By Julien Brault, founder of MooseMoney. Credit cards are embedded in how Canadians pay for groceries, book travel, and handle emergencies. But they can also put you into serious debt faster than most people expect. One unpaid balance, a few months of minimum payments, and suddenly you owe more than you originally spent with no clear path out. "I could go to the bar and have one beer, but some people go to the bar and they have to have 20 drinks and they're intoxicated.