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I was up to 3k at one point for a while, my card's limit, just paying off what I could to avoid "over the limit" fees, until I got a job that could allow me to pay the whole thing off in a few months. I shudder to think how much of what I paid was just interest--completely wasted money that did nothing more than to keep them off my backs until next month. I don't know how it got up that high, but it did, and it won't happen again. Debit cards for me from here on out.
Also, you often hear about how important it is to not live beyond your means, but often people leave out being tempted or persuaded by someone else. It's also very tempting when you're living hand-to-mouth every month, as I was when the debt started mounting.
Our consumer culture does not reward the cost-conscious. Rather, it bombards us with messages that make us feel guilty and self-conscious for not acquiring the latest cool things, for not "rewarding" or "indulging" ourselves. It makes us want to hide our budgetary struggles out of embarrassment, and tries and often succeeds in convincing us that most other people are steadily amassing material goods and we should too.
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"The idea that money doesn't buy you happiness is a lie put about by the rich, to stop the poor from killing them." -- Michael Caine
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