Ways to not get into debt

Don't rely on your credit cards.
If you need to make an occasional purchase on a credit card, you should be fine. But if all of your purchases are made on a credit card and you have no hopes of paying them off anytime soon, you could find yourself in some serious debt.

Use a checking card.
Instead of using a credit card, use a checking card. Checking cards work great because they will only allow you to spend what you have. That way if you try to make a big purchase on something and do not have the money for it, it will not let you.

Pay your credit card bills off in a timely manner.
Avoid paying late at all costs. If you do, this will not only hurt your credit, but they will add interest to what you already owe. The more you wait, the more money they add. It can get out of control very quickly.

Pay more than the minimum.
Sometimes if you are just paying off the bare minimum of what the credit card companies ask for, you will have to pay for a lot more interest and it could take years to finally pay it off.