credit card debts

[eros_EX_Plumber 0]

My husband and I consolidated HIS credit cards ( I said HIS because they were already there even before we got married ) with one bank that offered him 0%APR for 12 months, thats how we escaped paying the interest. We are now just paying for the principal and almost done with it. His credit cards are in the freezer and will only be used if there is really an emergency.

When it comes to child support..ahhhhh..he pays a lot monthly to the lazy ex wife,lol. I wish he only pays $35 but its $1,050 a month for the two boys. The amount was based on his income 5 years ago because the ex has never worked during their less than 5 years marriage. In addition, he also pays for their medical , dental and vision insurances.

When it comes to bills, we divide. He pays for the house utilities, boat , credit card and house mortgage while I pay for my car, insurances ( 2 vehicles and boat ) and I do most of the grocery shopping. Despite my husband's generous income we really don't have a lot of extra cash because we stopped using the credit cards and also a portion of our paycheck goes to savings ( this is a must !!!!)

There is no imposition on my part to pay BUT as his partner , I should. I don't send any money to the Philippines because our household expenses come first and foremost. We are not rich but are genuinely happy with everything we have. Our number one rule is to live within our means.

When I started working and received my first full paycheck , the first thing we did was sit down and made a sheet of what our bills are and who will pay. We both get our paychecks the same time and pay our bills first, then we stock up our fridge for food. I pay $48 for my phone monthly and don't have text services because I dont need it and with that I save $25 a month. When I go shopping I don't go for the brand ( except for laundry soap because I always use Tide) but whatever is the cheapest. I am not trying to advertise here but when I go for my major grocery shopping, I save a lot in Walmart for non meat items and I go to Win-dixie for meat stuff because they always have a buy one take one. My husband loves steak ( a lot!!) so I make sure that once a week he gets to eat one( He works hard for it and deserves one). Eating out probably happens once a month because we like cooking and eating at home.

We don't go to bars ( been there done that ) and most of our free days we go fishing or just boating . Joe loves the water and it is an inexpensive treat for all of us.

I don't use the dryer for our clothes . I hang them and let the FL sun do its job It saves us a lot of money. I clean my own nails, do my own hair treatment and facials I also do Joe's hair. Temp of our house is maintained at 80 during the day and 79 at night and when summer is over, we love the fresh air. These are just some of the things we do on our own to save money.

Sit down, make a list and work your budget. As what the others correctly said, cut off some of your unnecessary expenses and always follow the rule to live within your means. We also went through some tough times when we just got started but if you work things out together and listen to one another , take things one step at a time and learn how to prioritize, you will be just fine.

Goodluck and hope things will be better for the two of you

Great advise.....people in US do not realize how small things really add up at the end of the month..... :thumbs:

[macutelit 0]

My husband and I consolidated HIS credit cards ( I said HIS because they were already there even before we got married ) with one bank that offered him 0%APR for 12 months, thats how we escaped paying the interest. We are now just paying for the principal and almost done with it. His credit cards are in the freezer and will only be used if there is really an emergency.

When it comes to child support..ahhhhh..he pays a lot monthly to the lazy ex wife,lol. I wish he only pays $35 but its $1,050 a month for the two boys. The amount was based on his income 5 years ago because the ex has never worked during their less than 5 years marriage. In addition, he also pays for their medical , dental and vision insurances.

When it comes to bills, we divide. He pays for the house utilities, boat , credit card and house mortgage while I pay for my car, insurances ( 2 vehicles and boat ) and I do most of the grocery shopping. Despite my husband's generous income we really don't have a lot of extra cash because we stopped using the credit cards and also a portion of our paycheck goes to savings ( this is a must !!!!)

There is no imposition on my part to pay BUT as his partner , I should. I don't send any money to the Philippines because our household expenses come first and foremost. We are not rich but are genuinely happy with everything we have. Our number one rule is to live within our means.

When I started working and received my first full paycheck , the first thing we did was sit down and made a sheet of what our bills are and who will pay. We both get our paychecks the same time and pay our bills first, then we stock up our fridge for food. I pay $48 for my phone monthly and don't have text services because I dont need it and with that I save $25 a month. When I go shopping I don't go for the brand ( except for laundry soap because I always use Tide) but whatever is the cheapest. I am not trying to advertise here but when I go for my major grocery shopping, I save a lot in Walmart for non meat items and I go to Win-dixie for meat stuff because they always have a buy one take one. My husband loves steak ( a lot!!) so I make sure that once a week he gets to eat one( He works hard for it and deserves one). Eating out probably happens once a month because we like cooking and eating at home.

We don't go to bars ( been there done that ) and most of our free days we go fishing or just boating . Joe loves the water and it is an inexpensive treat for all of us.

