Your next step is to determine how much you can afford to pay toward eliminating debt. Since you are already making at least minimum payment, you can start by adding minimum payments for all of your credit cards. Then check your budget (See The Complete and Bill Organizer to setup a simple budget. It's FREE. http://www.homemoneyhelp.com/BBOonline.html) to see if you can afford to add any money to your minimum payments. At bottom of payoff schedule you will find a table to help determine how much you can pay. Once you have determined how much money you have to put toward paying off this debt, list it at top of form.

Your next step is to establish your scheduled payments for each credit card. It is best to set a constant payment at or a little more than minimum payment to all of credit cards except one you are currently trying to pay off. Keep paying this constant payment month after month even though your minimum payment will go down. This alone will make your balance go down faster than paying minimum payment.

Refer to sample payoff schedule. You will see that Visa Card will be paid in 4th month, requiring only a $15 payment of pay off. These figures are only estimates because they do not include interest.

Notice that also in 4th month an additional amount is added to Mastercard. To arrive at this figure, you simply add $15 you paid toward your visa to $35 you pay on discover and deduct it from your allowed amount. Example: $15+$35=$50; $130-$50=$80

One of key points to make this system work is that you have to make a commitment not to use credit cards. Each purchase will throw you further behind.

Bricks Bricks are a popular building material for patios and terraces. A standard brick used to measure 2¼" x 3¾" x 8" (5.7 x 9.53 x 20.3 cm), and be red or yellow. There are many variations these days. Your choice is really personal except for weather rating. If you live in a cold climate, be sure to get SW (Severe Weather) rated bricks that won't crack in cold and snow. They cost more than MW (Moderate weather) and NW (Nice Weather -- well, it's officially Negligible Weather, but I think not having freezing cold five months of year would be very NICE.)

Gravel Gravel is frequently disparaged as poor cousin of outdoor surfaces, but gravel courtyards can be not only inexpensive but comfortable and very charming as well. As with other paving materials, gravel also is available now in a range of color choices and textures. You can edge patio area with rock slabs, bricks or pavers to give your yard a more finished look.

Poured Concrete Poured concrete surfaces are most popular professionally installed patios. They're usually less expensive than natural stone, brick or tile to build, are extremely durable when properly installed and treated, can be shaped to any pattern, and can be finished in a wide variety of colors, textures and styles.

Proper installation of a concrete surface includes laying rebar or ¾" steel rods in a cross-hatch pattern in body of concrete. Once concrete has hardened, it should be sealed to resist weather and stains.

With such a dizzying array of patio surfaces available, how can you choose right one for you? Of course, budget will play a large part. But also consider style of your house and garden, and use you'll make of space. It's harder to place furniture on some of rough textured surfaces. If you have children riding tricycles, or elderly friends or family who might trip, be sure to avoid anything that might produce an uneven surface, even after some years of settling.

Whatever you select, be sure to spend time on your patio and make happy memories in your outdoor space!