Demos, a research think tank promoting economic equity, just released a report created from its survey of American Credit Card use. Unfortunately, the findings are unsettling.

In “The Plastic Safety Net” the Demos organization describes how most Americans are succeeding in paying down credit card. However, this positive news is inextricably undermined by the finding that middle- and low-income households increasingly use credit to pay for necessities, like food and gas.

Depending on your income, the results of this survey may not be news to you. In many parts of the country, housing costs, consumer prices, and unemployment remain high; while wages remain low. Millions of Americans live at or below poverty levels (approximately 49 million according to a Census Bureau report), and millions more subsist above the poverty line, but living paycheck-to-paycheck.

A little less than half of Americans report to having adequate savings in case of a loss of income, but there is a growing number of people who don’t have enough set aside to cover even basic needs. In fact, health care is a major contributor to credit card debt and bankruptcy, along with unemployment.

Most people using credit cards to get by will see their debt mounting, slowly but surely. While some may want to turn to credit counseling or debt negotiation, this is simply not an option for those who need to continue to use their cards for daily expenses. Instead, the best way to pay down debt while simultaneously putting a small amount in to savings is to earn more than you spend. For some, this may mean getting a higher paying (or additional) job, finding a way to make some extra income on a hobby, selling costly (or seldom used) belongings, or finding ways to significantly cut expenses. These changes don’t need to be long-term, but just long enough to allow households to lower debt while building more savings.