Why would you take vacations when you're in such debt?
Posted By: curious on 2009-02-04
In Reply to: I have been bad, really bad lately - Sadie
The money for those planned vacations could be paid towards your credit card. If you're income in increasing soon, why not apply the increase to the bills until the debt is gone and then reward yourself with a nice vacation that you save up for?
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Either vacations in Vermont when I was
very little, either at the cottages on the beach or picking raspberries at the top of my grandmother's hill, or else at a friend's house, riding tobaggans down her long hill in WI, each person with their own sled, lying down, going feet first, looking up at the stars. After the hill there was a long flat field you'd keep sliding on for a long, long time.
School-Vacations
We took our vacation during April break. My daughters go back to school two days after Labor Day. We did take a few short trips this summer, though.
Let me guess -- one of the vacations is to
Vegas?
Vacations in California
Hi everyone,
The post below got me thinking...I live in WA, and I just wondered - from what I know, the nice beaches I know about in CA are private ones in Malibu. Are there any beautiful, clean beaches in CA that you can take your family to when on vacation? I love the beaches in Mexico, but would like to stay in the US. What do you recommend, if you live there?
Ditto!...Vacations are for relaxing and..
forgetting about work! Unless you really need the money, how about just taking time to enjoy life? You will not remember the shoes you bought or the big screen TV, but you will remember the beautiful day surrounded by nature!
After school starts usually vacations end. nm
x
I am planning several long weekends this summer for mini-vacations.
We are going to drive up to the Omaha Zoo for a weekend. We live in rural Missouri north of Kansas City, so it's about a three or four hour drive.
Then, we have a family reunion in southern Missouri and I'm planning a 4-day weekend for that so we can spend some time in the Ozarks.
Then, we will go into Kansas City to Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun.
Then, I'm planning a four-day weekend in Branson.
So I guess we are going to explore our state too!
Plus we have a public pool in our town that the kids spend a lot of time at. Then there is girl scout camp for my daughter. My son will be getting a job this summer as he's 16 now and mom can't afford gas for my car and his car and to pay for his dates all of the time.
As you can see I try to keep my kids as busy as possible! There is nothing worse than bored children when you're trying to work!
Might do that one day, but have some debt to get rid of first - sm
So putting out $6500 for a TT will have to wait; in a year I may be able to think about it, then save up the $$$ for it. I have done some research into this and know I first have to lose the weight and be stable at my goal weight for a while before I can have that done if I want to do this right. Guess I will just have to wait and see just how bad it looks after I shed the 70+ pounds. Feeling good right now, just went outside did some yardwork that I usually never have time to do (really didn't now either but work can wait), felt good to be active for a change, though I must now sit on my big butt and work for the next 4-6 hour! My thing is that I have to get more physically active, sit way too much!
Out of debt
Congratulations!!! Isn't it a wonderful feeling?
debt
I agree with transferring to 0% when the offers come. I have been doing that for years. Now, I just got an offer for 6.99% for the life of balance up to 12,000 dollars. Going to take that offer, (we are going to remodel our main but small bathroom) and pay off 2 1/2 cc; then what is left over, oh, and going to give my hubby 1000 to get out bike out of shop, so, what ever is left over, which should be 6 to 7000, will redo bathroom, payments won't be bad, like 190 a month and don't use your cards for a good while, just steadily pay. Hope this helps, and life is too short to stress over bills. Keep them in mind but at the same time, think of what you have. 
For those people with school aged children when do vacations start to dwindle and you start getting
ready for school. I usually take a vacation when things slow down at the end of Summer and I am just wondering when in August most people start getting into school things and less vacations are taken.
I am totally out of debt -
house, cars, motorcyles, credit cards. Everything!
It feels great!
Paying down debt
It is getting harder to make ends meet because of all the straws in our bank account. I have 17k in CC dept alone. It is with 4 different CC companies. One CC has $200, #2 has about 4K, #3 has about 2K, #4 has 10k. The 10K one has a 15 % APR, the others I believe range from 24% to 29% APR. My biggest monthly payment is my house and I owe only $4700 on it and it has 6.3% APR. I sold some things and am getting $5K and that will be enough to pay off my house. I would love to finally, officialy own this house and get rid of that $350 monthly pmt, but I wonder if I should not pay down on the CC because of the high interest rates. Any opinions. TIA.
Paying Down Debt
I feel you, believe me. First, Bravo to you for facing this. That's the hardest part. I think if you are so close to paying off your house, you wouldn't want to take out yet another loan against it. Additionally, the interest rates aren't that great. What is the total of payments you are making on your credit cards? If you can slap that 5000.00 on your debt first on all of the higher interest ones perhaps paying some of them off. That will free up extra money to put on the rest of your credit cards. Then once the credit cards are paid off, you can then work on the mortgage (I WISH I had your mortgage..). Also we work in an industry where it is easy to pick up extra work---have you thought of that just to get extra money to pay off the debt? That's what I'm trying to do. Things are just so bad right now. Good luck, hope this helps...
credit debt
Wow thanks for all the good tips.
