CAN’T I JUST MAKE SMALL PAYMENTS ON MY CREDIT CARDS AND EVENTUALLY CATCH UP?

You could try, but it is unlikely that you will ever pay off your credit cards in full. If you have $15,000 in credit card debt, with an average interest rate of 17% and pay $300 per month, it will take you 7 years and 4 months to pay off the debt, and you will have paid over $11,000 in interest. If you’ve fallen behind on your cards, and your average interest rate is 27%, it would take you approximately 12.5 years to pay off the debt at $350 per month!