Drowning in debt. | Imamother

amother

Mon, Oct 31 2005, 8:19 pm

I need some sort of emotional support I guess.
We are drowning in debt! credit card debts, and cannot get out of it, or so I think.
My husband is the only one working in our family, I'm home with a baby. We don't have any Jews in our area, so I cannot get a Jewish babysitter for him in order to go to work, I'm a little wary of using a non-Jew.
I feel so useless. I cannot help my husband.
I was trying to get a job from home, but didn't work out. I cannot sell, and that's what it's mostly about.
We tried getting a loan, but didn't get approved, because of our credit score.
I'm just so tired of cutting back on certain things in order to have enough for food.
I need some emotional support, some words of encouragment.
Thank you.

cindy324

Mon, Oct 31 2005, 8:33 pm

Feel for you, been there done that. You got to call a place like Ameridebt, or DebtSolutions, where they consolidate all your debt, make a deal with your creditors, so you can make one monthly payment that you can afford and pay off your debt sooner. The downside is that you'll have to cut up all your credit cards, you will not be able to use them until your debt is paid. Good Luck, also you may be able to keep one card for emergencies, depending on the policy of each debt solution agency.

BrachaVHatzlocha

Mon, Oct 31 2005, 9:41 pm

{{HUG}} Btw, have you considered babysitting yourself? I'm sure it's not great parnassa, but it could be something. Especially if there's a demand in your community for Jewish sitters

micki

Tue, Nov 01 2005, 9:55 am

how did you get in this situation?
the most important thing about a credit card is to only have ONE and pay off the ENTIRE balance evrey month.
the interest payments on even $100 are enourmous.
and only spend as much as you can afford to pay.
you can ask them to lower your limit if you seem to want to spend more.

another option is stop using cards completly and take out enough cash every week to cover expenses and only pay with cash.

do a search for credit card debt and get in touch with a company that can combine all your cards and give you a lower interest rate.

good luck.

613

Tue, Nov 01 2005, 1:41 pm

((((HUGS)))) oy, amother, that's a really tough situation. is there any way you could re-locate? if your dh isn't making enough to support you, maybe he could find a better job someplace else?
could you do medical transcription? that's a work-from-home job, with demand.
are you getting help from the govt.- WIC, medicaid, energy assistance, etc?

HATZLACHA!!

613

Tue, Nov 01 2005, 2:45 pm

Try this link:
http://www.aamt.org/ScriptContent/Index.cfm
(I just googled it- but it came from a govt. website, so it looks pretty legit.)
You have to take a course and pass an exam, which will cost you some $. But once you do that, the hours can be very flexible and you work from home. I think pay ranges from $10-$14/hour. If you want more info. let me know, I once looked into this for myself and spoke to some frum women about it... maybe I can dig up their phone numbers.

Meema2Kids

Tue, Nov 01 2005, 3:04 pm

Amother, this is such a frustrating situation to be in. YOu need to get a handle on your income and expenses. And also daven! Everything we have comes from Hashem and that's the place to start. ((HUGS))

Rivka

Tue, Nov 01 2005, 4:26 pm

Amother I know exactly how you feel, I am not out of my situation either, but chop up your credit cards, I felt great doing that. I live in the UK so they have different companies to help. Also with paying house bills like water, gas/electricity etc you should be able to contact the companies and explain your situation and they should be able to help you pay smaller amounts per month.

roza

Tue, Nov 01 2005, 6:50 pm

call each credit card and negotiate with them for lower payments. tell them about your financial situation. there are programs they themselves can put you on, they can close your credit card at the time. make sure you get the best deal.
(hate those credit cards- half of the americans are in debt because of them)

JEWISHMAMA

Wed, Nov 02 2005, 4:23 am

we´ve also been there and done that.
we´ve been married for 9 years and are just getting above water.
credit cards are really bad and we got into major debt because of them. Thank G-D I cut them all up and now pay either by cheque or debit card.
we relocated cause we couldn´t manage where we were. we were spending more than we earned and I´m talking about only necessities no take out or going out.
is there absolutely noone u can talk to in your area, even a rabbi or his wife. I spoke to the rabbi´s wife and it was amazing how she helped us out. Even where we are now we still get alot of help. Just yesterday I went to our local gocery store and when I went to pay she asked me if I could afford it this week, if not we could put it on the bill. Every so often pple give her tzedakah money and she distributes it to all her client.
is there anyone your parents or inlaws could speak to to help you out if they can´t.
I feel for you cause I know it can be embarrassing to ask for help, but think of it this way as you know what it feels like not to have money, when you have money remember how it feels and help out those who need.
I hope you get the help u need

Wed, Nov 09 2005, 9:58 am

There are g"mchas that lend out money. Try googling a loan g"mach or something like that - there are LISTs and lists of g"machs, and I don't think it needs to be local. I know for sure there is a g"mach like that in Monsey and if you want I can try to get you more info. PM me. Hatzlacha and daven a lot - it really helps and makes you feel like it's not your burden any more, it's now "up to Hashem".

Ahuva

Thu, Nov 10 2005, 3:26 pm

DH used to do credit repair as a side job while in school. I'll ask him what you can do. Have you ever heard of Dave Ramsey? He has a talkshow on sundays on WOR He also wrote a book "The total Money Makeover" he is great at money management....I have the book here at home, I'll ask DH if he still needs it.

Stay strong.

Tovah

Tue, Nov 22 2005, 1:49 pm

why not go to the bank and take out a loan over 10 yrs if posible and have a family member co-sign. gemachs are great but u have to pay back in large somes and only give a certain amount. if she ows alot it will cost her more.

deedee

Tue, Nov 22 2005, 2:08 pm

Quote:

I feel so useless. I cannot help my husband.
I was trying to get a job from home, but didn't work out. I cannot sell, and that's what it's mostly about.

I am getting a book that lists all the liget home based work. cause I also need to work from home. I will let u know when I get it. I am intrested in doing envelope stuffing. for about 20-25 hrs a week u can make $500!

shanie5

Tue, Nov 22 2005, 3:40 pm

uh, deedee, I think I bought that book years ago. dont hold your breath on it being legit. basically, the envelopes you stuff are stuffed w/ this booklet to other people wanting to make $500 stuffing envelopes.

hisorerus

Tue, Nov 22 2005, 8:02 pm

I once read something by a man who tested some of these places out.

You're doing marketing, not just stuffing envelopes. You buy marketing materials from the company, find people to send it to, and make a percentage of profits. Just FYI, there's an average 2% response rate to mailings.