Americans have frequently been told that they live in the wealthiest nation on Earth. We are frequently told of the prosperity that this country has. Unfortunately, these statements conceal the terrible truth about finance in America. Statistics show that Americans are having a much harder time paying their bills. In fact, they are having such a difficult time paying their bills that the savings rate for the country has dropped to the lowest level since the height of the Great Depression in 1933. If these statistics don't frighten you, this means you are either one of the few who has their finances under control, or you are unaware of the financial picture in the United States.
A number of studies have shown that the typical American owes about $10,000 in credit card debt at an average of 14% interest. Combine this with the auto loans, mortgage loans, student loans, and numerous other bills most Americans have today and it is easy to see why so many people are in debt. If this situation doesn't remotely describe you, congratulations. It is in your best interest to keep it that way. If this situation does sound familiar, there are a number of changes you will need to make in your life immediately if you wish to be successful.
First, if you are making only the minimum payments on your credit cards each month, it may take you as long as 30 years to pay off the balance if you owe $5,000 or more. If you owe more than $10,000, you may never be able to get out of debt if you are simply paying the minimum payments. The banking industry and federal government has not made things any easier. A bankruptcy law was passed in 2005 that will make it harder for people to file bankruptcy in order to get out of debt, and banks are now saying they will double the minimum payment on their credit cards each month.
One thing you can do to protect your family is to look for credit repair or debt consolidation services if you haven't already considered them. If you have any personal belongings that are valuable, you may need to consider selling them to pay off your debts. While this may not be a desirable option, the alternative is much worse. The debt situation in the United States continues to spiral out of control. The best way to protect yourself is to pay off your debt the best you can, and use a debt consolidation service if you are not sure where to turn.
Credit Card Debt America
So you have decided to go for credit card debt elimination and are wondering on what the methods for credit card debt elimination are. As they say, let's take the bull by its horns and lay it all flat on the ground. There are generally 2 recommendations that are most common for credit card debt elimination: controlling the expenditures and consolidating debt. Let's check both of these credit card debt elimination recommendations and check the list of things that you can do for achieving credit card debt elimination using these recommendations:
1.Control your urge to spend: The first thing to do for credit card debt elimination is to control your expenditures. Here we are talking about the payments you make using your credit card. Remember that the main reason being your getting into credit card debt is uncontrolled expenditures using your credit card. So if you are really serious about credit card debt elimination, this is one thing that will help in credit card debt elimination by preventing accumulation of further debt. Here is what you can do to control your expenditures:
a.You need to stay away from attractive offers that are put-up by various shops and stores. Don't buy anything that you don't really-really need. After all you are looking for credit card debt elimination not supplementation.
b.Leave your credit card at home. If you really-really need something, then you can fetch your credit card from your house. This will prevent you from yielding to the too-attractive-to-resist sale offers (that are actually there all the year round). This credit card debt elimination technique, again, works on the principal of 'prevention is better than cure'. This will prevent unplanned expenses from happening.
c.Prepare a monthly budget and stick to it. This is really a very important credit card debt elimination measure. This budget will form the basis of your credit card debt elimination plan. So if you deviate from your budget, your credit card debt elimination plan will go for a toss.
2.Debt consolidation: Debt consolidation or moving from high APR credit cards to a low APR one is generally the first step (the first reactive step) for credit card debt elimination. Here are a few things that you need to do:
a.Do not go for the first balance offer you come across. Analyse various offers and choose the one that best suits you. This will be an important thing on you credit card debt elimination plan. Initial APR, Initial APR period and standard Apr, all need to be considered.
b.Read the fine print on the balance transfer offer and check the terms and conditions on these. These might affect your overall credit card debt elimination plan.
c.Compare other benefits e.g. rebates, reward points, etc, before you actually decide to go for one of the offers.
Credit card debt elimination is about proper planning and discipline. So make your credit card debt elimination plan and stick to it.
Both Jake Truman & Julia Sinan are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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