As this got off the subject and onto other things, I just wanted to say I have heard Al-Anon is excellent for people dealing with alcoholism in a spouse or other loved one. It might be a great place for support for you and your kids. Just a thought.
Well, the only debt we have is our house...
so I would put it towards the principal on our mortgage.
Did you go into debt over the holidays?
C'mon, fess up!
Did you use credit to buy things for the holidays, or did you pay in cash?
I'm happy to report that for the 13th year, we paid in cash.
credit card debt
Not sure what will happen, but I do wish you luck. Credit card debt is an unsecured type of debt. I don't know what more they can do to you other than a judgement. Not sure you can put that under a bankruptcy either once the judgement has been placed. I know a lawyer that handles a lot of bankruptcies -- did some work for him. He always asked his clients if late payments had gone to judgements. If they had not gone that far he was pleased about it. I guess it made things easier legally. Not really sure.
Completely out of debt today!
I have paid all of my big bills off and now only have the monthly ones. Need to pop a cork!
debt consolidation/relief
I'm seriously considering going with one of those debt relief companies to get myself out from under a mound of credit card debt. I feel like I'm drowning. Has anybody had any experience with these companies, good or bad?
Strive to become debt free...
yes, that means living on a budget, telling the kids (and yourself and your spouse) no to impulse buying and splurges. You really can live below your wage if you WANT to and it is better to do it before you HAVE to due to job loss, etc. We are debt free but our home, no car payments, all credit cards paid off, only have the utilities and food each month. It feels great not to write checks to anyone. My DH just finished his obligation of 700 a month child support (Yay!!) which means more towards the mortgage to pay it off sooner. We are content with what we have...too many Americans want it all and want it now, no matter what the price, just charge it or take out a loan for it...crazy!
Oops, should have been paying off a debt
/
Do your homework on debt collection (sm)
laws also - you just may have yourself a $1000 piece of paper in your hand.
Have you requested validation of this debt? If not, I would do that right away. Send it certified mail, return receipt requested. Depending on the age of the debt, I would be very careful about sending the canned "do not contact me letter." If the debt is not that old, that can sometimes trigger them to sue. I bet if you send the "please provide me with full validation (not verification that you have my name, address and soc. sec#) of this alleged debt. Short and sweet.
Before considering the CCCS or debt relief (sm)
places, first call the companies. If you haven't been charged off yet, most will work with you and have hardship programs. The accounts will likely be closed, but after 3-4 ontime payments they will "re-age" to show as current, will lower the interest rate so payments are lower and you will pay off over a 4-5 year period (in most cases, you can't use the cards as acct will be closed to further charges in exchange for drastic reduction in interest rate). Going with CCCS or similar, has the same effect as a BK, even worse, on your credit rating. The accounts will report as "closed, paying under debt management plan." While bankruptcy is an option I suppose, if you're a homeowner or have any assets, you'd have to file Chapt. 13 which will allow for some payback. I'd call the companies first and lay out your situation and see what they suggest. The credit industry is in a mess right now so they are willing to work with you if you're upfront and showing good faith.
Anyone ever use a debt settlement company - sm
like DebtAmerica or something like that, one that eliminates 30% or more of your balance owed, consolidates it and gets each cc to settle on an agreed amount, etc. I am thinking of going that route instead of CCCS company which is just a DMP (consolidates it but you still pay back every penny and interest). Either way you have a big black mark on your credit. I owe a substantial amount and this way I can probably be debt-free in 3-4 years instead of 8 years. I know they charge a fee, and you have to pay taxes on the settled amount but it will be a lot cheaper for me in the long run and I can afford it a lot better. So if anyone has gone this route, please give me your input and who you used and if you were happy with their service, etc. TIA! 
If it is an old debt, I've been told that the place that
the court with the original document that you signed before they can get a judgment to garnish wages. Usually they can't come up with it if the account was taken out a long time ago. I would look into it a little maybe even just online. Try consumer affairs website. Good luck.
I know it's popular, but don't put unsecured debt on your home.
No way, never ever do that. It's a huge mistake, you could end up losing your home. The risk is too great.
credit card debt relief
Does anyone have any experience with those companies claiming to reduce debt by up to 70%, etc. ?? I'm drowning in debt. :(
Credit Card Debt Counseling
http://www.cccsatl.org/index.asp?_method=view&sc=43&cn=486&md=debtmanagement
Here's what you want to use... It is called Consumer Credit Counseling Services. They are legit. Now back when hubs and I did it about 15 years ago, there were no computers, per se, so we went on site to an office. I don't know what state you're in or if there is an office local to you, but it looks like you can do this online.
