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"   Ever check your credit card statement and have a total OMG-what-is-this-freakishly-high-number?! moment? Well, we have and we were a bit comforted to hear that we&amp;#039;re so not alone.  According to a study done by Ohio State University, younger people tend to have more debt than previous generations did\u2014and we pay it off more slowly. The data showed that those born 1980 to 1984 had (on average) over $5,000 more in credit card debt than their parents did at a similar point in their lives and slightly more than $8,000 more when compared to their grandparents.  Researchers say that this shift comes from how easy it is to get a credit card now (pretty much every store imaginable has their own plastic purchaser), plus we have to imagine that crazy student loan debt has to factor into this, too.  So, what&amp;#039;s the best way to get that debt down? Saving money here and there will certainly help (as will asking yourself if you really need that new dress). But, over the long term, kicking butt at your job will put you on track for getting that promotion (more moolah) or in a position to ask for a raise, which can help you chip away at what you owe all the more faster. Then, you&amp;#039;ll have the funds to treat yourself to that cute dress\u2014and a lot more!  Want more from Natasha? Follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/news/a11383/young-people-have-more-debt/?click=cos_new>