Debt elimination

[dancer139]

used to  be in a small amount jof debt problem,,,,,  but i'm proud to say I got  myself out of it.  Started with the lowest bills first,,,,  then worked my way to the largest one.  took me 3 years but I did it on my own,

[plennis]

Debt problems are not always your fault, sometimes it can be circumstances beyond your control.  We had some legal problems, which we finally won in court, but had tons of lawyer fees.  We had my husband in an accident at work, which he is now on permanent disability, again a lot of legal and medical fees.  Then the pay cut on disability from his check.  The company we worked for went out of business taking out retirement accounts down with them.    We are still kicking, but a lot of the credit companies DO NOT want to work with us, they want the  money or they make threats of court, etc.  I cannot pay minimums, but I send everyone money monthly.  We have paid several off  (I pay off the smallest first to feel like I am getting somewhere).  As I tell them, going to small claims court will not get them money any quicker.  However, one that did take us to court, the court knocked off a lot of the credit card fees saying they were  excessive and borderline illegal.  When they knocked off 3/4 of the bill we paid them off.       Anyway, my  point is sometimes it is almost out of your control.   It is not  as easy, as some of you have suggested, to get the money issues cleared up.  You just decided to take care of it and it happened.  We have cut up all of our credit cards and use only a debit card.  We pay what we can every month and every one gets something.  But each creditor thinks they should be the priority.  I also wonder why on hospital visits/surgeries each person bills separately and think they are the priority.     

[countrygirl12]

The hospital / doctors / etc bill separate because they are separate.  And it's not that they think they are priority over any one else they just want paid for services they provided and want the money they are owed.  It's not their fault you have more debt than you can pay.  I am not being smart just pointing out if you owe the bill then they are going to call you.  I understand that you can't pay it if you don't have it.  I know people who cry because they can't pay their bills but yet they still smoke, eat out, have cable, internet, cell phones, and on and on.  I can also tell you that paying less than the min payment is the same as not paying.  The old saying you can pay $1 a month and they can't do anything is foolish.  And not true.  They can take you to court and have your wages garnished.

We have a huge problem with free loader bums standing all over town holding signs begging for money.  It is a real problem in the area right now and getting worse.  But the one thing they all have in common...they tend to all have a 20oz soda or a drink from a fast food place, are smoking a cigarette, are talking on a cell phone, dressed in pretty nice clothes (jeans - new tee or sweat shirt), Point is - if you have money for cokes, cigarettes, and cell phones then you don't need to be standing on the street corner begging for money.  Besides that fact that it also has been proven that the majority of them are just trying to get money for pills.  Several have been offered a job - to which they said NO.  And also were offered to be taken into a restaurant and get them something to eat and they also turned that down.  Smh.

I know all about hard times and also how hard it is to find a good job.  But sometimes you have to take what you can get.  The biggest problem is so many people lie and cheat and it makes it harder on everyone.  The companies who aren't getting paid are so use to be lied to they pretty much assume at this point everyone is lying.  That or they don't care.  They just want their money that is owed to them.

[bremer51]

I listen to Dave Ramsey on the radio and he has a website. He has a sensible process to getting out of debt.  If you don't want to buy his book, you can check it out at your local library.

[ancmetro]

   Unfortunately, there are a lot of scammers trying to collect unrealistic debts.

[froggylover227]

I am actually enrolled through a company called Consolidated Credit, and I am very pleased with them. While they only were able to save me about $80 extra a month, it adds up in the long run, and on top of it, they worked with my credit card companies to reduce my interest so that all my debt will be paid off in 4 years. They charge a one-time enrollment fee of $40, and only take $25 out every month for themselves, which I completely understand as they are a business and need to make a profit. I would recommend them to anyone struggling with debt!

[teresa3200]

I wouldn't waste the money on the program. I would pay extra on all credit cards and eliminate all things that aren't needed for a year and see how much can be saved or paid down on bills.

[cwillard1]

A lot of great answers.  I think a lot of people including me are in the same boat.  I l ooked at many  programs but there are free ones also.  Search for budget programs etc.  There are a lot of people who can  help you for free.  I think even at some point S.O. had a free program out there .  Good luck to you and to everyone else having these issues.

[sdenimandlace1]

Good information, trying to pay some things off before I retire.

[sfreeman8]

Those debt elimination programs are expensive and a lot of them are really scams. I would never buy one of those because some of them never pay the debt and just keep the money for themselves.

When I lost my job, i had no idea what to do about my debt. I owed almost $25K in just credit card debt on 4 cards, which was no problem to pay when I was working. I started to watch Suze Orman. i followed her advice and was debt-free within 4 years and I didn't use any debt elimination program. i still have 1 card that I didn't pay off because I keep it for emergencies.

[cathy37]

I have never attended a debt elimination seminar, but after my divorce I contacted a company that specialized in debt consolidation.  They worked with my creditors to accept payments until everything was paid for.

[ricdsm]

Our church put on a financial workshop one time.