"My financial situation is really in shambles, and I don't know which way to go with it. I learned that women should always take care of their finances because when you let a man control your finances and that man is gone, no one is going to help you with them after that."

Aside from her marital woes, which involved the complete dissolution of a seventeen-year marriage, Moore's car was repossessed ($15,000 debt) and her replacement car had been stolen.

Moore's story is but one of many case studies that eventually lead to acquire debt consolidation loans. The basic patterns that lead to large debt are all in Moore's story. There is the luxurious living beyond one's means, the lack of savings, and the lack of control over income and the repayment of loans and existing debts.

This bleak picture can often be resolved through debt consolidation loans. Moore was lucky- she was able cut all her credit cards and she was able to repay her debt. However, she is still worrying about how to send her daughter to college.

According to the Federal Reserve Board:

“Americans have almost doubled their revolving outstanding consumer credit in the past decade from $462 billion in December 1996 to $879 billion in December 2006.”

“Most African Americans know they are in over their heads, with 70% of blacks describing debt as a "serious problem," compared with only 56% of all respondents to a Center for American Progress survey.”

You know you're in trouble already when:

1. You're using credit cards to pay for the outstanding balances of other credit cards.

2. You skip payments of debts, large or small because you think you cannot afford them. You'd rather receive heckling calls of merciless debt collectors from credit card companies and lose sleep instead of repaying your debts.

3. You like switching to newer credit cards because newly approved cards have lower introductory interest rates than cards that are 6-12 months old.

4. You are constantly in an argument with your spouse or partner because of the mounting bills that arrive with the regularity of clockwork.

5. You use your card for everything, from buying bread to milk to gasoline.

If you think you are experiencing even one of these symptoms, you're heading straight for a financial crash.

Making a run for it never works. It's better if you just pay the debt rather than live a life of fear and constant worrying. First off, always pay your debts with cash no matter how hard it is.

Second, ask about debt consolidation loans and stick to the financial plan that is drawn up for you. Practice utmost thriftiness and control over spending while you are paying for your debts. Remember, you want the debts to go away as quickly as possible. The only way this would happen is by paying for them on a regular basis.