Completely out of debt today!
Posted By: Happy me on 2007-07-10
In Reply to:
I have paid all of my big bills off and now only have the monthly ones. Need to pop a cork!
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I used Debt Free Today. Pretty good
company. Never had any troubles with them. Just sent them a check once a month and they distributed among my creditors on the agreed amount. I think we paid off in 4 years. Was really nice!
What do you think of the quality of clothing today. What I looked at shopping today in nice stores
the stuff wasnt even sewn properly. Do you have to look at everything you buy or just hope it lasts a year.
Might do that one day, but have some debt to get rid of first - sm
So putting out $6500 for a TT will have to wait; in a year I may be able to think about it, then save up the $$$ for it. I have done some research into this and know I first have to lose the weight and be stable at my goal weight for a while before I can have that done if I want to do this right. Guess I will just have to wait and see just how bad it looks after I shed the 70+ pounds. Feeling good right now, just went outside did some yardwork that I usually never have time to do (really didn't now either but work can wait), felt good to be active for a change, though I must now sit on my big butt and work for the next 4-6 hour! My thing is that I have to get more physically active, sit way too much!
Out of debt
Congratulations!!! Isn't it a wonderful feeling?
debt
I agree with transferring to 0% when the offers come. I have been doing that for years. Now, I just got an offer for 6.99% for the life of balance up to 12,000 dollars. Going to take that offer, (we are going to remodel our main but small bathroom) and pay off 2 1/2 cc; then what is left over, oh, and going to give my hubby 1000 to get out bike out of shop, so, what ever is left over, which should be 6 to 7000, will redo bathroom, payments won't be bad, like 190 a month and don't use your cards for a good while, just steadily pay. Hope this helps, and life is too short to stress over bills. Keep them in mind but at the same time, think of what you have. 
I am totally out of debt -
house, cars, motorcyles, credit cards. Everything!
It feels great!
Paying down debt
It is getting harder to make ends meet because of all the straws in our bank account. I have 17k in CC dept alone. It is with 4 different CC companies. One CC has $200, #2 has about 4K, #3 has about 2K, #4 has 10k. The 10K one has a 15 % APR, the others I believe range from 24% to 29% APR. My biggest monthly payment is my house and I owe only $4700 on it and it has 6.3% APR. I sold some things and am getting $5K and that will be enough to pay off my house. I would love to finally, officialy own this house and get rid of that $350 monthly pmt, but I wonder if I should not pay down on the CC because of the high interest rates. Any opinions. TIA.
Paying Down Debt
I feel you, believe me. First, Bravo to you for facing this. That's the hardest part. I think if you are so close to paying off your house, you wouldn't want to take out yet another loan against it. Additionally, the interest rates aren't that great. What is the total of payments you are making on your credit cards? If you can slap that 5000.00 on your debt first on all of the higher interest ones perhaps paying some of them off. That will free up extra money to put on the rest of your credit cards. Then once the credit cards are paid off, you can then work on the mortgage (I WISH I had your mortgage..). Also we work in an industry where it is easy to pick up extra work---have you thought of that just to get extra money to pay off the debt? That's what I'm trying to do. Things are just so bad right now. Good luck, hope this helps...
credit debt
Wow thanks for all the good tips.
As this got off the subject and onto other things, I just wanted to say I have heard Al-Anon is excellent for people dealing with alcoholism in a spouse or other loved one. It might be a great place for support for you and your kids. Just a thought.
Well, the only debt we have is our house...
so I would put it towards the principal on our mortgage.
Did you go into debt over the holidays?
C'mon, fess up!
Did you use credit to buy things for the holidays, or did you pay in cash?
I'm happy to report that for the 13th year, we paid in cash.
Added fresh chives today. to the egg today.
and a SMIDGE of soy sauce.
credit card debt
Not sure what will happen, but I do wish you luck. Credit card debt is an unsecured type of debt. I don't know what more they can do to you other than a judgement. Not sure you can put that under a bankruptcy either once the judgement has been placed. I know a lawyer that handles a lot of bankruptcies -- did some work for him. He always asked his clients if late payments had gone to judgements. If they had not gone that far he was pleased about it. I guess it made things easier legally. Not really sure.
debt consolidation/relief
I'm seriously considering going with one of those debt relief companies to get myself out from under a mound of credit card debt. I feel like I'm drowning. Has anybody had any experience with these companies, good or bad?
