I wrote this for another forum for advice for people wanting to get rid of credit cards. It might help you also.
STEP ONE: Get rid of your credit cards. I realize this isn't always an easy thing to do. But it's necessary, and it's liberating. Remember: these are the motherf*ckers who are preying on poor people and then getting legislation passed to anally rape said poor people with a splintery broom handle. They are the enemy. Cut those cards up and send the pieces back to the credit card companies with your next scheduled payment. You may still want to retain one credit card, though (we'll talk about that in a minute).
STEP TWO: Try to consolidate. Loan interest varies widely depending on the type of debt and the company and terms you negotiate. Some credit cards have interest rates around 25%, while other loans can have single digit interest rates. Paying off a $5000 credit card debt at 22% interest and $125 monthly payments will take 6 years and cost a total of $9000 (practically double the original debt!) Consolidating that debt into a loan at 12% interest will take two years and $2600 off that amount... not too shabby.
STEP THREE: Negotiate a lower rate. Particularly if you're a cardholder in good standing, credit card companies will often oblige a request to lower your interest rate if you just take the time to ask them. It's not a guaranteed shot, but it's certainly worth an ask. Often, credit card companies will lower your interest rate down to 11-12%, which will give you the same effect as the above example. (Make no mistake... they're still making a killing. You're not taking any food off their families.)
STEP FOUR: Get them to stop sending the offers. For some, getting offers from the credit card companies is too great a temptation to resist. Having the offers for more credit cards with great introductory rates sounds good at the time but usually ends up getting people into more trouble than they're worth. By calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT, you can get those offers to stop coming. (It basically keeps companies from selling your info, they have a web address also.) You can also do what many others have suggested, and send junk mail or other miscellany back to the credit card companies in their Business Reply envelope. This will eventually stop their assault on your mailbox as well.
STEP FIVE: Reduce temptation. If you have a credit card (and since some things like car rentals often require one, it's still a good idea to own one), the problem a lot of people have is with temptation. If I only use cash and I only have $20, I can't get tempted too much by something that costs $100 -- I just don't have it. But if I have a credit card, it allows me to afford things that I cannot actually afford. This is the problem some get into. Here's an idea that works for me. Get one of those large "disposable" Tupperware-style bowls (or even a large butter container or the like). The bigger the better (but still small enough to fit in your freezer). Fill it with water. Put your credit card into a small zip-lock bag, get all the air out of the bag, and seal it. Place the bag into the water, ensuring that it submerges fully. Freeze the bowl, locking your credit card into a block of ice. The next time you need to use your credit card, you'll be able to, but you'll have to thaw it out in your sink first. This will also give you a "cooling off period" to be sure that you truly want to make the purchase you're about to make (not just something really cool that came on Home Shopping Network).
STEP SIX: If possible, use a debit card instead. Many bank check/debit cards have the logo of Mastercard or Visa on them. If you just aren't good with cash, try to use these instead of a credit card. This way you are spending money that you have, not money that you hope to have at a later date.
STEP SEVEN: Pay more than the minimum. The minimum payment is typically barely enough to cover interest. Banks give you this "minimum payment" to basically keep you in debt in perpetuity. Try to make at least double the minimum if you can at all afford it. If you can't afford it, try to find a way to afford it (selling fluids? j/k). If you still can't, at least put as much as possible at it. Paying down these debts has a much higher rate of return than most investments and much better than even the best savings plans.
STEP EIGHT: Attack the cards with the high interest first. Seems simple, and maybe goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway. If you have two credit cards, and one has a 22% interest rate and the other one has a 14% interest rate, throw everything you can afford at the 22% interest rate card and make only the minimum on the 14% interest rate card. It does not make mathematical sense to make more than the minimum on a 14% card when you are still carrying a balance on a 22% card. Take care of the high interest rate debts first, then work down.
STEP NINE: Use your savings. This sounds counter-intuitive, but it really isn't. It's silly to have $1000 sitting in a savings account earning 2% interest while you're paying off $2000 on a credit card charging 18% interest. Empty that piggy bank: paying off your credit cards pays a much higher dividend than does your savings account.
STEP TEN: Don't carry a balance. Once you get your cards paid off, you'll want to try to use credit cards as infrequently as possible, and only use them for charges that you can afford to pay now. But sometimes, there are benefits to using a credit card that WILL benefit you more than the card company. My mom has a Discover card with a 2% cashback incentive. This card can be paid in person at any Sears store. My mom will often buy something at Sears and then after charging it on her Discover card, she will then turn around and pay the Discover card off with cash. So she buys $100 worth of stuff with the card, then pays $100 in cash to pay the card off instantly, and Discover pays her $2 for the priveledge. This definitely adds up over time. Oh, and they absolutely HATE her for this, which just adds to the glee. She never carries a monthly balance which means she never pays a dime in interest or fees. Credit card companies call people like her "deadbeats", which is pretty comical when you think about it.
This is by no means a comprehensive guide, but it may come in handy for you.
Your priorities are in the wrong place, that's all.
