It's easy to blame others but what it really does come down to is a lack of appreciation for what debt really is and how it really works. It's very easy to get

It's easy to blame others but what it really does come down to is a lack of appreciation for what debt really is and how it really works. It's very easy to get approved for 3 credit cards each with a $5k limit and say to yourself "I have $15k to spend on anything I want." For someone who has never had access to a lot of money that's a very easy trap to fall into and it's pretty much what happened to me. Sure I had a savings account that was respectable for my age but that's not spending money you carry around in your wallet. In my case credit was certainly not discussed with the family, or amongst friends (most of who reacted the same way I did to their first card), or in school. I've had a job since I was 16 so I understood the value of money but I didn't understand the value of debt until I already had it.