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Credit Card Debt Solutions that Give You Financial Freedom
Filed Under (General) by admin on 15-11-2008
Credit Card Debt Solutions that Give You Financial Freedom
Credit card debt is the leading cause of most people financial hardships. By finding a workable solution to this problem those same people are able to take back control of their money.
If you’ve got overwhelming financial problems staring you in the face there is a good chance that credit card debt is the primary reason. Are they nearly maxed out with outrageous interest rates and minimum payments that barely pay the balance down? Do you get the dreaded late fee that negates the payment you did send? If this is you then you are no different from millions of other people who are dealing with the financial burden of high credit card balances everyday.
Credit cards are the leading cause of financial hardship for most people and finding a solution for this type of debt is a high priority for those affected. Getting out of the credit card trap can be difficult because every bank and store sends out credit applications offering more and more credit with higher limits. It turns into a never ending cycle that encourages consumers to spend more then they make.
So what are the best credit card debt solutions you can use to get out of this cycle of debt?
The first solution to getting out of control credit card debt is simple; destroy the evil things. Burn them, shred them, or flush them down the toilet. You can’t keep using them if they don’t exist. This is an immediate way to take back control of your money because when you use a credit card you are using someone else’s money. They in turn are making money through the interest rate they charge you for the use of their money. And that is the problem with borrowing money; in the long run it ends up costing you your future because you are always working to pay it back.
Once you have gotten rid of those credit cards and the temptation they offer it is time to get serious about paying off that debt. Some basic accounting comes in handy here. Get a pencil, a piece of paper, and all your past months statements. In a column write down the credit card name or bank issuing the card and then in subsequent columns write down the balance owed, the monthly minimum payment, the interest rate, and the interest being paid. Add each of those columns up and write down the total at the bottom.
Look at those totals closely. This is money that could easily stay in your control if that debt did not exist. Think about what you could do with that money if it wasn’t going out the door every month. If it makes you mad so much the better because getting out of credit card debt is about attacking the problem head on.
Now you need a plan. The credit card debt solution that works best for most people is to list them in order from lowest balance to highest balance. While paying the minimum payments on all your other accounts attack the card with the lowest balance by sending any extra money you can afford out of your budget or scrape together to that credit card. The reason to doing it this way is simple; you’ll be able to knock that one out in relatively short order and that will keep you motivated to jump to the next lowest and rolling the payment from your first card into the second. Just keep rolling down your list with the same determination and when you reach the card with the highest balance your momentum will roll right through it.
The best solution for dealing with credit card debt is to not use them. It is to easy to fall into the bad habit of using them to purchase those things you think you need. By avoiding that trap you can build a sound financial future that will allow you to live the kind of life you always wanted without resorting to their use. Make a life changing decision and take back control of your money from the credit card companies today.
For more detailed information about how to successfully deal with Credit Card Debt please visit the website Debt Reduction and Consolidation by Clicking Here.
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By Andrew Bicknell Published: 12/24/2007 |
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You know I heard the other day on MSNBC that the average person in our country (USA) has over 6 credit cards. I found this shocking, and almost too much to believe. I don’t know who would need that many credit cards.
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Andrew, thanks for the clear and concise breakdown. One of your regular readers told me about your blog. I’ll be back.
This is all good advice, particularly the first step of destroying the things. I would mention a couple of other things - pay off the card with the highest interest rate first, and see if you can transfer any of the balances to a new card with a special offer 0% interest rate.
Big Post, thanks a lot for your experience
Some credit card companies will settle with you for less than what you owe if you are really having trouble making payments. Of course, this hurts your credit- and you get taxed on the resulting amount of debt that is forgiven. I wrote a post about this: http://www.artofthecoupon.com/debt-consolidation-firms-fill-tax-problem/
I agree with most of what you say Andrew, but credit cards do have their place when used responsibly. We live in an instant gratification culture and people get used to buying now and paying later. It is that attitude that causes the problem and is often a constant theme through the lives of people running up large credit debt. It is the “Shall we cook, nah let’s just eat out” mentality. Credit cards make that thought process easier to flourish. We need to fundamentally change the way we see money. Someone once said to me “earn £2000 a month and spend £1999 and you are happy, Earn £10,000 and spend £10,001 and you are unhappy”. It kind of works!
I know that you can increase your annual budget each year by at least 20%, even likely more, by simply cutting up your credit cards, and or locking them away so you don’t use them. Just pay cash instead.
I work in social services for people who have been charged with a crime. Typically, these individuals face great numbers of financial hard times and are eager to re-establish their good name - including their credit. I thank you for this post and I will definately share with my readers!