We did it, completed it, and it was great. However, they cut your credit cards up in front of you and put them in a huge jar (at least they did back then). Once you join, there are no more credit cards. What CCCS does is works with your creditors to reduce interest rates, payment size, etc. because they are networked. You then make one lump payment to CCCS and they disburse the money. They also take into consideration your income. I think that's what makes it all work. Also, this is what tells them how long it will take to pay off the debt. Just beware though that if you are "behind" on payments, sometimes certain creditors do not accept CCCS, so they may hassle you still and some just plain won't accept CCCS's offer.
Believe me, even though we are not late on payments, we had in the past 3 years so much personal stuff go on (sickness, death, etc.) that we have racked up some debt ourselves and may try CCCS again, as one card we have raised the rate to 33% interest because we have a high balance. We make regular payments.
All in all, it's a great plan and it does work, but you no longer have credit cards (they close the accounts), and you will have a "bad mark" but yet a good mark on your credit report for using CCCS. Check with them about that though, as I do not know the specifics. It is way better than bankruptcy...
Hope you find some relief soon! My thoughts are with you... I'm not judgemental because I've been there and done that.
Anyone ever been sued by a debt collection agency
My husband and I have an account which we feel we don't owe. We cancelled it within the amount of time we thought we had to cancel, but were later told the contract for services was not cancellable (a vacation timeshare). The original amount was only $1,000.
Since that time, the timeshare company has sold our "debt" to a third party collection agency, Apelles. They call at all hours and even on weekends. Since I have caller ID, most of the time I don't even answer. This morning, however, they called at 8:45 and woke up my kids. I was a little annoyed, to say the least, and I'm just wondering: Does anyone have any personal experience with this company. I'm thinking about sending a Cease and Desist letter, but I'm worried that that will trigger them to take me to court. Has anyone ever been sued by Apelles? I would think our amount is too small to be worth their time and that they would just try to sell it to another agency. Any thoughts?
Love him! We are debt free but the house....
on an income of around $100,000 a year. DH may be getting laid off in the coming months but we just refinanced to a great below 5% rate, all our credit cards are paid off, we have savings built up to see us through tough times and we don't really worry about what may come. Sure, our cars are a few years old but guess what, they drive just like brand new ones. We still eat out several times a week, we take a month long vacation every year and we are happy with the things we have. We buy what we want when we want, but we aren't slaves to the newest TV, cell phone, i-phone, etc.We have no one to impress and really don't care what others have. We have the peace of mind that we can go to bed every night without much worry, the phone doesn't ring nonstop from creditors and we can go to the mailbox and not cringe when the bills come in. The country is in this financial mess because of greed, plain and simple; fat cat greed, greedy consumers in this I have to have it NOW society, and most think the free ride is never going to end. Sad....
credit card debt lawsuit question
If there is anyone out there who has been sued and had a judgment placed for credit card debt....
What happens when you go to court?? I don't own a house and live week to week (part-time IC, not very supportive husband) so they can't get blood from a stone so to speak. But I was wondering if anyone has gone to court and what actually happens.
credit card debt lawsuit question
Anyway you can declare bankruptcy, chpt 7? I am going that route. :(
Do you have a lot of monies owed where bankruptcy is a real possibility?
I'm going through a similar time......talk about stress!!!!!!!
I posted back in late August about cc debt - sm
in response to someone else giving advice on what to do. I told you about how I had a ton of debt my DH knew nothing about, how I was afraid of him, etc. and that I just did not know how to tell him. I consulted a lawyer and got some insight and advise in case things went really bad when I did tell him. Well I finally bit the bullet and told him on Monday. He was off from work, kids were in school, I wrote a 4 page letter laying it all out. I went out in the LR and I asked him if he loved me and was happy in our marriage, I got yes's to both questions. Then I handed him the note (bawling at this point) and said I was going out for a little while and we would talk when I came back. He called me 10 minutes later, upset yes, but not nuts as I expected. We ended up talking for 2 hours. He was quite good about it which really surprised me, he was in shock though. Later last night after he got drunk not horribly so but enough, though he did not turn nasty. I had asked him not to drink but he ignored that, so as a result he broke down said a few things which I probably deserved, though he does not believe I was scared of him....denied ever threatening to kill me, said if he did he was kidding and it was his sick sense of humor. I told him I take all death threats seriously. But comes down to he does not want to divorce over it, for which I am happy and grateful, and I think this will ultimately help us. We are taking a 401K loan for the debt on his cards, and I will go to a credit consolidator for the debt on my cards......any recommendations on that front? My credit is in the dump so this is not going to make it much worse. In five years we will be free and clear, paid off debt and house at that point. I have a huge breach of trust to heal and don't know how to go about it, that is what is hurting him the most and the fact I waited so long to tell him, couldn't understand why I felt I could not come to him when it all started. So he learned what a conniving wife he has and I learned that I had what I wanted all along, just didn't know it. We still have a lot to work out, and I am in for 5 or more years of snide backbiting remarks at times I am sure, but I think there is hope for us actually.