Strive to become debt free...
yes, that means living on a budget, telling the kids (and yourself and your spouse) no to impulse buying and splurges. You really can live below your wage if you WANT to and it is better to do it before you HAVE to due to job loss, etc. We are debt free but our home, no car payments, all credit cards paid off, only have the utilities and food each month. It feels great not to write checks to anyone. My DH just finished his obligation of 700 a month child support (Yay!!) which means more towards the mortgage to pay it off sooner. We are content with what we have...too many Americans want it all and want it now, no matter what the price, just charge it or take out a loan for it...crazy!
Oops, should have been paying off a debt
/
Do your homework on debt collection (sm)
laws also - you just may have yourself a $1000 piece of paper in your hand.
Have you requested validation of this debt? If not, I would do that right away. Send it certified mail, return receipt requested. Depending on the age of the debt, I would be very careful about sending the canned "do not contact me letter." If the debt is not that old, that can sometimes trigger them to sue. I bet if you send the "please provide me with full validation (not verification that you have my name, address and soc. sec#) of this alleged debt. Short and sweet.
Before considering the CCCS or debt relief (sm)
places, first call the companies. If you haven't been charged off yet, most will work with you and have hardship programs. The accounts will likely be closed, but after 3-4 ontime payments they will "re-age" to show as current, will lower the interest rate so payments are lower and you will pay off over a 4-5 year period (in most cases, you can't use the cards as acct will be closed to further charges in exchange for drastic reduction in interest rate). Going with CCCS or similar, has the same effect as a BK, even worse, on your credit rating. The accounts will report as "closed, paying under debt management plan." While bankruptcy is an option I suppose, if you're a homeowner or have any assets, you'd have to file Chapt. 13 which will allow for some payback. I'd call the companies first and lay out your situation and see what they suggest. The credit industry is in a mess right now so they are willing to work with you if you're upfront and showing good faith.
Anyone ever use a debt settlement company - sm
like DebtAmerica or something like that, one that eliminates 30% or more of your balance owed, consolidates it and gets each cc to settle on an agreed amount, etc. I am thinking of going that route instead of CCCS company which is just a DMP (consolidates it but you still pay back every penny and interest). Either way you have a big black mark on your credit. I owe a substantial amount and this way I can probably be debt-free in 3-4 years instead of 8 years. I know they charge a fee, and you have to pay taxes on the settled amount but it will be a lot cheaper for me in the long run and I can afford it a lot better. So if anyone has gone this route, please give me your input and who you used and if you were happy with their service, etc. TIA! 
Why would you take vacations when you're in such debt?
The money for those planned vacations could be paid towards your credit card. If you're income in increasing soon, why not apply the increase to the bills until the debt is gone and then reward yourself with a nice vacation that you save up for?
If it is an old debt, I've been told that the place that
the court with the original document that you signed before they can get a judgment to garnish wages. Usually they can't come up with it if the account was taken out a long time ago. I would look into it a little maybe even just online. Try consumer affairs website. Good luck.
I know it's popular, but don't put unsecured debt on your home.
No way, never ever do that. It's a huge mistake, you could end up losing your home. The risk is too great.
credit card debt relief
Does anyone have any experience with those companies claiming to reduce debt by up to 70%, etc. ?? I'm drowning in debt. :(
Credit Card Debt Counseling
http://www.cccsatl.org/index.asp?_method=view&sc=43&cn=486&md=debtmanagement
Here's what you want to use... It is called Consumer Credit Counseling Services. They are legit. Now back when hubs and I did it about 15 years ago, there were no computers, per se, so we went on site to an office. I don't know what state you're in or if there is an office local to you, but it looks like you can do this online.
