Client Profile: Janet C.
Janet and her husband both work for a school system in Georgia, and they get paid monthly.
“By the third week each month, we would say, ‘OK, we don’t have much money left, so we just have to wait till the end of the month, stay home and save our gas. It’s worth it because we see our balances dropping every month.”
But just over a year ago, those balances were climbing.
“We were not going out and just spending, we needed to do home renovations,” she says. “But, we should’ve saved up and paid for it in cash instead of using credit cards.”
Today, they’re on the debt management program, and the couple’s debt is getting paid down fast.
It started with a TV commercial…
“We had been thinking about how we could get out of debt, and a Consolidated Credit commercial ran,” she says. “So in February 2013, my husband and I made a phone call that changed our lives. We are on our way to being debt-free for the first time in our lives.”
Before seeking help, they tried paying down their debt on their own, but their efforts seemed futile…
“We were frustrated,” she says. “We never paid the minimum and even though we were paying a little bit extra, we never saw the balance going down because of the high interest rates. Even if we were paying more than the required monthly payment, we were still not making a dent in the debt.”
Their interest rate was growing by leaps and bounds, but Consolidated Credit changed that…
“They helped lower our interest rates on one loan in particular,” she explains. “We were misguided several years ago when we took out this loan. The interest rate jumped from 7 percent to about 23 or 24 percent, and it just really got on my nerves. So we decided we wouldn’t use credit cards anymore and called Consolidated Credit.”
There is power in one phone call to Consolidated Credit…
“They dropped that rate down to 6 percent,” she rejoices. “We’ve paid more toward the principal in 13 months than we’ve paid in seven or eight years towards our loan. It most certainly did change our lives.”
A very articulate Janet can’t find the adjectives to describe the feeling of seeing her balances go down…
“We still have two more years left on the program, but just knowing that we have paid $5,000 down, we can’t describe the feeling,” she says. “Every month, when I get my statement, I write it down. It makes me feel good when I go back and add it to see how much we’ve paid down in a year. It’s thrilling to see how the interest rates dropped.”
The debt management program teaches many financial lessons. Janet advocates one of many…
“Live within your means and try not to have an instant gratification,” she says. “It means more if you save for it and get it later on with cash.”
Janet practices what she preaches…
“We didn’t use credit cards at Christmas and we were also able to pay our taxes and property taxes without using credit cards or borrowing money,” she rejoices. “What a relief!”
The couple looks forward to graduating from the program and is already making plans for that extra cash they will have in their budget once they graduate…
“Once we’re done, we’d like to go on a trip. I’m sure we’ll celebrate knowing that we can put the money we were using to pay credit card debt –– into a savings account.”
Janet and her husband vows again…
“We hope never to use credit cards again.”
Are credit card companies and credit card debt getting on your nerves?
If so, like Janet seek help. Consolidated Credit advocates going over your credit card statements, terms and conditions with a fine tooth comb. Credit limits may increase without your knowledge and interest rates may go up without warning, making paying down the principal difficult. Call our certified credit counselors and they will be able to assess your situation. Dial 1-888-294-3130. Or, to find out how much debt you’re in, take our free Debt & Budget Analysis online.
