity or 
retirement accounts. And always pay your bills on time.
   "You hurt your credit score (if you don't.) So if you go to apply for a loan, you don't get the best rates because 
you are seen as a bigger risk."