Activism Change

How to deal with financial woes!

Question:

After reading many many posts on how most of us struggle with financial issues, I am wondering how everyone deals with these issues!

Er, um, deal with the issues, more like the issues deal with me, LOL. My rules in the trenches: Voluntary simplicity. "He whose desires are the simplest, that man is the richest" or something like that. Never go into debt for anything but a mortgage. Can I do without it? Then I usually do. Unless it’s chocolate. -g- Work hard when you can, spend easy when you can’t. Never stop learning, it might just make you some money some day when you most need it, or save you some money when you can least afford to spend it. And it keeps life from getting boring. Liz G.

Response:

Geez!!!  Really sorry to hear that someone took your cane!!!  Hope by some small miracle, you can get it back! Donna G

Response:

I thought of a couple more.. A 20 year old car can ride just as comfortably and be just as reliable as a new one. And it’s a whole hell of a lot cheaper and easier to fix if something does break on it. You’d be surprised how many things you can get for free if you start looking, without having to cheat, steal, beg or otherwise compromise your principles. Our modern society is terribly wasteful. Stress…what, me, worry?  -g-  Stress carries it’s own costs.  I try to avoid it.  When I can’t avoid it, I try to put it out of my mind and just do what I can to make my situation better.  This is the hardest one. Set aside a time to worry, get it over with, then do something creative to distract yourself.   Liz G.

Response:

I wholeheartedly agree, DT! We went to Family Financial Freedom Foundation. It was hell at first, because of a series of events that shouldn’t have happened (I’ll spare the details) but we’ve taken our debt from over $25,000 to just under $10,000 in 3 years. If you want to clean up your credit and get a grip on your finances, this is the way to do it, BUT!!!  you have to CONTROL your spending and avoid your normal money habits. Totally re-vamping the way you look at money, spend money, budget and make money,  etc is important. You can’t continue on your regular path after giving your credit "challenge" to the CCC. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Credit Counseling Centers are super – if you get the right one.  There are two of which I have personal knowledge. One was when we were still in the military – Consumer Credit Counseling Service. The other is one we deal with now – Harbour Credit Counseling Service (1-800-887-2389). Of the two, we FAR prefer Harbour. With CCCS, they made us feel like absolute failures, taking away our credit cards, requiring us to pay by U.S. postal money orders, talking down to us, etc. It was humiliating! Harbour is so much better!!! They will take on one or all of your creditors (we started with them with just one creditor who was being a total butthead about waiting just one month for regular payments). We now have turned over almost all of our creditors to them. I have never had a face to face meeting with these people, yet they call me from time to time to make sure I am not stressing over bills and send us a statement once a month showing us how much they paid each creditor, etc. We give them only $15 a month to manage our debt repayment program. (You can find cheaper or use your state’s for free. CCCS is the Maryland one.) You do it all over the phone or via snail mail. If anyone is interested in using their services, you can find them at: Harbour Credit Counseling Services, Inc. 397 Little Neck Road Bldg 3400, Suite 108 Virginia Beach, VA 23452 or call them at 1-800-887-2389 DeeTee

Response:

After reading many many posts on how most of us struggle with financial issues, I am wondering how everyone deals with these issues!  Sometimes the financial issues get so overwhelming that you just can’t stand it!!! I have read some posts where people have to make decisions between treatments, medications, food, and a roof over thier head!!!  Pretty scary stuff in my booklet!!!  Has anyone ever had to file for bankruptcy?  If so, was it worth it?  Would you do it again?  If you never have, do you know of someone who has filed for bankruptcy?  What are the costs involved?  Has anyone ever been to financial counseling? Did it help?  Was it worth it?  Would you do it again?  How much does it cost?  What are the ways that you all deal with the stress of finances???  Not trying to be nosey, just trying to help someone else who is literally at the end of thier rope!!!  I know everyone and every situation is different, but just trying to get some ideas of what may be the best way to start with this friend!!! Thanks in advance for anything you might be willing to share!!! Donna G

Response:

Fortunately, I usually win fight wth insur companies so far.  Yet the endless papework, the trips to the copy store, etc. are so wearing.  How in the world do really older, sicker people ever prevail??? Or is that what the insur company is counting on?  It’s bad enuf just having this damn disease without the world conspiring against us!!!  And someone "lifted" my cane from the shopping cart last week!!!  Did they think I just carried it for looks???  Oh, yeah!

