Beware of credit card offers. ($s and sense).

Evelyn Sterling was 19 when she got her first credit card---a MasterCard with a $500 limit. "At the time it seemed like easy money. I figured I can buy something now and just pay back the money later," says Evelyn, who was attending a local college in Chicago at the time and didn't have a full-time job. Looking to increase her balance, she applied for a second MasterCard six months later. This time her limit was $1,500.

By the time she turned 25, Evelyn had six credit cards (including store charge cards)and more than $5,500 in debt. She started falling behind on her payments and one of her creditors, Spiegel, canceled her card. She still owes $1,300 on that account. Evelyn, who is now 26 and working as a ministry director at Salem Baptist Church in Chicago, spent the past year reducing her debt. The first step was canceling all but one of her credit cards. She also took 13-weeks of debt management classes at her church.

Yet, Evelyn is no different than many young people who build up debt before they have adequate means to pay it off. But what teen doesn't like to shop at the mall or online, which typically requires you to use a credit card? Like their peers, teenagers spend money on clothes, CDs, books, food, and gas.

With so many expenses, today's youth are catching up with their parents, charging about $158 billion annually. Some Congressional leaders have sought to restrict credit cards use among people under the age of 21, arguing that credit card issuers lure unsuspecting teens into debt. They also want to end credit card soliciting on college campuses.

Getting a charge card can be a way to build a good credit record, which is invaluable when you are ready to get a car, mortgage, or even a small business loan, says Pierre Dunagan, financial advisor and principal of the Dunagan Group in Chicago. "It is also good to have in case of an emergency." Instead of calling a parent to wire money, a college student could use his or her card, for instance.

However, nothing can lead to poor credit quicker than the misuse of credit cards--several cards in one's name, huge unpaid balances, and late payments. Keep in mind that bad debts don't disappear from your credit once they have been paid. Your credit history includes charge-offs, bad debts, and late payments for a period of seven years.

If you have plans to buy a car, a house, or any other major purchase, you will want to have a clean credit report and a low credit score. Your credit report is a summary of your past and present accounts, including credit cards. And your credit, or FICO, score is a number based on all late payments and outstanding debts. This number ranges from about 400 to 800.

For help or more information about teens and credit cards use, contact the National Consumers League at 202-835-3323, or www.nclnet.org/ moneyandcredit.