We did it, completed it, and it was great. However, they cut your credit cards up in front of you and put them in a huge jar (at least they did back then). Once you join, there are no more credit cards. What CCCS does is works with your creditors to reduce interest rates, payment size, etc. because they are networked. You then make one lump payment to CCCS and they disburse the money. They also take into consideration your income. I think that's what makes it all work. Also, this is what tells them how long it will take to pay off the debt. Just beware though that if you are "behind" on payments, sometimes certain creditors do not accept CCCS, so they may hassle you still and some just plain won't accept CCCS's offer.
Believe me, even though we are not late on payments, we had in the past 3 years so much personal stuff go on (sickness, death, etc.) that we have racked up some debt ourselves and may try CCCS again, as one card we have raised the rate to 33% interest because we have a high balance. We make regular payments.
All in all, it's a great plan and it does work, but you no longer have credit cards (they close the accounts), and you will have a "bad mark" but yet a good mark on your credit report for using CCCS. Check with them about that though, as I do not know the specifics. It is way better than bankruptcy...
Hope you find some relief soon! My thoughts are with you... I'm not judgemental because I've been there and done that.
Anyone ever been sued by a debt collection agency
My husband and I have an account which we feel we don't owe. We cancelled it within the amount of time we thought we had to cancel, but were later told the contract for services was not cancellable (a vacation timeshare). The original amount was only $1,000.
Since that time, the timeshare company has sold our "debt" to a third party collection agency, Apelles. They call at all hours and even on weekends. Since I have caller ID, most of the time I don't even answer. This morning, however, they called at 8:45 and woke up my kids. I was a little annoyed, to say the least, and I'm just wondering: Does anyone have any personal experience with this company. I'm thinking about sending a Cease and Desist letter, but I'm worried that that will trigger them to take me to court. Has anyone ever been sued by Apelles? I would think our amount is too small to be worth their time and that they would just try to sell it to another agency. Any thoughts?
Love him! We are debt free but the house....
on an income of around $100,000 a year. DH may be getting laid off in the coming months but we just refinanced to a great below 5% rate, all our credit cards are paid off, we have savings built up to see us through tough times and we don't really worry about what may come. Sure, our cars are a few years old but guess what, they drive just like brand new ones. We still eat out several times a week, we take a month long vacation every year and we are happy with the things we have. We buy what we want when we want, but we aren't slaves to the newest TV, cell phone, i-phone, etc.We have no one to impress and really don't care what others have. We have the peace of mind that we can go to bed every night without much worry, the phone doesn't ring nonstop from creditors and we can go to the mailbox and not cringe when the bills come in. The country is in this financial mess because of greed, plain and simple; fat cat greed, greedy consumers in this I have to have it NOW society, and most think the free ride is never going to end. Sad....
credit card debt lawsuit question
If there is anyone out there who has been sued and had a judgment placed for credit card debt....
What happens when you go to court?? I don't own a house and live week to week (part-time IC, not very supportive husband) so they can't get blood from a stone so to speak. But I was wondering if anyone has gone to court and what actually happens.
credit card debt lawsuit question
Anyway you can declare bankruptcy, chpt 7? I am going that route. :(
Do you have a lot of monies owed where bankruptcy is a real possibility?
I'm going through a similar time......talk about stress!!!!!!!
I posted back in late August about cc debt - sm
in response to someone else giving advice on what to do. I told you about how I had a ton of debt my DH knew nothing about, how I was afraid of him, etc. and that I just did not know how to tell him. I consulted a lawyer and got some insight and advise in case things went really bad when I did tell him. Well I finally bit the bullet and told him on Monday. He was off from work, kids were in school, I wrote a 4 page letter laying it all out. I went out in the LR and I asked him if he loved me and was happy in our marriage, I got yes's to both questions. Then I handed him the note (bawling at this point) and said I was going out for a little while and we would talk when I came back. He called me 10 minutes later, upset yes, but not nuts as I expected. We ended up talking for 2 hours. He was quite good about it which really surprised me, he was in shock though. Later last night after he got drunk not horribly so but enough, though he did not turn nasty. I had asked him not to drink but he ignored that, so as a result he broke down said a few things which I probably deserved, though he does not believe I was scared of him....denied ever threatening to kill me, said if he did he was kidding and it was his sick sense of humor. I told him I take all death threats seriously. But comes down to he does not want to divorce over it, for which I am happy and grateful, and I think this will ultimately help us. We are taking a 401K loan for the debt on his cards, and I will go to a credit consolidator for the debt on my cards......any recommendations on that front? My credit is in the dump so this is not going to make it much worse. In five years we will be free and clear, paid off debt and house at that point. I have a huge breach of trust to heal and don't know how to go about it, that is what is hurting him the most and the fact I waited so long to tell him, couldn't understand why I felt I could not come to him when it all started. So he learned what a conniving wife he has and I learned that I had what I wanted all along, just didn't know it. We still have a lot to work out, and I am in for 5 or more years of snide backbiting remarks at times I am sure, but I think there is hope for us actually.
