Sometimes, people who are trying to pay off their debts land themselves in even deeper water by making the wrong decisions with their debt. Are you guilty of these bad moves?

1 – Switching credit cards to take advantage of an introductory offer and then carrying a balance. After that introductory rate, the rates will soar and if your card is not paid off, you’ll be paying plenty. Plus, you may have temporarily lowered your credit rating by switching cards. Only switch if you know you can pay off the balance before the special offer runs out.

2 – Not keeping lines of communication open with companies you owe money to. If you’re going to be late with a payment, you need to phone in to let them know.

3 – Not checking your credit score. If you never check your score, there’s no way to know whether you are the victim of identity theft.

4 – Robbing Peter to pay Paul. Taking out one loan to pay another leads to ridiculous debt interest rates.

5 – Having a fatalistic attitude. Thinking that nothing will dig you out will not solve your problem. You need to keep at it.

6 – Rolling over payday loans. Carrying payday loans over month to month leads to astronomic interest rates.

7 – Using store cards. Store credit cards have even higher interest rates than credit cards. If you can’t afford to pay in cash, save up for the item.