With some new debt-reducing tools, including a new foreclosure-relief program, and a bit of Washington-willed forbearance, it’s time for cash-strapped folks to get on top of their bills. Make that just-in-time: households are spending almost 18 percent of their disposable income just making their monthly minimum payments, according to the Federal Reserve Board. Average household consumer debt tops $23,000, down 3.1 percent from year ago-levels, as consumers spent much of 2008 holding the line on their spending.

Mentioned prominently in this article is DebtGoal.com.

Credit card balances remain the biggest headache for most consumers, and they are hard to kill. One new Web site, Debtgoal.com, tells borrowers how much to pay on all of their bills, month by month, so they can burn their balances as quickly as possible.

For more information on how to create your own bailout plan, check out the original article in Newsweek.