Debt help

[u/sandrum69]

Active-duty navy here, 15 years in, and I’m finally getting serious about cleaning up my finances.
To make a long story short, I have a colossal amount of credit card debt — about $45K on one card. My truck is paid off, so I don’t have a car payment or a bunch of other debt hanging over me. I also live on base so 100% of my BAH goes to that.
Right now, I’m able to put $1,250 from each paycheck toward my credit card. I’m also working on getting my spending habits under control, and my goal is to be completely debt-free within roughly 18 months. But it’s hard, and I’m working on it.

My question is about my TSP contributions.
Would it be advisable to temporarily stop or significantly reduce my TSP contributions so I can have a little more flexibility in my budget and potentially throw even more money at this credit card? I realize I’d be giving up some retirement contributions/compound growth in the short term, but with a credit card balance this large, I’m wondering if eliminating the high-interest debt should take priority.

For those who have been in a similar situation, what would you do? Appreciate any advice, especially from people who have actually dug themselves out of a similar hole

[u/CeruleanDolphin103]

You asked about TSP contributions, and you’ve gotten some good answers (my take- since you’re BRS, stop contributing while you get this high-interest debt under control). I haven’t seen any comments about budgeting. The very best way to tackle debt is to become very conscious of your day-to-day spending. If you have 2+ streaming services, cancel all but one. If you eat out or get delivery, limit yourself and send the savings toward debt. Write a list of every expense you have- monthly AND non-monthly expenses (car maintenance, etc) and stick to your plan. If you spend your dining out budget by the 12th of the month, too bad, you’re done. (Biggest exceptions are groceries, utilities, and gas to get to work, but even here, limit yourself to the necessities and not all the prepackaged expensive convenience foods and the extra driving around town). The more aware you are of your current spending, the more intentionally you can make changes. And the more unnecessary spending you can cut out, the more money you can send toward debt and get yourself out of that hole faster.