Do you have credit card debt?

Lisa1971

A good friend of mine just told me she has over $24,000 racked up in cc debt! I was like "OMG are you kidding?????" She isn't worried in the least and said "Yeah, I just charge everything. No big deal." :noway: Seriously? I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I had that much debt just on credit cards! I try and pay mine off each month but I am amazed how some people can just plop down the plastic and don't really think of it as "real money." (That's what she said anyway...that it doesn't seem like "real money" to her!) Wow.

I just smiled and changed the subject. LOL. :laugh:

So do you pay off your cc debt each month?

DonnaRe2012

I do one better....If I buy something with my cc I am not allowed to buy anthing else till that item is paid off.

Lisa1971

I do one better....If I buy something with my cc I am not allowed to buy anthing else till that item is paid off.

Smart thinking! I got into trouble years ago with cc debt. It got out of control and took forever to pay it off. Never again!

ScatteredThoughts

No. We never carry over a balance. Each card gets paid in full every month.

Bennett056

Yes, I pay off my credit cards every month. I couldn't sleep at night if I owed a significant amount on a credit card. The interest rates are crazy bad.

Capt_Inzane

Unfortunately after a divorce I'm stuck with a lot of debts. I've downsized my living TREMENDOUSLY so that I can pay everything off. It's going to take some time but I don't get to splurge on much (give myself a modest allowance).

Daniloveshockey94

I pay mine in full each billing cycle!! Keeps me in line!

Lisa1971

Unfortunately after a divorce I'm stuck with a lot of debts. I've downsized my living TREMENDOUSLY so that I can pay everything off. It's going to take some time but I don't get to splurge on much (give myself a modest allowance).

Oh, that sucks. Good luck to you!

veto1024

I pay all mine off at the end of the month. I like the various rewards and have never paid a dime in interest . The person mentioned in the original post has a special kind of ridiculous in their blood. I always complain about the sorry state of mathematical knowledge in the US, but the very idea of that kind of debt should have ANYONE, regardless of their understanding of the math behind it, worried.

Kst76

A good friend of mine just told me she has over $24,000 racked up in cc debt! I was like "OMG are you kidding?????" She isn't worried in the least and said "Yeah, I just charge everything. No big deal." :noway: Seriously? I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I had that much debt just on credit cards! I try and pay mine off each month but I am amazed how some people can just plop down the plastic and don't really think of it as "real money." (That's what she said anyway...that it doesn't seem like "real money" to her!) Wow.

I just smiled and changed the subject. LOL. :laugh:

So do you pay off your cc debt each month?

You must be young ( which is a good thing ) because if you think that nowadays, 24k is a lot of cc debt you are kidding yourself.
I mean, you are right, it is alot but in today's economy its not much at all. Your friend is obviously very naive in her way of thinking. One day it will come back to hunt her big time. But there are also other reasons people use CC. For many people it is like their only source of "income". It is very very sad.

iKapuniai

I live paycheck to paycheck unfortunately, so I do charge a lot on my credit cards. Most of the time I'm only able to pay off half of what I charge in the same month, so I do rack up a bunch of debt, however, every year when I get my taxes I put about 75% of my returns back onto my cards. I've got about $17,000 worth of debt right now, but I still manage to have a credit score of 740, and so long as I continue to pay each month, I don't waste time worrying about it. I prefer to enjoy my life and remember that I'm doing my best with what I have. No sense in worrying about it if I can't do any more to change the situation, so instead I change my attitude.

Love and Alohas,
-Ihilani Kapuniai

iKapuniai

A good friend of mine just told me she has over $24,000 racked up in cc debt! I was like "OMG are you kidding?????" She isn't worried in the least and said "Yeah, I just charge everything. No big deal." :noway: Seriously? I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I had that much debt just on credit cards! I try and pay mine off each month but I am amazed how some people can just plop down the plastic and don't really think of it as "real money." (That's what she said anyway...that it doesn't seem like "real money" to her!) Wow.

I just smiled and changed the subject. LOL. :laugh:

So do you pay off your cc debt each month?

