Comments on: How to get rid of credit card debt!..Consolidation? Bigger Payments? Help!?

By: David

David — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:01:54 +0000

See http://www.esuperfind.com/lowermybills.phpp?id=hra0tt16koo9 the affiliated site is an Experian company BBB approved so very safe.
They might or they might not have you on. It depends on many factors and how big the debt is.

By: 2Q&Learn

2Q&Learn — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:01:54 +0000

Stop buying on credit (cut up the cards, if necessary).
Pay off the ones that have the highest interest rates, first.
I know of no other way . . .
Some –if not all– debt consolidators charge for their services,
so whether you pay them up front or later, you wind up spending more by using them to lower your monthly payments, not to mention having to pay more in interest, as well (for borrowing the money longer).

"How Can I Control My Spending?"
– Learn the Basics
– Recognize the Challenges
– Learn From the Answer *No*
– Money Is Time
– Taking Control
– Making a Budget
http://watchtower.org/e/200606a/article_01.htm

"Should I Have a Credit Card?"
– Counting the Cost
– Responsible Use of a Credit Card
– Enjoying the Benefits
http://watchtower.org/e/19991222/article_01.htm

By: Ryan

Ryan — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:01:54 +0000

I think creditcardlocators can help you with what you need.
they offer you an easy way to browse and compare over different types of credit cards to find the perfect match.
Whether you are looking to rebuild your credit, have a new credit history or /and earn rewards and points.
just search creditcardlocators on the search engine for more information.

just click on credit resources and tools for more help

By: LUKE

LUKE — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:01:54 +0000

Strategies??? Why do you need a strategy? Paying down credit card debt it really simple. You stop using the credit card completely and throw lots of money at it. Live on less than you make.

By: Jeanne R

Jeanne R — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:01:54 +0000

What keeps most people in debt is the fact that they keep spending more money than they make. They look at the "monthly payments" instead of the total debt loan that they are carrying. People need to stop spending now and concentrate on becoming debt free. Please do not consolidate or use a debt reduction company . It is not free, they will lower your payments by increasing the length of time until you are debt free, and you will take a hit on your credit score. Or they negotiate your debt down after telling you not to pay for awhile adding another hit to your credit score. Student loans are the only debt that can garnish your wages for non payment without taking you to court first. Just list them out on a piece of paper or a spreadsheet and follow the plan. If you work the plan, the plan will work for you.

A. Have a garage sale and sell anything that you no longer need or want.

B.Get a temporary part time job, if you have one, get another.

Here is a plan that can help you. If you work the plan, the plan will work for you:
1. Make a budget. Make the budget a week before you get paid. A budget is not a punishment! It is a tool which will free you from ever having to worry about money again. Put everything in your budget. Especially those annual, biannual, or quarterly bills like car registration, insurance, etc. Give every dollar you are going to bring home the name of where it is going. Add an "emergency fund" category to your budget for 25 dollars and save up until you have 1000-1250 dollars. Your emergency fund will help keep you from getting into new debt because of an emergency. If you can, set up a direct transfer to a savings account for your emergency fund. That way it moves automatically and you don’t even have to worry about it. You must cut your spending and live on less than you make.

2.First get current on all of you debts and make no more late payments. Stop using your credit cards immediately. Do not take on any more debt. Credit cards are like quicksand only the death is much slower. Make a list of all of your debts in order of highest interest rate to lowest interest. Use cash only for your spending from now on.

3.Pay the minimum due on all of your debts and then put your extra money towards paying off the highest interest one first. After you get that one paid off, you put the money you were paying on debt #1 (the minimum payment and the extra payment) towards debt #2. That will pay debt #2 off faster. When that is paid off, you put all three payments towards card #3 and that one will be paid off pretty quickly. As an example:

To start :
Debt #1 (highest interest): minimum payment+ extra payment
Debt #2 (middle interest): minimum payment
Debt #3(lowest interest): minimum payment

Debt #1: paid off
Debt #2: minimum payment from Debt #1+ Minimum payment from Debt #2 +extra payment
Debt #3: minimum payment

Debt #1: paid off
Debt #2: paid off
Debt #3:Minimum payment from card #1+ minimum payment from Debt #2+ minimum payment from Debt #3+ extra payment.

That way, you will get them all paid off, on time, and pay the least interest. It will also help towards rebuilding your credit since you will no longer have any late payments. This works no matter how many different debts you may have.

4. After you get all of your debts paid off, add to your emergency fund until you have 6-12 months of income saved up. Put that emergency fund money into a liquid money market fund or into a Bank of America no-risk CD so that if you need the money you can take it out without penalty.

5a. When you have your emergency fund in place, add a category for "fun" to your budget. Save for a holiday, a vacation, a big screen, or dinners out, whatever goal you want. Remember to enjoy your life.

5b. When you have your emergency fund in place, start saving for your retirement. Join the 401(k) plan at work and contribute the maximum. Your employer probably matches at least part of your contribution so why give up free money? Open a Roth IRA and contribute the maximum on a monthly basis. If you start saving for your retirement now, you will probably retire a millionaire.

5c. When you have your emergency fund in place, start saving for your next car. Only buy cars, or other things that depreciate, with cash. Save up for a nicer car. That way you get the interest instead of paying the interest.

You can do it and it isn’t as hard as you think. Just follow the plan

By: jlf

jlf — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:01:54 +0000

The "strategy" is simple:
(1) stop charging
(2) make bigger payments

By: timothy p

timothy p — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:01:54 +0000

debt consolidation services usually charge and depending on how they negotiate can do serious damage to your credit. If you qualify for a debt consolidation loan from a bank or credit union then that may be a good idea. These are hard to come by right now though. If you have something to use as collateral it may be easier and get you a lower rate.

Either way, stop using the cards and pay as much as you can towards them. 4K isn’t a lot of debt in the grand scheme of things but adds up at 25% interest and an $1100 income.

By: saved_astronaut

saved_astronaut — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:01:54 +0000

i can’t stress this enough. the best way 2 deal w/ debt is 1’st 2 care 4 their own needs. by law, all govt income’s untouchable, & unsecured debts r low priority. secured debts require a higher priority, & judgments require the highest if they r about secured debt. if u get behind on pmts however, no 1 can take personal property. never answer the door 2 bailiffs if they appear.

By: TaylorProud

TaylorProud — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:01:54 +0000

Dave Ramsey, Dave Ramsey.com Total Money Makeover…
He has the right answer.

By: John Wanderer

John Wanderer — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:01:54 +0000

Debt consolidation can be a good solution if you have a hard time to discipline yourself and make multiple payments in a month.

I would suggest you to just pay the debts directly if you can continue to send the payment over. That will save a lot of cost.