Debt Breakdown Part I : Credit Cards

My first 'real' job was at a retail store around Christmas time my first year in college. I had to beg my dad that I NEED a job. I told him that I want to start paying for my own gas (he gave me my first car) and have allowance for school. I don't know why I wanted to grow up so fast... I regret that to this day! I think I just wanted a job because I wanted to be able to buy that things that my friends parents were able to get to them. I remember feeling so exhausted on my first day and kept telling myself that this better be worth it! The pain went away after getting my first check for... dun dun dun.... $300. I felt like a bazillionaire and off to the mall I went... it was gone before the next check came along and the vicious cycle started.

My friend told me that she got approved for a credit card and treated us out for lunch and dinners here and there She was able to buy anything she wanted when we went shopping. I was jealous - I wanted to keep up with he, so I opened my first credit card from Capital One Visa with a $500 limit. Off to the mall I went again and again and again - I probably maxed it out within months of having the card. But not to fret, I was only paying $50/mo for the card and when I paid the minimum for the month I was able to squeeze in a lunch or dinner for $20... then its MAXED out again.

Then I got approved for another visa card for $1000. I have probably opened 3 or 4 more credit cards after that where the limit ranged from $1000-$3000 - all almost maxed out by around the time I got my first full time job out of college. I used to travel a lot with them and the per diem was paid back to us after we do our expense reports (I hate expense reports!). I was on a spending spree - Bought knick kacks as souvenirs, shopped and ate out - A LOT (The only thing that the company reimbursed me for) On top of that, I had a car payment to pay and the lovely student loans kicked in. I was broke! The first job out of college was only paying me $40k and I wanted a way out.

This was when I started to make some changes. The first financial book I read was Robert Kiyosaki "Rich Dad, Poor Dad". I don't remember details from the book at all but   From what I remembered my debt breakdown were approx $46,000

Car Loan	20,000.00*
Student Loan	16,000.00*
Credit Cards	10,000.00*
TOTAL	46,000.00*

How did you get into debt?