I don't use the dryer for our clothes . I hang them and let the FL sun do its job It saves us a lot of money. I clean my own nails, do my own hair treatment and facials I also do Joe's hair. Temp of our house is maintained at 80 during the day and 79 at night and when summer is over, we love the fresh air. These are just some of the things we do on our own to save money.

Sit down, make a list and work your budget. As what the others correctly said, cut off some of your unnecessary expenses and always follow the rule to live within your means. We also went through some tough times when we just got started but if you work things out together and listen to one another , take things one step at a time and learn how to prioritize, you will be just fine.

Goodluck and hope things will be better for the two of you

[DEDixon 39]

My husband and I consolidated HIS credit cards ( I said HIS because they were already there even before we got married ) with one bank that offered him 0%APR for ............................

Goodluck and hope things will be better for the two of you

WOW, Joe is a lucky guy!!!! And you are just the type of person the USA needs... welcome to America!

[MikenKyhen 0]

My husband and I consolidated HIS credit cards ( I said HIS because they were already there even before we got married ) with one bank that offered him 0%APR for 12 months, thats how we escaped paying the interest. We are now just paying for the principal and almost done with it. His credit cards are in the freezer and will only be used if there is really an emergency.

When it comes to child support..ahhhhh..he pays a lot monthly to the lazy ex wife,lol. I wish he only pays $35 but its $1,050 a month for the two boys. The amount was based on his income 5 years ago because the ex has never worked during their less than 5 years marriage. In addition, he also pays for their medical , dental and vision insurances.

When it comes to bills, we divide. He pays for the house utilities, boat , credit card and house mortgage while I pay for my car, insurances ( 2 vehicles and boat ) and I do most of the grocery shopping. Despite my husband's generous income we really don't have a lot of extra cash because we stopped using the credit cards and also a portion of our paycheck goes to savings ( this is a must !!!!)

There is no imposition on my part to pay BUT as his partner , I should. I don't send any money to the Philippines because our household expenses come first and foremost. We are not rich but are genuinely happy with everything we have. Our number one rule is to live within our means.

When I started working and received my first full paycheck , the first thing we did was sit down and made a sheet of what our bills are and who will pay. We both get our paychecks the same time and pay our bills first, then we stock up our fridge for food. I pay $48 for my phone monthly and don't have text services because I dont need it and with that I save $25 a month. When I go shopping I don't go for the brand ( except for laundry soap because I always use Tide) but whatever is the cheapest. I am not trying to advertise here but when I go for my major grocery shopping, I save a lot in Walmart for non meat items and I go to Win-dixie for meat stuff because they always have a buy one take one. My husband loves steak ( a lot!!) so I make sure that once a week he gets to eat one( He works hard for it and deserves one). Eating out probably happens once a month because we like cooking and eating at home.

We don't go to bars ( been there done that ) and most of our free days we go fishing or just boating . Joe loves the water and it is an inexpensive treat for all of us.

I don't use the dryer for our clothes . I hang them and let the FL sun do its job It saves us a lot of money. I clean my own nails, do my own hair treatment and facials I also do Joe's hair. Temp of our house is maintained at 80 during the day and 79 at night and when summer is over, we love the fresh air. These are just some of the things we do on our own to save money.

Sit down, make a list and work your budget. As what the others correctly said, cut off some of your unnecessary expenses and always follow the rule to live within your means. We also went through some tough times when we just got started but if you work things out together and listen to one another , take things one step at a time and learn how to prioritize, you will be just fine.

Goodluck and hope things will be better for the two of you

All excellent advice. I was wondering if someone was going to recommend getting a consolidation loan. This will make paying off your outstanding debt a lot more manageable and get the CC companies off your back. Good luck. We wish you guys all the best.

[DEDixon 39]

His credit cards are in the freezer and will only be used if there is really an emergency.

So that is what they mean by frozen account.

Take it out of the freeze to unfreeze the account.... cool! I had no idea!!!

--------------

[muñequita linda 0]

All excellent advice. I was wondering if someone was going to recommend getting a consolidation loan. This will make paying off your outstanding debt a lot more manageable and get the CC companies off your back. Good luck. We wish you guys all the best.

If I were a loan officer, I would not grant the OP and her husband a loan. It appears that they don't have a collateral to offer and, furthermore, the husband is over extended. However, he may qualify for a small business loan from the government if he has a legitimate enterprise.

[rheanick 42]

Thank you for all your response. I really appreciate it. My husband and I are arguing right now on how to pay the rent, the private school, utilities and food. I told him that if he doesn't change then i'll just move it and let him deal with all of it. I told him to be a better person and accept the fact that we can't afford it.

I just don't really know whats gonna happen with his credit debts. We owe chase, bank of america, citibank and american express. Even with care plan we still can't pay them all.

