Debt consolidation might sound like a great idea, but many people don't have the self-discipline to stop using the credit cards that got them in trouble in the first place.

Ken and Daria Dolan, known as the first family of personal finance, answer your questions every Friday on AOL's new WalletPop blog. This week, the Dolans tackle a tough one for you parents: Should you fix your children's early credit mistakes?
For More Dolans See: Dolans.com | Also See: Credit Card Basics

Ken and Daria Dolan, "America's first family of finance," answer your questions every Friday on AOL's WalletPop blog. This week: mandatory steps to raise your FICO credit score. For More Dolans: Dolans.com

Shoppers have been increasingly dependent on credit cards to purchase basic necessities, but can a credit card be used to buy something as expensive as a car? Check out what credit card companies have to say.

As tough times stretch consumers' disposable income, more and more Americans are reaching for their credit cards to cover groceries, gas and life's other necessities. But analysts warn that as this reliance on cards grows, long-term debt problems become more likely.

In case you're too distracted by rising gas prices to notice, junk mail from lenders and credit card companies has dropped by more than an eighth since last year, according to an advertising research firm. Apparently the ongoing credit crunch that's tugging at your wallet has left you less attractive to financial firms. At least there's one upside to your higher grocery bill.

If you've got holiday credit card bills lurking in your mail, you might want to get to them quick, considering that some banks are charging late fees of up to 30 percent -- even to those with good credit.

Information from more than 50,000 credit card accounts -- and perhaps as many as 200,000 accounts -- was taken from online shoppers at Wards.com, now run by a direct mail company. While the catalog company reported the breach to credit card processors and authorities, cardholders were left in the dark.