Yeah, stay out of that family debt deal, if ya can. :) nm
nm
Pay off highest interest rate debt first, then the next, and onto the next. The house can wait. Do
dd
they ARE completely different
i can't believe you have a friend that had the nerve to compare her abortion to your miscarriage!!! im so sorry for your loss
I completely believe that. sm
I've never been separated from a marriage, but in 2 long-term (several year) relationships that finally succumbed to breaking up, we got along WAY better once we were 'only' friends. The change was immediate! Best of luck to you both. Sounds like you tried your hardest.
Understand you completely - sm
My situation is exactly the same. He can ignore me for weeks. I mean completely ignore me to the point that I may as well not even be here unless he has run out of clean underwear and socks.
Then when he gets a wild hair, I'm supposed to jump with glee? No thanks, I would rather spend my time planning for the day I leave his sorry self now.
Agree completely......nm
xx
I completely agree! (sm)
As strange as this woman may have been, including the people she chose to surround herself with, there has never been a question about how she felt about her beloved son. Let's hope this woman can finally have some peace in the next few days and spend eternity next to the one person that wasn't involved with her for his own personal gain!
I may be completely wrong,
but when I caught a little bit of the story on the news, it sounded like the "amount of money she had been offered equaled out to 20,000 a day for each day they were married. I would not call her a gold digger when they first married, I mean, I most certainly could fall in love with Sir Paul, but now it sounds like she wants everything. As for Dancing with the Stars, she has shown up but I don't see the public embracing her and voting for her to stay.
Completely agree...
I have the same standards. Sleeping together is a gift that comes with marriage in my opinion. It is your house and your rules. Good for you for sticking to it!
I completely agree...sm
I live in one of the states that is in the middle of terrible turmoil due to illegal immigrants and what gets me is the minute citizens try to get laws that are already on the books enforced we are considered racists. The illegal immigrants form marches and get on TV and tell the world how terrible and racist the politicians are who are just trying to have laws that are already written enforced. It is just crazy. I mean they are here illegally, it has nothing to do with their race, it has to do with the fact that they are breaking the law and need to be treated like any other law breaker in this country. Geez. You have to be a citizen to vote, but all our signs outside the voting places have to be bilingual, does that make sense to you? Most jobs in my area are now only hiring bilingual people, so unless you learn Spanish, it is very hard to find a job, which I find even more irritating. I mean, what would happen to an American citizen if they tried to jump the border to any other country in the world, do you think we would be given any sort of rights other than being thrown in jail, deported, or just plain disappearing off the face of the earth? I don't think so.
Unfortunately, when we divorced I was completely sm
out of my mind. It is legal because it states that he has the right to make any decision and can change his mind at any time since he has physical custody. He has been very kind in the past to allow my son to spend the entire summer with us. This will be the first summer in 7 years that we have not seen him. Plus, we send for him throughout the year during holidays and spring breaks. He can do this and can make this decision.
I could get a lawyer and amend the agreement we have, but then it will get so ugly (again) and complicated and I don't ever want to go through that ever again. He still has emotional wounds from our divorce (I've since moved on and remarried), so if he wanted to be ugly he can. What's to say my husband and I hire a lawyer in his state, go to court, and then I end up losing even the right to see my son? That can happen, especially since he has not lived with us ever. Thanks for your suggestion, though.