Well about his divorce the reason he is not paying high child support its because when they divorced they had almost the same amount of income. Also its a joint custody so they talk whatever they want to do with their child. Its all about their mutual understanding.

My husband earns decently but just not spending right thats why we are broke.

The only thing i can do i guess is to support him with his idea about the business and try not to discourage him so much -sigh-

That's the best way to go.. support your husband.

I would also suggest that you learn his business and study "how to run a business". I'm starting my own business here and its not easy. Its hard work. Having a concrete business plan is a must. Try the help of SBA and SCORE. They are FREE. There are some vj members here that have businesses that you could ask for help.

Goodluck. Wish all the best for your marriage.

[muñequita linda 0]

I also do Joe's hair.

I wish I can do that do my Eddie's. But he's got a lot of hair compared to Joe! Just kiddin', Myla.

[-B&T- 1]

Living with huge debts can cause extreme stress in your relationship I hope you will be able to get through this. Don't ignore calls/letters from the agencies you really have to settle it with them. Get a second job if possible and start paying off these guys.That's the only solution. Good luck.

[SuperDuper! 230]

Living with huge debts can cause extreme stress in your relationship I hope you will be able to get through this. Don't ignore calls/letters from the agencies you really have to settle it with them. Get a second job if possible and start paying off these guys.That's the only solution. Good luck.

Absolutely right on this: Poverty moves in, and love moves out!

[Otto 83]

I think he cannot be sued for not being able to pay credit card bills. What will happen is that they will still try to contact you, if not, then they will send you letters and may charge you late/overlimit fees. If you still don't pay then interest/fees will increase every month and your credit score will be affected.

This is not correct - creditors sue, and win judgments against people every day. Do not be fooled and think you're safe if you just dint' answer the phone or open/respond to letters.

But nobody goes to jail for an unpaid debt. Unless it's the result of not filing tax returns or filing fraudulent tax returns with the IRS.

Who said anything about jail?

[jom 4]

I also do Joe's hair.

I wish I can do that do my Eddie's. But he's got a lot of hair compared to Joe! Just kiddin', Myla.

Thats the best part of it..just zoom zoom and Im done

[angela920 0]

wow thank you so much for your replies... It really helps my sanity and think more clearly what to do next. My husband and I argued last night but we are ok now... still not into cuddling and talking mood.

We decided to sit down and reduce our expenses

*i removed his data plan from his celphone which is $15 per month

*removed his $2.50 yahoo messenger plan

* I reduced my netflix to one at a time for $8 a month... it used to be $40 because we get 5 at a time

* we also removed our blu ray subscription $5 per month

I am planning to also remove my gps subscription in my celphone and just buy the real gps.

(we don't have cable subscription thats why we have netflix)

Next step maybe just hang our clothes instead of using the dryer. About our rent.. well can't really do anything til our lease expire in 2010 but my husband and I will try to negotiate with them. Maybe that would help.

He'll get his bonus this October it's not a lot but it helps, and i get paid 3x this October.

But i am pretty sure he will be reported to the collection agencies. If that happens, can we still continue paying the debts? Whats gonna happen after hes being reported?

Thank you so much! I never expected a lot of good suggestions!

[ccndyeth 0]

Do like a friend did. Get as many cards as you can, max them out and go bankrupt!

Lots do so but it sucks as it affects straight shooters big time.

Is this really a responsible thing to be promoting here??

That's so irresponsible thing to do..

[ccndyeth 0]

wow thank you so much for your replies... It really helps my sanity and think more clearly what to do next. My husband and I argued last night but we are ok now... still not into cuddling and talking mood.

We decided to sit down and reduce our expenses

*i removed his data plan from his celphone which is $15 per month

*removed his $2.50 yahoo messenger plan

* I reduced my netflix to one at a time for $8 a month... it used to be $40 because we get 5 at a time

* we also removed our blu ray subscription $5 per month

I am planning to also remove my gps subscription in my celphone and just buy the real gps.

(we don't have cable subscription thats why we have netflix)

Next step maybe just hang our clothes instead of using the dryer. About our rent.. well can't really do anything til our lease expire in 2010 but my husband and I will try to negotiate with them. Maybe that would help.

He'll get his bonus this October it's not a lot but it helps, and i get paid 3x this October.

But i am pretty sure he will be reported to the collection agencies. If that happens, can we still continue paying the debts? Whats gonna happen after hes being reported?

Thank you so much! I never expected a lot of good suggestions!

I think it's gonna affect his credit score.. or both of your credit score since you're married..

If my memory serves me right and anyone can correct me if Im wrong you since you're married anything happens to his credit score will also affect yours..

Good luck to the both of you.. You'll surpass this Im sure.. You're husband is fortunate coz you're patience is really long.

Edited August 31, 2009 by ccndyeth