Five things we are willing to go into debt for

A NerdWallet survey found 55 percent of U.S. adults have been in credit card debt, and 86 percent of those people regret it. Even so, 71 percent of Americans said they would be willing to go into debt to pay for expenses. Here are five such things:

A major life event (wedding, having a child, etc.)

One-third of Americans (33 percent) said they would be willing to go into credit card debt for a major life event, but it's not something NerdWallet recommends. Assuming you have some amount of control over your major life events — and this isn't always the case — you have the option to save money beforehand to pay for your ideal situation, or to lower your expectations to fit your means.

Planned medical expenses (regular appointments, tests, etc.)

Emergencies happen, and we don't fault anyone for putting urgent medical costs on a credit card so they can get the treatment they need. However, almost 1 in 5 Americans (19 percent) said they would be willing to go into credit card debt to pay for planned medical expenses, and there are better options — such as funding a health savings account or flexible spending arrangement.

A dream vacation

Who among us hasn't daydreamed about a perfect getaway? Around 1 in 6 Americans (16 percent) said they would be willing to go into credit card debt to pay for their dream vacation. But since the link between debt and regret is so strong, consider saving up beforehand, so when you get home you will have only vacation memories, not vacation bills.

According to our survey, 14 percent of Americans said they would be willing to go into credit card debt to pay for gifts. Gift-giving is important to many people, and it may be hard to imagine cutting back on goodies for your loved ones. But it's not a good idea to spend money you don't have on nonessential purchases, even when the joy is for others rather than yourself.

Dining out for special occasions