I used Debt Free Today. Pretty good
company. Never had any troubles with them. Just sent them a check once a month and they distributed among my creditors on the agreed amount. I think we paid off in 4 years. Was really nice!
Yeah, stay out of that family debt deal, if ya can. :) nm
nm
Pay off highest interest rate debt first, then the next, and onto the next. The house can wait. Do
dd
You're not 'low-class', you're FUNNY, & a good writer!
Which is often the case then someone is the first to cast stones!
You're surprised? I'm not. They're not going to stop voting....
as was mentioned in a prior post. Imagine if they succeed? They just may.
At least you wait until they're cooked! LOL...we're raw dough
s
Sounds like you're doing great! We're also making out...sm
daughter pay for gas and insurance when she starts driving. She hasn't started driving yet because she doesn't want to get a job to pay for that privilege. That's her choice. We're also making her pay 1/2 of the fees for the state required driver's education course.
Have U renogiated credit card debt when minimum payment got too high? Do they take your card away,
s
it is wonderful to see how many people have such strong opinions about people in debt.
I thought that the purpose of this board was to be able to post without being judged unfairly or have somebody tell you how wonderful their personal life is, and therefore you are causing their life to be less wonderful with your irresponsibility. Well, the saying "walk a mile in my shoes" is a good one in this case. Since you have no personal information about the person you are lambasting because they are looking for information on their debt, you can feel superior. Had you had personal information about them, you might act in a more human manner. Consider fighting cancer for 4 years, working and being debilitated while you do, suffering the effects of chemo, going into debt to maintain your home for your children and looking for a way out of debt SHOULD YOU EVEN LIVE THROUGH THIS!! Thank you for the kind comments. To the judgmental people I say please take a step back before you judge. You do not know who you are talking to and if you knew the personal information maybe your comments would be kinder.
Things you're afraid of vs. things you're not
I didn't used to be afraid of spiders, but I seem to have developed a fear of those little beasties. I also can't stand boats, water deeper than my hot tub and bridges. I'm also fairly convinced that UFOs, if not aliens (well, isn't anything driving those things?) are real, so that kinda scares me, yet it is strangely fascinating. I'm also afraid of El Chupacabra, though I'm very certain that's not real. It's one of those "hahahahaha" fears.
Things other people fear that I do not include snakes (awwww, they so cute! they look like they're smiling!), rats, gangbangers (except Mara Salvatrucha, move them up to my "scary" list), poverty, death, traveling at high rates of speed with almost anyone sober, bats (CUTE!!!!!), homeless people, Sasquatch, most of my male friends, bears, mountain lions.
Fear is such an odd thing, don't you think? So much of it is relative to our own experiences in life, yet at the same time some of them are downright irrational.
So, how 'bout you? What will send you running screaming in the other direction, and what things can you take care of when someone else goes running screaming in the other direction?
you're welcome. nm
nm
I see what you're saying...but
heaven forbid, they break up and one of them dies, wouldn't you want the same thing. If she were to die, wouldn't she want her husband to have the same choice she is wanting??? I guess I'm just concerned with pushing this on the husband and he doesn't want to do it. I hope it all works out though. This is a hard decision to make.
You're welcome!
I hope you can come up with something, I've "been there and done that".
Should be you're not, not your not
and actually in the minority as I do work a full 8 hour day, no chasing after kids, walking the dogs, doing housework so you got it exactly right, in the minority as opposed to a lot I read about on here.
Aww, sorry you're going through that...sm
My husband can get into moods also, but I honestly won't allow him to talk to me like that. In every relationship I've ever been in, I wouldn't allow it. In the beginning when I was pregnant with our second child, I wrote him a long letter telling him I needed more help and would not accept anything less. I was so stressed out with working at home and taking care of a 2-year-old and being pregnant. That was it! Ever since then, I swear he does more than me! If he talks to me in a certain way, I demand an apology and I get it, not always right then, but a little later. He knows I won't take it. We've been together for 15 years now, and that is a big thing in keeping us strong. He doesn't take my crap, either:-) He's still my best friend so it's worth it to make it work. Stand up to him and make him respect you! I say that with much care.
Because you're mom, LOL.
Moms just know these things.
We're all in this together ...
I think. It's always reassuring for me to know that other people are dealing with the same stuff I am.
She was furious when she found out I had gone through her purse, but too bad. You live in my house, you live by my rules, sweetheart.
Another thing that gets me is where she was getting the stinkin' things anyway. She works in a restaurant where her coworkers smoke but I hope they would know better to get them for a minor. As far as I know, she hasn't started up again.
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