Question:
Dear Steve,
I have $18,000 in CC debt, I feel hopeless.
I’m a provider for girlfriend and myself. I have a seasonal job which made it really tight last winter, so living with credit cards seemed like a must last winter. My girlfriend was in two recent car accidents so she has not been working (collecting short term disability though) has put a big damper on us spiritually, and financially. We’re coming near the end of my season of work, and we’re are coming into the same boat as last year, yet with much more credit card debt. I do not know what the hell to do.
What do I do? Is bankruptcy a good or bad idea? Are there ways you know of to consolidate 4 credit cards into 1 with a smaller payment?!
Jonathon
Answer:
Dear Jonathon,
The pressure you must be dealing with right now is certainly immense. Credit card debt is a slippery slope. It’s easy to get into and hard to dig your way out of.
This primarily a function of math. When you get into credit card debt because you had to use the credit to make ends meet then you need to have enough room in your budget to make ends meet plus have extra money to use to repay the debt.
From what you shared it certainly sounds as if your income situation is unable to meet your obligations. Your logical options are to increase your income, reduce your expenses or a combination of both.
The money troubles will naturally drag you down emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. They can make you feel like a failure. But this is debt. The debt is not you. I need to drag you out of this hole and get you to take some action to change the future. Otherwise you will most likely be stuck in the pit of depression and despair.
Here is what you should strongly consider doing:
- Come up with a game plan to increase your income in your off season time. Do temp work, grunt work, anything that’s legal.
- Find a great local bankruptcy attorney and talk to them for free about your situation.
- If you decide bankruptcy is the route you want to take, congratulations.
- Learn from your situation. Build an emergency savings account, live within your income, and easily rebuild your credit score again.
The odds of you being able to consolidate your unaffordable credit card debt into a lower cost loan are less than winning the Mega Millions lottery.
The odds of you being able to eliminate your credit card debt in about 90 days and getting a fresh start are about 100%.
And before you start feeling spiritually bad about considering bankruptcy, you should read What Does the Bible Say About Bankruptcy? and this.
You are not alone. I'm here to help. There is no need to suffer in silence. We can get through this. Tomorrow can be better than today. Don't give up.
Do you have a question you'd like to ask me for free? Go ahead and click here.
- Who Knew TitleMax Sucked This Bad? - February 23, 2023
- Litigation Practice Group Lawsuit by Business Partner All Service Financial – We Want Our Money - January 24, 2023
- HomeAdvisor and Angi to Pay Up To $7.2 Million and Stop Deceptively Marketing its Leads for Home Improvement Projects - January 23, 2023
Hopeless credit card debt question asked.