After paying off around $20,000 in credit card debt six years ago, Shonnita Leslie hasn't used a credit card since. Leslie began receiving credit card offers in the mail before she turned 18 and recalls her mom saying it was "inappropriate" for someone her age to have one. Leslie got her first credit card after earning her master's degree in 2009, she says. Since she wasn't earning much money from her first job and most of her paycheck went toward necessities like rent, she initially used her credit card to buy work clothes. While Leslie recognized she would eventually need to clear her credit card debt, she didn't prioritize paying off her full balance each month, which caused her debt to skyrocket due to costly interest charges.

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Persons: Shonnita Leslie hasn't, Leslie Organizations: CNBC