I agree completely! Very well said (nm)
a
I understand completely...
and am in no way arguing your point, it's a valid one! I just don't understand the LACK of self-control these days. Maybe it's the lack of responsibility one must take for those actions..I don't know, guess we could debate this all day, but please, I meant no disrespect to your previous post. I enjoy reading your advice...very refreshing and inspiring
Understand completely - sm
I too have been burned a few times for trying to help someone but not Stacy.
She's a smart kid, a good mom, and proudly independent. I think she will see it for what it is. The temptation is very strong to try to bring a "family" together for the sake of a child but I am really hoping that she won't give in to that temptation.
Her ex boyfriend and his mother are wastes of perfectly good flesh and oxygen. some people....
Not the OP but I understand completely - sm
And, just for the record. I don't have a cleaning lady but I would love one too. My husband is a complete SLOB.
I vacuum every night, do the dishes, clean the counters, etc. By the time I get up, there are wood chips, snow, mud, whatever, trailed through the house from his boots, there is protein powder all over the kitchen counters and on the kitchen floor, and more dishes in the sink than even my kids can go through in one evening.
Not to mention the pile of dirty laundry he pulls from under his side of the bed immediately after I have finished doing ALL of the laundry. Happens every single time!
I'm not even going to get into the stuff I find in the bathroom sink and on the bathroom floor!
Like I said, I would love to have a cleaning lady too but I would be too embarassed to let someone see what I have to live with.
Completely different posts....
You might want to read again-I was not talking about her meowing then. I am not talking about giving her foods, supplements, now. I am asking about how do you know about end of life. People say you would know and I am asking about her sounding off now. Please review my other post again- I am feeding her kittie cat food and also supplements. This post is entirely different.
I actually have, and it was completely normal - SM
I'm in my mid-20s and have always been very healthy and active. I could never even catch the chickenpox from my friends as a child! LOL! Oh well, I'll have to see if stopping this antihistamine makes a difference. I feel completely fine otherwise.
I completely understand
My 13-year-old daughter just asked me for $25 for a T-shirt for the Science Olympiad. Thankfully her yearbook only cost $20, but she thinks money grows on trees. She does get an allowance for watching her younger sister and helping around the house, but when I tell her I'll deduct the money from her allowance, she looks at me like I'm crazy.
She's in Student Counsel and they go on trips every year, but her school does fundraisers so we end up not paying much at all in the end with his helpful.
She wants to go to college to become a Vet and probably will end up trying to go to Cornell. We've already told her to start saving and get some scholarships because there's no way we can afford it.
I still have a four year old to deal with. I can only imagine when she gets older.
I completely agree with you. - nm
nm
I completely agree.....sm
I also as a child was spanked NOT beaten, an I can tell you that my generation had MUCH more respect than the generations now. I am not that old either...late 30s, but back in the day, the neighbors spanked you, then sent you home to your parents whom they called, and you got it again...needless to say, I turned out JUST fine and again, have a LOT more respect for my elders now. I cannot STAND when people say that just because you spank your child means that you beat them...I have 4 children, whom are spanked when needed, which has not had to be often, but I can bet you that they respect me, their dad, AND other adults, and even my oldest ones (who are teenagers by the way) have said THEY think it has made them better people. They can COMPLETELY understand WHY we as parents may resort to spanking (and we used time outs too, but those only work for so long and for the "little" things). I too think that if more parents "spanked" NOT BEAT, their children, we would not have all the disrespect we have today. Just another example of "society/government" getting in the way. Again, spanking and beating are two different things, so DON'T confuse the two. As it says in the bible...spare the rod, spoil the child! JMHO!!
I completely understand...sm
I am scrambling tonight trying to get some lines in because my work has been so slow I only worked 14 hours Monday until Friday. This weekend I got about 63 minutes of dictation so that will add some lines. I have to scramble to work about 20-25 hours per week.
Just want you to know I understand completely where sm
you are coming from and agree totally that it is terribly, terribly sad. I just don't want you to harp on it and let it work on you. You have done nothing wrong. Stand proud. They are entitled to their opinions - strange as they are - they are not entitled to spew them all over the place and say hurtful stupid things to you - just shows how mixed up they are. You sister was right in telling you to let it go - they are strange - weird - you are blessed your husband is so different. Give him a hug and ignore the rest of them. Good luck!
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