<![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt - Consumerist Comments]]> <![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt - Consumerist Comments]]> <![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt]]> More informstion is needed for such a study:
Buying habits
Income levels
Living conditions
Family sizes

Papa Midnight

]]> <![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt]]> While this report is quite interesting, one thing I have not heard mentioned is that the primary motive behind surveys just like these is to find a way to get you to give them more money.

Yeah lesse, young family, more than $3,000 in credit card debt, send them the 'day-to-day expenses' brochure. And, since we know they'll be in debt for a looong time make the teaser rate especially low, they'll bite.

loueloui

]]> <![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt]]> Just last month I made the final payment to my original 25k debt, what got me there? Lawyer and US immigration fees (doing the whole becoming legal in the usa is friggin expensive!) Atleast I kept my intrest to 0%
but now I am debt free and staying that way!

rockergal

]]> <![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt]]> @EtherealStrife: "Try being unemployed for a few years and see what it does to your debt."

No, thanks. I'd rather not. I was unemployed for about two months before I decided it wasn't for me. That's when I bit the bullet and started waiting tables. I kept looking for a job working with computers, sitting at a desk, doing the whole Dilbert/cubicle thing (and eventually found it) but at least while I was looking during the day, I was still pulling money in at night.

Staying unemployeed for years just doesn't seem like a good idea at all.

jeffj-nj

]]> <![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt]]> It's not necessarily buying stuff, although that is part of it, but also the refusal to live without television, cell phones, and DSL.

lorddave

]]> <![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt]]> I am working my out of cc debt, what got me in the hole? A root canal, transmission repair and medical copay - those three items were roughly 3K in total.


I try to be conservative and only purchase what is needed, but cc debt can happen very easily. I am now trying to balance paying off and building up my savings so the next time one of these things comes up I can pay cash. Mortgage, cars, home repairs, kids - gets tough out here some times.

KenyG

]]> <![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt]]> Well then the obvious answer is to stop frigging maxing your cards out on stupid things.

EvilTapioca, please pick up the white courtesy phone, Post #2 is on the line.

timmus

]]> <![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt]]> @EvilTapioca: Just because you use your cc to buy stupid things doesn't mean everyone does. During financially difficult times just coming up with enough to buy a loaf of bread can be difficult (without a cc). Try being unemployed for a few years and see what it does to your debt. It can happen to any of us, unless you work in a consistently stable industry that has an abundance of job openings (fast food, government, etc).

EtherealStrife

]]> <![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt]]> Sadly, people simply need to live within their means. To do that there most likely will be more than a bit of self sacrifice and hardship. Life is tough so one has to be tough as well.

zolielo

]]> <![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt]]> Well then the obvious answer is to stop frigging maxing your cards out on stupid things.

EvilTapioca

]]> <![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt]]> Darn. I was hoping you'd keep the name on the envelope since it belongs to someone who faked that they lived at my address. I want them to get some kind of comeuppance for their perjury...

spidra

]]> <![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt]]> Some of it's not stuff. I've known people who had to charge medical stuff because of our not-so-great non-Canadian medical system. Oh, did they get hurt (pun).

Still, I paid off all mine and then the car payment, and then the mortgage. Interesting that my demographic, (mature singles) has the highest bankruptcy rate of 15 percent.

Rusted

]]> <![CDATA[20% of Americans Fear They'll Never Escape Credit Card Debt]]> I wonder if those people have considered buying less stuff.

jeffj-nj

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