Has Anyone Used Careone Credit Counseling???

I'm so proud of you for deciding to eliminate your debt. It will bring you such great peace of mind, which is much more valuable than any material things. Dave Ramsey is a financial guru who offers sound, solid advice (he's been there, done that--he filed bankruptcy years ago and now he doesn't have any debt whatsoever, not even a mortgage). Check out www.daveramsey.com He has a radio talk show on 1310 am in the afternoons here in the Phoenix area that I LOVE. He celebrates becoming debt-free and answers financial questions. He has a cash-only envelope system set up to help people stick to their budgets. I love the entry to his show where they say, "The show where a paid-off mortgage replaces a BMW as the status symbol of choice."

More than anything, it just takes great discipline. When my husband and I were in college the first year we were married we made only $13,000 taxable income combined, and so we were well within the poverty level. We just cut our expenses as much as possible so we could live within our means. We just learned to do without. It was extremely difficult, but definitely possible with discipline.

The little things do add up. Track your spending and expenses for a couple months and you'll most likely be surprised how much money is wasted (I was!) and you will see where you can cut back to save more. Making a budget and sticking with it was the only way my husband and I were able to make our money stretch to go where it needed to. Pay the crucial things first.

Many bill collectors are happy to get anything at all out of you, so many will work with you and forgive part of your debt and take payments (I know because we had many bill collectors calling my house when I was a teen but my parents couldn't file bankruptcy because they already had a few years earlier). I'm sure you can find free financial counseling that would help.

Well, I wish you luck! I know you can do it! I am really impressed that you've decided to eliminate the debt giant.

Well, of course the credit counseling companies will tell you that bankruptcy would be worse but they have an ulterior motive, don't they?

Depending on the direness of your situation, bankruptcy might just be the fresh start that you need. Here's an article that I found helpful.

Beware the drawbacks of credit counseling.......

http://www.chs-law.com/2007/08/credit-counseling-versus-b...

My sister used Debt SHield, which a friend of hers also used. It worked out well, as if creditors started calling, she just called the person at DS & they had it stop. It all worked well, except one credit card loan was sold, & they refused to settle it, & keep accumulating the interest. It is astronomical, & asenine. She may still file bankruptcy because of it. But, the people were great to deal with & worked very hard to help her.

I would like to invite you to Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey. It is a 13 week course offered through our church, Sun Valley, and it had made a HUGE difference in the lives of so many families. We have had several families become debt free without using credit counseling by going through this class and becoming educated in all areas of their finances, something our school systems definitely do not teach us or our children. In fact, we are taking the course again this fall and we are bringing our teens!

I could write paragraphs about how much it would help you, but I suggest you just contact Sun Valley for all the information you need. I believe the fall session begins on Tuesday, September 16, but there is a preview on August 16th. Sun Valley is located on Ray Road between Lindsay and Gilbert, and their phone number is: ###-###-####.

I promise you that this course will change your life. Everyone who earns, has, or spends money should take this course to protect themselves from the lies of our culture and the credit industry. This is an open invitation to anyone who reads this, as well. I would love to see you there!

I agree- Dave Ramsey is great... another group to look into is Crown Financial Ministries.. they have a number of qualified people willing to help. If you google it, I'm sure you'll find the info.
You have a very wonderful goal that will relieve your life of a lot of stress... just be patient with yourself, stick to the plan and don't be discouraged, because getting out of debt does not happen over night. Kind of like losing the baby weight... takes time!
best wishes.

Unfortunately, using a credit counseling company is almost as bad as bankruptcy. I have done some research and have found that there is really nothing you can do other than settle with the original company that won't hurt you. My sister went to a place and they said she would only save like 100 a month because most of her creditors really don't lower rates adn that is how they save you money. Be cautious and do lots of research.

As a Realtor, I often deal with people and their credit. I took a course on understanding and helping clients with their credit (so they could repair their credit to buy a home.) The course was instructed by Patrick Ritchie who wrote the book, "The Credit Road Map." I have read the book and continue to reference it from time to time for clients. I think the book is helpful to know what effects your credit and how long it will effect your credit. I think this might be good information for you, rather than paying or trusting someone else to help you. Remember that no one truely cares about your money and your credit as much as you do. Good luck and let me know if you have any specific ?'s. I'm happy to share if I've read/learned about that topic.