Ok so it's time to ask for help...I need help.

[njmom47]

already have been suggested, but my husband and I are both on a debt management program. Our neighbor works for this particular company, and we got the scoop beforehand. It is totally legit, and they charge 25.00 a month for their services. If you want more info, please PM me and I'll give you more information.

 

[Virgderon]

Hi everyone - I just wanted to update you on my garage sale. I had it from Friday until Sunday of this past weekend and I didn't do very well. I made $100.00. Things just didn't sell. I had an airhockey table, Little Tykes picnic table, lots of kids books, games, holiday decorations, kitchen stuff (plates, pots/pans), kids bikes, an old Singer anitque sewing machine. I am disappointed. I thought it was reasonable priced - I took someones suggestion of 20% of retail and even went lower than that. I think I might have to Ebay this stuff, but I am not online so I don't even know how that can work. I am online at work only.

I really thought I would do better than $100 bucks.


Michelle

Hi- I think 20% off of retail is still too high. When I had to clear out the house last year, I had people negotiating with me big time. I think with the bad economy, people want garage sale stuff to be dirt cheap.

I sold books and stuffed animals for about 10 to 25 cents, kids bikes for about 10 to 15 dollars. The clothes were the worst. I just had to get rid of them ,and didn't want to make too many Goodwill runs. I was selling really nice blouses for a buck or two, and coats for five dollars.

It did hurt, but I was going to have to donate the stuff anyway.

 

[mousefanmichelle]

I had $5 on bikes and I even gave away 1 of them for free. I had $10 on Little Tykes toy boxes and I took $8 for 1 of them (had 2). I had $1 on Tupperware, and .25 cents on kids books and Beanie Babies were 2 for 1.00. I thought those were reasonable prices. If people asked for a lower price I gave it to them. Sold a great tent for $20. Again I thought my prices were reasonable. I guess I will donate most of it and some of it I guess I can Craigslist (crib, hockey table, sewing machine).

 

[palavra]

Hi There Grumpy's Gal - I haven't seen Angel Food Ministry around my area and I don't really know what it is. So, what is it?

And yes to the garden for next year. I can't wait to grow my own veggies!!! My dh helps a farmer out in our area and he just gave us some zuccini this week and said he will have tons of other veggies coming our way. That will help for sure!

I second Angel Food Ministries! It really helped us get by this summer. I get paid much less int he summer, since I am a teacher, so we needed to cut back a good bit. The website is www.angelfoodministries.com.

 

[mrsklamc]

Do you have a friend who lives in town that would let you hold a sale at their house? Being way out in the country can kill a yard sale.

 

[bsusanmb]

already have been suggested, but my husband and I are both on a debt management program. Our neighbor works for this particular company, and we got the scoop beforehand. It is totally legit, and they charge 25.00 a month for their services. If you want more info, please PM me and I'll give you more information.

Isn't it worth $25 to have all of it taken care of? The phone calls stop, and all of the worry is taken away. That's what I pay with Consumer Credit Counseling Service/Apprisen. I would recommend it to anyone who is seriously in debt with unsecured credit. I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel! Good luck with yours!

 

[mrsklamc]

You mentioned your credit union. Is your mortgage with them? If not, might be worth looking into whether you can refi with them. Because interest rates are so low, my sister and I have both recently refinanced to 15 year mortgages that actually have lower payments than our previous 30 year. Of course, if you are looking at moving seriously, might not be worth it.

 

[mousefanmichelle]

Isn't it worth $25 to have all of it taken care of? The phone calls stop, and all of the worry is taken away. That's what I pay with Consumer Credit Counseling Service/Apprisen. I would recommend it to anyone who is seriously in debt with unsecured credit. I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel! Good luck with yours!

I checked into the DMP and it was going to cost us $75 to start up with them and then $50 a month and they were only going to be saving us near $100 a month (so to pay $50 to save $100 we didn't see much advantage with that). So we opted to not do it. They are a reputable company too but still....

We are still trying. I am adjusting our budget as we go. My goal was $100 at the grocery store (up from the previous 50) and I came in right at $100.75 when I went on Saturday.

