A personal finance piece from NPR argues that it is possible, and advisable, to save money even while working through credit card debt, rather than putting all spare cash towards payments alone. Financial experts warn that skipping savings altogether leaves people vulnerable to falling straight back into debt whenever an unexpected cost, such as a car repair or medical bill, arises with no cushion to absorb it.

The advice centres on three steps: first, tracking spending closely for around 30 days to spot waste, cutting unnecessary subscriptions, and temporarily trimming discretionary costs, which can free up meaningful sums (one example cited saves around $270 a month); second, building a small emergency fund of $500–$1,000 alongside a "sinking fund" for predictable future expenses like gifts or repairs; and third, drawing up a budget that splits any extra cash between savings and accelerated debt repayment, for instance putting $100 towards an emergency fund, $70 towards a sinking fund and $100 as an additional credit card payment. Financial educator Yanely Espinal is quoted warning that without savings, emergencies will push people "right back in credit card debt", while the piece stresses that minimum payments should always be kept up to avoid late fees and credit score damage, with any spare funds used to speed up payoff and cut interest costs.