One warning sign of financial trouble is using credit for the basics.  Every little $2, $5, $10 purchase. You swipe your credit card because you don’t have the cash on you, and the thought of using your debit card makes you really wary of how much you have left in the bank. You don’t want to send your bank balance into the red! So you swipe your credit card.  But aren’t you really just postponing your nerves until the credit card bill comes?

Instead of kicking the problem down the road, experts say you need to reevaluate your budget. Try to identify areas where you can cut back. Or you may seek out opportunities to increase your income, maybe a side hustle?

(Note: I think there’s a caveat to this. If you are a responsible credit card user and can pay off the balance every month, charging everything each month can rack up some major points on your rewards credit card!)