Start by creating a budget. Getting a handle on your income and expenses can help you take control of your spending and avoid credit card debt.

You may also want to take a look at why you spend. Understanding the feelings behind your actions can help you reduce spending. Other practical steps to avoid credit card debt include:

• Paying with cash, rather than credit cards, whenever possible. If you do use a credit card, try to pay it off every month.
• Deactivating one-click buying. Make yourself type in your credit card every time.
• Instituting a 24-hour cooling off period before buying. Put the item in your cart, but don’t click “checkout.”

The answer depends on your situation. Closing credit card accounts can temporarily hurt your credit score because it reduces your available credit and the average age of your accounts. If you plan to apply for a car loan or mortgage in the next six months, keep the paid-off accounts open.

If you don’t plan to seek new credit, want to avoid a high annual fee or fear a card with zero balance will tempt you to overspend, go ahead and close the account. You can also combat spending temptation by cutting up the card and removing it from shopping sites. That will stop you from using it, while allowing you to get the benefits of keeping the account open. Lastly, many issuers also allow customers to lock their credit card accounts, inhibiting transactions as long as the lock is in place.

You can’t directly use one credit card to pay off another. There are other credit card features you could use, but you may end up deeper in debt if you’re not careful.

Balance transfer: This can be a good way to consolidate debt on a card with a lower interest rate, potentially reducing your overall costs. But be sure the fees aren’t higher than the interest savings, that you don’t run up more debt on old card, and that you have a plan to pay off the balance before the low-rate promotion ends.

Cash advance: You could take a cash advance on one card and use the money to pay off another. But this is generally a bad idea that can put you deeper in debt. Interest on a cash advance begins accruing immediately, rates tend to be high and most credit cards charge fees for advances.

Contact your credit card company immediately. Most will work with you to change your payment schedule, especially if you’re in the midst of a financial emergency. Be prepared to tell the card company why you can’t make the minimum payment, how much you can pay and when you think you’ll be able to resume normal payments. Going forward, you may want to consider credit counseling.

If you’re persistently having trouble paying your credit cards, consider contacting a credit counseling organization. Certified counselors can help you create a budget and develop a plan to manage your debt. Typically, the plan consolidates your debt at a lower interest rate and requires you to make a single payment that’s less than the sum of your current minimums. Your payment goes to the counseling organization, which then pays each credit card.

Credit counseling organizations are usually not-for-profit and their services are free or low cost. Beware of for-profit debt settlement companies that require you to pay up front. They may be scams. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has good guidance on how to pick a reputable credit counselor.

One measure of financial health is your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio. It compares your monthly debt payments (including expenses like car loans and mortgage payments) to your monthly gross income. The lower the ratio, the better. Mortgage lenders like to see 36 percent or less. A ratio greater than 50 percent is considered a sign of financial trouble.

Another measure looks only at credit cards. Called the credit utilization ratio, it compares your credit card balances to your available credit. It is the second biggest factor, behind payment history, in calculating your credit score. Lenders generally want balances to be less than 30 percent of credit limits.