Response:

Credit Counseling Centers are super – if you get the right one.  There are two of which I have personal knowledge. One was when we were still in the military – Consumer Credit Counseling Service. The other is one we deal with now – Harbour Credit Counseling Service (1-800-887-2389). Of the two, we FAR prefer Harbour. With CCCS, they made us feel like absolute failures, taking away our credit cards, requiring us to pay by U.S. postal money orders, talking down to us, etc. It was humiliating! Harbour is so much better!!! They will take on one or all of your creditors (we started with them with just one creditor who was being a total butthead about waiting just one month for regular payments). We now have turned over almost all of our creditors to them. I have never had a face to face meeting with these people, yet they call me from time to time to make sure I am not stressing over bills and send us a statement once a month showing us how much they paid each creditor, etc. We give them only $15 a month to manage our debt repayment program. (You can find cheaper or use your state’s for free. CCCS is the Maryland one.) You do it all over the phone or via snail mail. If anyone is interested in using their services, you can find them at: Harbour Credit Counseling Services, Inc. 397 Little Neck Road Bldg 3400, Suite 108 Virginia Beach, VA 23452 or call them at 1-800-887-2389 DeeTee

Response:

We went to financial counselling to see if we could tweak anything else when spouse-thingy was going through the Canadian recession job-losses in the 80s. They reassured us and were able to get the Visa to accept only interest payments for a few months (the bank did this, too). But that was a temporary situation. Long term. they might get creditors to accept lower payments and give advice on the benefits/drawbacks of declaring bankruptcy. Don’t think it hurts to know your options but the final decisions are still yours at this point. I have a book called the tightwad gazette and have borrowed some library books about living on nothing which were full of ideas. HTH – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After reading many many posts on how most of us struggle with financial issues, I am wondering how everyone deals with these issues!  Sometimes the financial issues get so overwhelming that you just can’t stand it!!! I have read some posts where people have to make decisions between treatments, medications, food, and a roof over thier head!!!  Pretty scary stuff in my booklet!!!  Has anyone ever had to file for bankruptcy?  If so, was it worth it?  Would you do it again?  If you never have, do you know of someone who has filed for bankruptcy?  What are the costs involved?  Has anyone ever been to financial counseling? Did it help?  Was it worth it?  Would you do it again?  How much does it cost?  What are the ways that you all deal with the stress of finances???  Not trying to be nosey, just trying to help someone else who is literally at the end of thier rope!!!  I know everyone and every situation is different, but just trying to get some ideas of what may be the best way to start with this friend!!! Thanks in advance for anything you might be willing to share!!! Donna G

– … My mind wanders, but my body is too tired to follow Get your free anti-spam service at http://www.brightmail.com

Response:

CCCS was the one I went to on Friday. My experience with them was great. The National Foundation for Credit Counseling website can pont you to any US credit counseling center that is a member. There is a link at the bottom of the main page to find one in your area. Basically, The woman there was sooo helpful for me. She let me know which creditors could wait, which needed attention, etc, helped me make a budget and come up with ideas on how to get things accomplished. She made me feel a whooole lot better, showing me that I really was on track and not all that badly in debt ($3k regular debt, $24k student loans is NOT bad compared to most people she said) I had been feleing like it was out of control. So I walked away feeling very *in control* The best thing they have, is a GOOD relationship with creditors. For example, Sears. I owe them like $600 originally from a credit card. Well it went to collections years ago when I was young and stupid and thought it would "fo away"  The collections people of course hiked it up to $800-something with fees, but sent me an offer to "settle for $350" This one, she said, was a good deal, and I should do it as soon as I have a job. My other card had an original balance of $1200. The She said that as soon as I have some cash, around $1500, if I were to go to the company and say "hey I have a cashier’s check for $1500 that I will give you right now, if we call it payment in full" they would tell me where to stick that check and demand at least 80% as a settlement amount. But if I let CCCS coach me or handle it for me, they have the prior relationship with the creditor and can get a settlement amount of 55% of the total. Anyway. I found them very very helpful. I have a feeling it’s one of those things where it is all in the counselor you get and the individual locations’ policies and m.o.’s Oh, and they are free. Aim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Credit Counseling Centers are super – if you get the right one.  There are two of which I have personal knowledge. One was when we were still in the military – Consumer Credit Counseling Service. The other is one we deal with now – Harbour Credit Counseling Service (1-800-887-2389). Of the two, we FAR prefer Harbour. With CCCS, they made us feel like absolute failures, taking away our credit cards, requiring us to pay by U.S. postal money orders, talking down to us, etc. It was humiliating! Harbour is so much better!!! They will take on one or all of your creditors (we started with them with just one creditor who was being a total butthead about waiting just one month for regular payments). We now have turned over almost all of our creditors to them. I have never had a face to face meeting with these people, yet they call me from time to time to make sure I am not stressing over bills and send us a statement once a month showing us how much they paid each creditor, etc. We give them only $15 a month to manage our debt repayment program. (You can find cheaper or use your state’s for free. CCCS is the Maryland one.) You do it all over the phone or via snail mail. If anyone is interested in using their services, you can find them at: Harbour Credit Counseling Services, Inc. 397 Little Neck Road Bldg 3400, Suite 108 Virginia Beach, VA 23452 or call them at 1-800-887-2389 DeeTee

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Response:

Filed under: Voluntary simplicity

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