$3k monthly income, and $5k balance, seems like a good chance, if you are wiling to make a few sacrifices. Set your priorities, look at your monthly bills, and see what you must spend. You need to pay for you housing, or you get kicked on the street. You need utilities, transportation, insurance, phone. These are all the things you can reduce some, but you have to pay regularly, or lose. Food, is the easiest to cut back on, try to steer yourself into the most basic nutritional meals. No harm treating yourself occasionally, but it's just 10 months, shouldn't be too rough, and getting rid of that credit card is going to save you a bundle in the end. Weight lifting, you do sort of need a trainer, or somebody to spot you, or least make sure you don't hurt yourself. Buddies can be scheduled on a regular basis, so you probably can't fire the trainer. Booze, parties, restaurants, and miscellaneous entertainments are expensive, not really vital to your survival, and are probably what ran up the card balance to begin with. These are the things you need to focus on stay away from, while you work on your balance. It's going to hurt some, you have to really want it. You are still going to have friends who will invite you to parties, just be sure you set a firm limit on what it's going to cost you, better to keep it little or no cost. If you live near your parents, they are usually good for a better meal, might even help out, if the see you are committed to getting out of debt. Once you are free of the credit card, you'll have more money in your pocket, but you will also be more aware of how you spend it. Every month, send just as much as you can to pay on the balance, need to be in the $700-$800 range if you hope to get it done in 10 months, depends on the interest rate.