Giulia Rozzi’s unhealthy relationship with credit cards started in college. Surrounded by friends with frivolous spending habits, Rozzi says she adopted the mindset of “spend now and deal with the consequences later.” That approach continued after graduation, when she moved to Los Angeles to pursue comedy and acting. Her cash flow was unsteady, but that didn’t stop her from using a credit card to bankroll a wealth of discretionary expenditures. A well-deserved pedicure? A fancy dress? A last-minute trip to Las Vegas with friends? All it took was one swipe of the credit card.

She hit a low point in 2004, having racked up $5,000 in credit card debt. Her parents agreed to pay it off – on the condition it wouldn’t happen again. “The agreement with them was I would never get another credit card, and of course, I did,” Rozzi says. Years later, when she found herself drowning…