Americans received the gift of unexpected debt this past holiday season — here’s what they can do to pay it down quicker

“Prices are up for everything,” says Howard Dvorkin, CPA and chairman of Debt.com. ”[People] are trying to make ends meet but they didn’t want to come off looking like the Grinch during Christmas… They went to the store saying, ‘Okay, I’m only going to spend $25 for a shirt for uncle George.’ And you get to the checkout, and that $25 shirt is now $40.”