You work your tail off, but you always wind up deep in debt with nothing to show for your hard work each month. If you’re a slave to your credit card and tired of having poor financial health year in year out, maybe it’s time for taking a look at why you’re constantly in debt. Too much debt can negatively affect your credit rating, and over time you could wind up paying way too much interest the longer it takes to pay your credit card off.

Whether you’re tired of paying off the interest of credit cards only to be faced with rising debt the second you pay it off,  We’ve laid out why you are in debt and what to keep in mind if you want to get into the black and out of the red once and for all.

1. Living in denial about your income

If you’re trying to keep up with your friends who are more financially comfortable than you, you’re in for an uphill climb if you are going to try and leave out of your means. Focus on sticking to your budget and avoid the temptation to overspend and keep in mind, if you can’t pay in cash, don’t put it on credit.

2. Obsessed with impressing others

Do you ever buy clothes or items you can’t afford to impress others or are you always buying items to get your friend’s attention and approval? Cut out the quest for approval and stick to your budget so that you save on the high-end merchandise and stop driving your credit debt into the ground like it’s quicksand.

3. You never pay more than your minimum

You’re never going to get ahead if you only pay the bare minimum on your credit card and if you only pay the basics on your credit card you’re going to find that the interest rate will suck the life out of you and never let you get out of debt. By increasing your credit card payment even by $50 per month, you will make a greater dent in your credit card and start getting on top of your balance.

4. Not enough income

If you want to live the high life you need to have an income that matches your expenditure otherwise you will start using credit cards and credit you don’t have, which will wind up sending you in a spiral of poor spending. Don’t overcompensate for a lack of income by spending on credit, consider applying for a new job with better conditions, moving out of town and saving on your living expenses or moving home so you can save some cash and pay down the debt.

5. Expensive medical costs

Health care can be costly and unless you have a great health care plan that is super affordable you might be seriously out of pocket which will send you into debt if you ever need to call on coverage if you have an accident or need medical care in a hospital or need surgery. Huge medical costs mean you’re probably going to need to put the medical procedures on credit card which will wind up adding a huge rate of interest onto the costs and send you into debt.