You must be very young ( which is a good thing ) because if you think that nowadays, 24k is a lot of cc debt you are kidding yourself. I mean, it is alot but in todays economy its not much at all.

This is true. I have a friend who went to a private college and is currently almost $100,000 in debt because of it. $24 is nothing compared to some.

Kst76

My husband and I also have alot of Credit card debt due to stupid mistakes like the OP's friend but also due to things that happened to us later in life that kind of forced us to use cc.:(

We signed up for CCCS ( Consumer credit counseling ) 18 months ago and they have been a life savior. We managed to pay off more than half our debt so far and our credit score as gone up more than 50 points! We have another 15 months to go and we have paid off every single dime we were owe,

mariapuhl

Nope no credit card debt. Granted, I'm only 23, but have no debt. Went to a private college, worked hard to have no debt from that with scholarships, work-study and internships. I learned early not to spend more than you earn... which I thought was common sense, but apparently not. So now starting my PhD that is entirely paid for plus some extra thanks to a TA position and work study.

Kst76

Nope no credit card debt. Granted, I'm only 23, but have no debt. Went to a private college, worked hard to have no debt from that with scholarships, work-study and internships. I learned early not to spend more than you earn... which I thought was common sense, but apparently not. So now starting my PhD that is entirely paid for plus some extra thanks to a TA position and work study.

You have been very fortunate. I wish more people had those opportunities. I am glad you are not wasting it away because I have seen people do that.

mariapuhl

Nope no credit card debt. Granted, I'm only 23, but have no debt. Went to a private college, worked hard to have no debt from that with scholarships, work-study and internships. I learned early not to spend more than you earn... which I thought was common sense, but apparently not. So now starting my PhD that is entirely paid for plus some extra thanks to a TA position and work study.

You have been very fortunate. I wish more people had those opportunities. I am glad you are not wasting it away because I have seen people do that.

Thank you - I know I've been lucky, but I've always worked very hard to get where I am, so it's kind of like a little reward to not have to worry about anything (other than that dreaded thesis!) for a while.

onedayatatime410

Absolutely not. I don't carry a balance from month to month. I can not stand owing any type of debt. If I don't have it, I don't have it

quirkytizzy

No credit card debt but plenty of other bills in collection due to a divorce and school loans. I don't even qualify for one of those pre-paid kinds of credit cards.

Truthfully, I don't worry about it. Getting food, rent, and cat litter is struggle enough. They can call all they want - can't squeeze blood out of a turnip. The few bucks I do manage to sock away every week are in savings for the inevitable car trouble, the cat that inevitably needs to go the vet. Immediate survival trumps a credit score, every time.

Someday I'll be able to work on the debt. Just not now.

kms1320

I have one for online purchases and emergencies. I usually pay it off every month because interest rates are stupid.. even with a good credit score.

Kst76

Nope no credit card debt. Granted, I'm only 23, but have no debt. Went to a private college, worked hard to have no debt from that with scholarships, work-study and internships. I learned early not to spend more than you earn... which I thought was common sense, but apparently not. So now starting my PhD that is entirely paid for plus some extra thanks to a TA position and work study.

You have been very fortunate. I wish more people had those opportunities. I am glad you are not wasting it away because I have seen people do that.

Thank you - I know I've been lucky, but I've always worked very hard to get where I am, so it's kind of like a little reward to not have to worry about anything (other than that dreaded thesis!) for a while.

I have no doubt you have been working very hard. Its people with your attitude that deserves to get rewarded.
I feel bad for people who had a rough start from the beginning. In my case however, I cannot blame anybody but myself.

Cre8veLifeR

No! I got myself into a LOT of debt when I was younger -- close to $50K (embarrassing to admit!) and it took me nearly 5 years to get out of that hole I dug myself into - thankfully I was able to take out a home equity LOC for a WAY lower interest rate and pay it off... Now my philosophy is, if I don't have the cash, I will save if I really want it, or I don't need it. Lesson learned the hard way!!!