I will try Craigslist for the larger items and we are keeping the sale going all week (my dd wanted to help me do it this week) so we will see what happens.

 

[Virgderon]

I checked into the DMP and it was going to cost us $75 to start up with them and then $50 a month and they were only going to be saving us near $100 a month (so to pay $50 to save $100 we didn't see much advantage with that). So we opted to not do it. They are a reputable company too but still....

I will try Craigslist for the larger items and we are keeping the sale going all week (my dd wanted to help me do it this week) so we will see what happens.

Even tho it is only saving you $100 a month, wouldn't you be paying it off much faster at a lower interest rate? Mine was for 5 years. No way I was going to pay off my credit cards in 5 years without it.

Also, the $50 a month in service fees sounds high. Mine was $25, as the previous poster mentioned hers was.

 

[mousefanmichelle]

Even tho it is only saving you $100 a month, wouldn't you be paying it off much faster at a lower interest rate? Mine was for 5 years. No way I was going to pay off my credit cards in 5 years without it.

Also, the $50 a month in service fees sounds high. Mine was $25, as the previous poster mentioned hers was.

Problem is it really isn't saving me $100 - it's only saving me $50 after I pay their fee .

Maybe we need to check into a different company. I will talk to my dh about it.

 

[Virgderon]

Problem is it really isn't saving me $100 - it's only saving me $50 after I pay their fee .

Maybe we need to check into a different company. I will talk to my dh about it.

Right- but what I am trying to get you to think about is what it saves you in the long run if you get lower interest rates and get it paid off in 3 to 5 years. That's where the big savings comes in.

You don't want to fixate on just what your problems are today- you want to eventually be in a better position.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

Hi There Grumpy's Gal - I haven't seen Angel Food Ministry around my area and I don't really know what it is. So, what is it?

And yes to the garden for next year. I can't wait to grow my own veggies!!! My dh helps a farmer out in our area and he just gave us some zuccini this week and said he will have tons of other veggies coming our way. That will help for sure!

https://www.angelfoodministries.com/ here's their website.

for $30, you can get $65 worth of food every month. If you want to order more than one box, you can. It's open to everyone. There's no "qualifying" for it or anything. Go to the website and put in your zip code and it will tell you where it is in your town. I know several people who participate and they love it.

 

[mrsklamc]

Or, honestly, you might check into food pantries in your area. If you can cut your budget that way it might be just the boost you need to start a snowball.

 

[bsusanmb]

I checked into the DMP and it was going to cost us $75 to start up with them and then $50 a month and they were only going to be saving us near $100 a month (so to pay $50 to save $100 we didn't see much advantage with that). So we opted to not do it. They are a reputable company too but still....

We are still trying. I am adjusting our budget as we go. My goal was $100 at the grocery store (up from the previous 50) and I came in right at $100.75 when I went on Saturday.

I will try Craigslist for the larger items and we are keeping the sale going all week (my dd wanted to help me do it this week) so we will see what happens.

I looked at the website today apprisen.com and it states that they charge a set up fee of $25 and a monthly fee of $25. So it is $25 a month with them. They have been around for over 50 years, are not for profit, and there is a statement that if you are unable to pay, you can get a reduced rate or free. Why not give this a try? I have been with them for over a year and it is just great.

 

[mousefanmichelle]

I emailed Greenpath back to see if they could work it even lower and if not then I am calling apprisen.

I tried to deal with one more card today and they won't work with us at all.

I am frustrated. I know I got myself into this mess and I can eventually get myself out and it won't happen over night and I get that it is just that it seems the CC companies don't care whether you pay or not - they don't seem eager to help to make sure they get their money either. You would think it would be in their best interest to at least recover some of their money. Sigh.... back to the drawing board I guess.

 

[Virgderon]

With all due respect, and knowing that this comes off as harsh, negotiating with your cards isn't working because you don't understand the process, you don't seem to have an eventual goal, and you have not tried to educate yourself. Take a look at creditinfocenter.com - lots of good info there.

