It seems like everyone owes money. Recent statistics show that the average American family with credit card debt has a $4000 balance on several credit cards. So, it's not surprising that people are in debt, especially when they are asked to buy things every day...
It seems like everyone owes money. Recent statistics show that the average American family with credit card debt has a $4000 balance on several credit cards. So, it's not surprising that people are in debt, especially when they are asked to buy things every day.
Also, the fact that it's easy to get credit right now doesn't do much to stop you from buying things on a whim. Even though it may seem like everyone is in debt these days, you might want to find out if you need help getting out of debt before you get deeper into it.
Ask yourself these questions to find out how your finances are going and if you need help with debt consolidation.
- Do you always pay your bills late every month?
Everyone has expenses like medical bills and car repairs that they didn't plan for. Your monthly budget will be thrown off by these unexpected costs. But if it's hard for you to pay your bills most of the time and often, you know you have a problem.
- Have you used most of your credit cards up or gone over the limit?
With how easy it is to get a credit card these days, it's tempting to use credit ahead of time and end up with credit card debt.
- Do you only pay the minimum on your credit card balances?
Credit card bills come every month to add to the amount of interest you owe. If you only pay the minimum balance each month, it will take you a long time to pay them off.
- Are you using your old savings, or even worse, have you used up all your savings?
You can no longer pay for any unexpected costs. Because you don't have enough money, you can't get sick and your car can't get the maintenance it needs.
- Do you often need to use a credit line or cash advance to pay your monthly bills?
If you do this over and over again, you will get stuck in a cycle of debt.
If you answered "yes" to most or all of the questions above, you probably have debts and are living from paycheck to paycheck right now. The end of the world hasn't come yet. It just means you need to do something to get rid of your debts, and debt consolidation may be the way to do it.