{"id":47871,"date":"2025-09-16T18:41:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T18:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/3-ways-you-could-be-making-your-debt-worse-without-realizing-it\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T18:41:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T18:41:12","slug":"3-ways-you-could-be-making-your-debt-worse-without-realizing-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/3-ways-you-could-be-making-your-debt-worse-without-realizing-it\/","title":{"rendered":"3 ways you could be making your debt worse without realizing it"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/09\/16\/291ce26a-e600-4962-93c3-0e2cfba14f4e\/thumbnail\/620x414\/597b916ee12a7aacb4c9bed083abab12\/gettyimages-1680332920.jpg#\" alt=\"Breaking the bank \" height=\"414\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/09\/16\/291ce26a-e600-4962-93c3-0e2cfba14f4e\/thumbnail\/620x414\/597b916ee12a7aacb4c9bed083abab12\/gettyimages-1680332920.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/09\/16\/291ce26a-e600-4962-93c3-0e2cfba14f4e\/thumbnail\/1240x828\/2fedde34931c1a895066f5cd3ef2c859\/gettyimages-1680332920.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Overlooked money mistakes can quietly keep you stuck in debt, even if you&#8217;re working diligently to get out of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Phil Leo\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The average credit card user currently <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/heres-how-much-credit-card-debt-the-average-american-has-and-how-to-pay-it-off\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">carries over $7,000 in credit card debt<\/a><\/span>, which is a serious (and growing) issue, and with <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/why-credit-card-rates-are-so-high-now-what-to-do-about-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">average credit card interest rates<\/a><\/span> hovering near two-decade highs, that burden has become increasingly expensive to maintain. What&#8217;s particularly troubling, though, is that many people believe they&#8217;re managing their debt responsibly because they&#8217;re dutifully making payments each month and avoiding new major purchases. Still, their balances somehow seem to creep upward or stagnate despite their efforts.<\/p>\n<p>What makes debt especially tricky is that you can actually make it worse without realizing it. The reality is that debt management in today&#8217;s high-rate environment <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/most-effective-debt-relief-strategies-to-use-now-experts-say\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">requires more strategic thinking<\/a><\/span> than simply &#8220;pay what you can when you can.&#8221; With borrowing rates still high, even seemingly innocent financial habits can quietly undermine your progress, which can happen in ways that aren&#8217;t immediately obvious. And, the difference between treading water and actually <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/which-type-of-debt-relief-could-save-you-the-most-now-experts\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">reducing your debt<\/a><\/span> often comes down to recognizing these subtle but costly mistakes <em>before<\/em> they derail your financial goals entirely.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/secure.money.com\/pr\/a68c45e313e3?s1=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fways-you-could-be-making-your-debt-worse-without-realizing-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow, sponsored, noopener\">Find out how you can get help with your overwhelming debt today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>3 ways you could be making your debt worse without realizing it<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Even well-intentioned borrowers can fall into traps that make their debt situation progressively worse. Here are some of the most common ways people unknowingly sabotage their own progress:<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Falling into the minimum payment trap<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>When money feels tight, it&#8217;s tempting to stick to <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/how-are-credit-card-minimum-payments-calculated\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">just the minimum due<\/a><\/span> on your credit card or loan each month. On the surface, it seems like a responsible choice because you&#8217;re <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/how-late-can-you-pay-your-credit-card-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">avoiding late fees<\/a><\/span> and keeping your account in good standing. But in reality, this approach can trap you in a cycle of long-term debt.<\/p>\n<p>Take credit cards, for example. What many credit card users don&#8217;t realize is that the minimum payments on these accounts are calculated to benefit the lender, not the borrower. The majority of the minimum payment <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/how-are-credit-card-interest-charges-compounded\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">goes toward interest<\/a><\/span>, with only a small portion touching the principal balance. And, as interest rates have climbed, this dynamic has become even more pronounced.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The psychological comfort of meeting your &#8220;required&#8221; payment can create a false sense of progress, though. By making the minimum payment, you&#8217;re technically current on your account, but mathematically, you&#8217;re running on a treadmill. So, if you can afford to pay even a little extra each month, it can dramatically cut down both your payoff timeline and the total interest owed.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/secure.money.com\/pr\/a68c45e313e3?s1=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fways-you-could-be-making-your-debt-worse-without-realizing-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow, sponsored, noopener\">Explore your debt relief options to find the right strategy for you<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Using buy now, pay later plans too freely<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/how-buy-now-pay-later-can-wreck-your-budget-experts-say\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Buy now, pay later (BNPL) services<\/a><\/span> have exploded in popularity, especially for everyday purchases like clothing, electronics, or even groceries. These platforms promise convenience and often advertise themselves as being interest-free, which makes them feel like a smart budgeting tool, especially when your budget is stretched thin. But what many borrowers don&#8217;t realize is how quickly multiple BNPL plans can pile up.<\/p>\n<p>With several payment schedules running at once, let&#8217;s say $40 here and $80 there, your monthly obligations can balloon before you notice. And because BNPL loans are <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/buy-now-pay-later-now-affects-credit-scores-how-to-get-rid-of-that-debt\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">now starting to show up on credit reports<\/a><\/span>, missing a payment could hurt your credit score and make future borrowing more expensive. A BNPL isn&#8217;t always a bad option, but if you treat it like free money, you risk creating hidden debt that sneaks up later.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Relying too much on balance transfers or new credit offers<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>When used strategically, <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/balance-transfer-credit-cards-save-money\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">balance transfer credit cards<\/a><\/span> or promotional financing offers can buy you some breathing room. After all, many of these offers include 0% APR periods lasting a year or more, which allows you room to chip away at balances without interest piling up. The problem is, though, that many borrowers use these offers as a crutch instead of a tool.<\/p>\n<p>If you move balances around without changing your spending habits, you run the risk of carrying debt indefinitely. Plus, once those promotional rates expire, your APR will typically jump to levels north of 20%, leaving you right back where you started (or worse). And don&#8217;t forget, balance transfers usually come with <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/2-times-a-balance-transfer-fee-is-worth-it-and-2-times-its-not\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">a fee of 3% to 5%<\/a><\/span>, which adds costs that erode the benefits if you&#8217;re not careful.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The bottom line<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Debt doesn&#8217;t always get worse because of major financial missteps. Sometimes, it&#8217;s the everyday habits, like paying the bare minimum, leaning too hard on BNPL or juggling balance transfers, that keep borrowers stuck. And, in today&#8217;s high-rate environment, these seemingly small decisions can have an outsized impact.<\/p>\n<p>If you recognize yourself in any of these patterns, don&#8217;t panic. Awareness is the first step toward change. Start by paying more than the minimum when possible, treating BNPL as sparingly as you would a credit card and using promotional offers as part of a larger debt-reduction strategy, not as a way to delay the inevitable. By making these types of small shifts now, you can prevent what should be manageable debt from turning into a financial crisis.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- tags --><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-author\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/team\/angelica-leicht\/\" class=\"content-author__name\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Angelica  Leicht<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-author__bio\">\n<div class=\"content-author__full-information\">\n<p class=\"content-author__text\">Angelica Leicht is the senior editor for the Managing Your Money section for CBSNews.com, where she writes and edits articles on a range of personal finance topics. Angelica previously held editing roles at The Simple Dollar, Interest, HousingWire and other financial publications.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/ways-you-could-be-making-your-debt-worse-without-realizing-it\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overlooked money mistakes can quietly keep you stuck in debt, even if you&#8217;re working diligently to get out of it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47872,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>3 ways you could be making your debt worse without realizing it - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Think you&amp;#039;re managing your debt wisely? 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