Here's how to identify and control a spending problem

The number of Covid-19 vaccines is increasing, states are easing their pandemic restrictions, and Americans feel more confident about spending after a year and half spent mostly indoors.Susan Greenhalgh (a certified financial counselor and Mind Your Money's Providence, Rhode Island, manager) said, "We are now coming from a cave. There's a lot emotion around that."Greenhalgh said that it is okay to pamper yourself after enduring the coronavirus epidemic. If you don't pay attention, the momentum of being able to return to normal activities after the pandemic could cause a debt hangover over the next few months.Here are some warning signs financial professionals recommend you look out for in order to avoid spending problems and what you can do to fix them.Learn more about Invest in YouHow to find the best retirement spending rateMany working parents are being held back by child care costs and lack of paid time.Before you start investingYou are building up debtA sign you may have a problem with your spending is accumulating debt, especially on high interest credit cards.This is especially true if you suddenly discover that you cannot make the full monthly payment, have to decrease the amount you owe or can't pay the minimum amount. Jacqueline Schadeck, an Atlanta-based certified financial planner, says this.Greenhalgh stated that it is likely that credit card balances increase after one year of not going out much.She said, "We used to have very low credit card statements each month and they've gone up significantly."She said that while a higher monthly bill is not a cause for concern, it is something you should monitor over the next few credit cycles to determine if your budget needs to be restructured.Credit score suddenly drops