Save Money with Credit Cards (pt.1)

Many people wish they could pay their credit cards off, cut them up, and say goodbye to debt forever. While this is a great financial goal, I urge anyone considering this step to stop before you cut up your credit rating along with that card. Why should you stop short of cutting up your credit cards? I'll let you know on my next post, but first, several tips and a link to help you get them paid off.
While the main reason you want to pay those cards off may be because you want collection agencies to stop calling, or you've realized it will take decades to pay off the amount you owe, it is important to identify the source of the problem. Admit that all blame does not lie at the feet of the credit card (a silly piece of plastic if you think about it) and you've reached the first step in dealing with your debt.
We are not born with a credit card balance, but so many people have high balances that it seems natural. Let me introduce to you a new way of thinking. Living below your means is a method of financial planning that I learned from The Motley Fool (feel free to visit, I get no kickbacks). In simple terms, it consists of spending less money than you make.
Simple enough in theory, it often has significant ramifications. Because I'm focused on Living Below My Means, I'll forgo the new expensive car that is affordable with my doctor wages, and instead continue to drive my still-reliable though very unimpressive (but paid off) low-end commuter car. What I gain from this sacrifice, is the interest on the expensive car, and the interest I can make on the downpayment I no longer need to make. As a coworker once put it, as soon as your done paying off a loan, the money seems to vanish. Well, what if you ignore that money coming in? Or, better yet, what if you assume that instead of $300/month, your amount due for your loan is $400/month. Don't know where to get an extra $100 per month? How about cutting out a cable bill or having chicken instead of steak? Would you dare go to something as drastic as making your own meals instead of eating out for a month?