<prompt> Human: Im working on getting my financial house in order and a big part of that is paying down my credit card balances. I got off the rails a bit a year or so ago when I had to live off of credit cards for a month or two after a contract ended, so Im carrying a total balance that Ive gotten down to about 3600 at 16 interest. Ive never been very good at saving and dont have an emergency fund built up, but Ive started putting about 200 a paycheck into my savings account over the last few months.I currently pay between 300-600 a month towards the credit cards, depending on hours and other expenses. I was initially thinking of putting that extra 400 a month that Im saving towards the credit cards but something in the back of my mind told me to keep it in savings so that I dont have to turn to the credit cards if something unexpected comes up. Is it wise to think this way or should I just use the savings to pay towards the credit cards and then start back up on my current saving strategy in 4-6 months once theyre paid off?  <response>: Pay off the cards and dont ever carry a balance again. Use cash as much as possible until theyre paid off and really think about what your buying and do you really NEED it. Concentrate on the emergency fund after these are paid off. 