I didn't pay off my credit card debt because I made more money.

I didn't pay off my credit card debt because I made more money. I was able to pay off my credit card debt because I changed the system behind it. I used to have credit card debt in the six hundreds. Today, I'm completely credit card debt free and I have a score above 800. Here's the three step system that completely changed how I use credit cards. Step one is to build your budget BEFORE you swipe your card. I use YNAB, but honestly, any budget will work. The important part is that you decide where your money is going before you spend it. Your credit card should never be asking, can I afford this? Your budget should already answer that question. Step two, my credit limit isn't calling the shots. Stop making decisions based on your credit limit. I don't care if your credit limit is $2,000 or $20,000. That number is not permission to spend. It's just the maximum the bank is willing to lend you. My budget tells me what I can afford, not Chase, not American Express, not Capital One. I don't pay any attention to my credit limit. My budget is what I use to make spending decisions. When I swipe my card, YNAB will move the money to my credit card payment category for safekeeping. That way I'm not double dipping. Step three, automate, automate, automate. Set up your card to autopay the full statement balance every single month. Not the minimum payment, not a custom amount, the full statement balance. If you're paying interest month, you're making purchases more expensive than they need to be. We want our credit cards working for us through rewards, through cashback, through the extra layer of security, not working against us through interest. This is the exact system I use to build my credit score to the 800s and also to stay credit card debt free. My credit card payment is a payment method, not a lifestyle.