Credit is a powerful tool. It can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Credit card debt can creep up on you. If you're engaging in the following credit card practices, you could be heading for trouble.

1. Paying for essentials like food and gas with your credit cards.
2. Paying monthly bills like gas, electric, and cable with credit cards.
3. Carrying balances from month to month.
4. Using cash advances or "convenience checks" to get cash to make it through the month--to pay the mortgage or car payments.
5. Paying the minimum amount due on your credit cards.
6. Being "maxed out" on even just one card.
7. You must use savings or loans from relatives or "payday loan" companies just to make your credit card payments.
8. Applying for a new credit card every time you get close to your credit limit on your other cards.
9. Calling the bank to have your credit limit raised.
10. Being late more than once in 6 months on any of your cards.

Everyone gets in a rough patch once in awhile and may have a late payment or use the card to pay for groceries or medical expenses…but if you're doing any of these things on a consistent basis, you could be digging a deeper hole for yourself. Consumer credit counseling can help you reign in these destructive uses of credit.