Suggestions and Resources for Self-Help
Budget: a mathematical confirmation of your suspicions. ~A.A. Latimer
Downloadable Budget worksheet
Are living within your means? Do you need to figure out where to cut and save? Want to try out new scenarios? With this Excel spreadsheet, enter your take home pay and your daily, monthly and annual expenses. Please review the results carefully. I welcome questions and I will give you quick feedback on completed sheets free of charge.
Non Profit Financial Counseling / Credit Card Relief Assistance:
Credit Counseling Agency Comparison.
The link above reviews accredited agencies - free sources of financial counseling who also offer low fee assistance to use their services to resolve debts. A legitimate agency will discuss your budget with you, tell you how serious your situation is, and - if appropriate - may be able to reduce your credit card interest and help you manage your payments on your remaining balance.
Be sure to only work with an accredited and non-profit agency. They may charge a fee but it should be in the range of $20 to $40 dollars to enroll and to pay on a monthly basis. If an organization discusses fees in the hundreds or thousands of dollars, this is likely a for-profit agency and you should look elsewhere. Note that in most cases you will need to close all of your credit cards and therefore you must be living within your budget.
Checking your credit report
The above is the only ONE authorized source for the free annual credit reports that you are entitled to by law.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act guarantees you access to your credit report for free from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — every 12 months. If you have been a victim of identity theft or suspect there may be a
specific credit problem, you should download all three reports on a
regular basis. For others, or at a minimum, I suggest you get on a schedule of ordering one report every four months. This is a no-cost way to keep an eye on your credit.
Debtors Anonymous
http://www.debtorsanonymous.org
Debtors Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from compulsive debting.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop incurring unsecured debt. There are no dues or fees for D.A. membership; DA is self-supporting through member contributions.