The holiday season may be in December but the bill-paying season lands in January. And that season is much less joyous.

"It was a wonderful holiday season, but now we’re faced with reality. How are we going to pay off the debt?" asks Edie Sutton, a money management educator at Purdue University Extension. "We want to learn how to live on the amount of money we make every month."

Sutton says 40% of Americans are spending 110% of their salaries. That means for every $10 they make, they’re spending $11. Obviously, that kind of math can leads people to major financial trouble.

"The essential thing is that you don't continue using your credit card. You don't want to continue to add to that credit card debt."

"I had trouble with credit cards a couple times," admits Denise Deloach from South Bend, who hasn’t used a credit card for five years now. "It feels really great to not have credit card debt. I'm very proud of myself being I'm a single mother and I'm becoming a first time homeowner because I don't have any credit card debt. It feels really good."

Things weren’t so good for Denise when she was facing thousands of dollars in debt. She decided to go to Green Path, a debt solutions management company with locations in Elkhart and Mishawaka.

"Start with a budget. Look at your income. Look at your expense for the month. A lot of people don't know how much they're spending and even how much they're earning until we put it down on paper," says Amanda Walker, Green Path manager. "If you have a lot of debt out there and you're struggling with late fees and over-limit fees and you've gotten behind on everything, a debt management program with a company, like Green Path, might be a really good option because that helps combine everything and reduce interest rates."

Walker says as you tackle paying for last year’s holiday purchases, you can also start planning for next year’s bills.

"Even if you over-spent in 2009 during the holiday season, if you know approximately what you should have spent or you've got an ideal budget for next year, it's not too early to start saving now," Walker explains.

Let’s say you spent $600 on the holidays this year. If you put $50 away every month, you’ll be set for next year’s shopping without even having to use the credit cards.

"We were a financial disaster. A lot of the bills I didn't even open because I didn't know how we were going to pay them," explains Lola Woolett, a Green Path customer. "After being here for two or three months, the creditors stopped calling me and I was getting statements saying thank you for your payment."

And that’s not all. Woolett and her family have learned to budget, read their credit report and spend within their means.

"And now we're almost done. We're almost debt free completely!” Woolett exclaims. “We're having a party. I can not wait!"

Here are a few suggestions to help you get to the point of celebration:

-Don’t continue using credit cards that have debt. Even if it’s for a short while, adding onto your balance is going to cost you even more money. But, some credit cards will charge you an inactivity fee so make sure to check.

-Form a budget and stick with it. Experts say every family should have a budget and a plan.

-If you are facing severe interest costs, call your credit card company because workers there may be able to help you with a payment plan.

-When you have debt on multiple credit cards, pay one off at a time. Then, when the first one is paid off, add that amount to bill number two, and so on. For example, let’s say you pay $50 a month to JC Penny. Once that debt is paid off, add $50 to the check you write for your American Express bill. This could end up saving you hundreds of thousands of dollars.

-Find one or two low-rate credit cards and cancel all the others.

-Many banks and credit cards offer cash back or other incentive programs. Try to use one of those.

-Make sure to seek help if you are in severe debt. Green Path is one example and workers there say you’ll never pay more than $50. Actually, the initial budget session is free. Be careful of agencies that promise “too much” by saying they can erase your debt. Also, stay away from companies that will take a percentage of your payments.

-Interest can be powerful. If you only pay the minimum payment each month on a $2,000 bill, you will end up paying $1,600 in interest and it will take you 11 years to pay it off. The average American household is $10,000 in debt. Again, if you only pay the minimum requirement each month, it will take you 20 years to pay off a $19,000 bill.

Dealing with debt can be very emotional. Many people are in denial and let the bills pile up rather than facing their problems.

“It's devastating for some people. They become so overwhelmed that they can't function, "says Amy Brock, who is coaching women towards healthy financial futures through a free program called Church Community Services in Elkhart. "Any time we spend money it's emotional. It's you making the right choices to spend that money for the right emotional reason."

"I learned that the hard way—twice,” says Patricia Thomas, who is a working parent and business owner. “But, I'm getting much better with it!"

"You need to take what you'd make for one hour from each check and put that aside,” says Teresa Snodgrass, who is also attending the class. “That way you're saving!"