So kinda right, just going about it all wrong.

Sounds/seems familiar.

Funnily enough, Mr. Edelman suggests (strongly) that the solution to getting out of debt is … more debt.

HA!  Love being right.  Still hurts, tho’.

So the suggestion is to get one more credit(debt) card and place all expenses to it, pay it off every month in full, never carry a balance … if need to carry a balance, then cannot afford the expense.

Well yaaah.  Can I live?—no.

BUT / however / hear this … with the new card, able to consistently track spending better than if using cash and trying to collate receipts and itemize and identify and some such. 

AND and it is super-duper nice to use the bank’s money for an interest-free loan for 28 days.

AND and every time the new card is used immediately either write a check or schedule an online payment for the exact amount of the charge … when the bill comes due the funds are ready to go. 

With the new card, use on any of the old cards is eliminated and the SPENDING PLAN has a new category:  Debt Service.  Specific charges on the old card are irrelevant because now just part of the SPENDING PLAN under the Debt Service category to allocate those 100 coins. 

Interesting take, and likely entirely accurate … but.

May a slight variation be offered?  Say there are, what, currently seven cards with various balances.  Continue to pay the minimums on six of the cards but for the card with the balance closest to equating to ongoing monthly expenses, attack that balance like a pitbull named Cupcake … work really really really hard to pay off the balance on that existing card … then use that paid-off card like Mr. Edelman suggests obtaining a new card then dedicate additional funds (what add’l funds silly wabbit) to paying off the remaining card balances. 

Variation on the snowball method, but with cheese. 

That way, maybe improve the credit score (mark of the beast? / both are 3-digits … all the hmmm) by paying off a card, reducing the credit utilization ratio, and avoiding another card that may result in negative impact.  Jesayin …

Might work, might not.  

My initial (failed) approach started working (i.e., lump-sum personal loan) and then encountered the poo-flinging monkey and therefore forthwith the plan went up in flames. 

Still think it was a good idea, tho.’  Only reason had to fall back on paid-off credit(debt) cards?  See aforementioned poo-flinging monkey … but we progress …

Onward / upward / outward / Squidward … altho’ do prefer Plankton … much more realistic outlook.

Jesayin.