When you have overwhelming credit card debt, there are three things you can do:

1. Declare bankruptcy, and the court will decide how much you can afford to pay

2. Go on a CCS program, with the understanding that it may not lower you monthly payment much, but it will get you lower interest rates and help you pay off the debt in 3 to 5 years. Forgot to add - don't go through a debt settlement company. There are too many scammers out there. If you are going to do debt settlement, negotiate with your creditors on your own.

3. Settle with you credit cards, or go on a hardship program with them. To settle, you will need to have cash in hand, and are probably shooting for a 50% payoff. Don't bother doing this unless you have some cash on hand, the most they generally will allow is 90 days to pay off the settlement. Hardship programs are kind of the same as a CCS, except that you are dealing with the creditor directly.

So...

If you are going for option 1 of declaring bankruptcy, get a lawyer and get it done. Be ready to have the court decide what the amount of money you need to live is.

2. Do the CCS and look for ways to make the extra income to pay it off.

3. If you want to settle or do a hardship program with your credit card companies, they will be most likely to offer you the best deal around the 90 day late mark. If you are paying on the cards, they unfortunately do not have much incentive to negotiate with you. Be ready for persistant collection calls, but most of the credit card companies will eventually deal with you and give you a program. Those that don't could be put in a CCS.

When you called the credit company today,and they wouldn't help you, that's normal. It takes patience to negotiate with them directly, and frankly you have to look bad enough, be late enough, for them to think : "we better work with this person, or she is not going to pay us." This is why some people go through CCS, because they don't have the patience to deal with the creditor on their own.

 

[mrsklamc]

She's TRYING to go through a CCS. She tried one and she's waiting to hear back from another.

 

[Virgderon]

She's TRYING to go through a CCS. She tried one and she's waiting to hear back from another.

What I am trying to say is she doesn't have a strategy. She is in a panic, is what she is. She is calling everyone, putting her possessions out for a quick garage sale- she is focused on this moment in time, not a plan to eradicate her debt. I'm trying to help her think long term, and look at how to best deal with her problem.

I would argue that her frustration is getting the best of her to the point where she feels hopeless. She needs an action plan, right?

 

[mrsklamc]

What I am trying to say is she doesn't have a strategy. She is in a panic, is what she is. She is calling everyone, putting her possessions out for a quick garage sale- she is focused on this moment in time, not a plan to eradicate her debt. I'm trying to help her think long term, and look at how to best deal with her problem.

I would argue that her frustration is getting the best of her to the point where she feels hopeless. She needs an action plan, right?

I'm not certain we're reading the same thread She's made lots of positive changes and gotten 2 of 3 credit cards to work with her as well as deciding to selling a vehicle. Just because she's not dropping everything to do what some posters want her to do, does not mean she doesn't have a plan. She's working through her options.

 

[Virgderon]

"I'm not certain we're reading the same thread. She's made lots of positive changes and gotten 2 of 3 credit cards to work with her as well as deciding to selling a vehicle. Just because she's not dropping everything to do what some posters want her to do, does not mean she doesn't have a plan. She's working through her options.."


I'm not saying that she is not trying. She needs to do something about her credit card debt, and she says herself she is frustrated trying to do it. That is because she hasn't done her homework- she doesn't know how to get them to work with her. She doesn't seem to understand the real value of a CCS- and that is paying off your debt in less time. The possbility of lowering your monthly payment is icing on the cake.

She says in her last post that she is frustrated- that is because she doesn't know how negotiating with your creditors works. Of course she is frustrated.

Why are you critical of my attempt to clarify her options and help her? Because I didn't sound nice enough in my post?

The credit card companies aren't nice either. The people who answer the phone there have heard every story in the book. They have to sort out the people who really need help from the people who are just trying to lower their interest rate. They also have to protect their company's interest- no matter how outrageous their interests are.

Mousefanmichelle will need to understand when she has the most leverage with them, and use it. She needs to keep her emotions and frustration in check. And she should spend some time on creditinfocenter.com or a like web site to learn how other people do it. On those web sites, they even have phone numbers for specific people at credit card companies who might be more agreeable to helping you.

Like I said, if she doesn't have the desire to do it, or gets easily flustered talking to the credit card companies, that is what a CCS is for. They will do the negotiating for you.