How I Got Out Of Credit Card Debt
I knew I was in trouble when I was getting phone calls from creditors. It was definitely time to clean up my act. Luckily I had a job, so with some big changes to my lifestyle I’d be able to work on fixing my debt situation. I started by looking for advice on the internet and found ways to approach my situation.
I printed up all my credit card statements and just about had a heart attack! I had no idea my interest rates were so high! I now could see that the new dining room furniture set I’d just bought was costing me much more than I thought. It was time to really get this sorted out. I also didn’t know how bad my debt was, and quickly totaled it up to see the amount was in the $15,000 range.
So the articles I read recommended I next destroy my credit cards, so I did. I just took a pair of scissors and cut them up into tiny little pieces. I had fun with it and really shredded them, and they ended up all over the carpet. I pulled out my dyson upright vacuum cleaner and sucked up all the little bits of plastic and felt totally liberated.
Next I organized my debts in order of which had the highest balance. The ones with the highest balance were to paid off first, and you pay just the minimum on the rest. This is what experts call the ‘Snowball’ approach to getting rid of debt. In my first payment, I wiped out one card and paid the minimum on the rest. The second month, I put a nice dent in my Mastercard bill and it went on like this for about three years. By the end of year three I had only two cards left and only about $4000 left to pay.
It was still going to take some time to get rid of these last two, so I called the card issuers and told them I needed them to reduce the interest rate. It took a lot of time on hold, but it totally paid off! Now I have two cards at 9% APR instead of 29%! Really, all you have to do is ask and I’m kind of bummed I didn’t try it sooner. Now there’s way less finance fees to pay each month,
Now I’ve learned how to spend wisely. If I can’t pay with cash, I can’t afford it. I still keep my cards a few cards open for emergencies and it also is helping to improve my credit rating, but I won’t ever go back to the reckless spending like before.
The feeling you get in managing your debt is amazing. Knowing I’ll never get calls again from debt collectors and collection agencies means I can sleep soundly every single night on my full size loft bed.
