Debt - Hyattsville,MD

http://www.creditcounseling.org/

Many of these places are not great, but CCCS has been around the longest and is one of the most reputable.

They don't do magic, though. You can do what they do by calling your creditors and negotiating with them if you're able to be assertive enough and not back down about your need for smaller payments, different terms, etc. But CCCS can also help you figure it out.

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I would first read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover.

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Amalthea A. hit the nail on the head. You really can do this yourself but it will require discipline and diligence on your part.

Review your current income and expenses. Look at your copacity to repay your debt. Be honest with yourself. Set up a budget for yourself. It may even be worth discussing your finances with a certified financial planner to help you sort things out and plan for a better future. The key thing is being consistent in your repayment even if it is a low amount. Just keep paying and keeping track of your paying really helps along with being open and honest with your creditors and your debt.

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I wouldn't advise debt consolidation under any circumstances. It will damage your credit and they won't do "any voodoo that you can't do" yourself!
Get Financial Peace or The Total Money makeover by Dave Ramsay right away and start saving and paying off your debt yourself. You probably didn't get into debt in a day and it's going to take more than a day to get out but it CAN be done! Good luck!

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www.daveramsey.com go to find a class & put in your zip code....it's much much cheaper than a debt consolidation co & you will walk away with more knowledge of money than you can ever imagine.

I highly recommend you do some research. Check out the money section of www.msn.com. Just type in debt consolidation and go from there. Tons of articles that will give you information on what to do and what to avoid. You find info on debt consolidation, debt settlement, debt counceling, etc.

You may aslo want to contact the National Foundation for Consumer Credit or Consumer Credit Counceling Service.

You can do most of this yourself. Just ask us mamas, we've got tons of free advice.

If you want to get out the debt the first thing you need to do is make a list of all your income for the month, include paychecks, child support, gov't assistance, etc. Now the hard part, make a list of ALL your monthly expenses, include everything, rent/mortgage, car payment, minimum credit card payments, groceries, kids school lunches, meals out, phone bills, stops at the conveniece store, gas, car insurance, life insurance, health & beauty products, etc. Then make a list of expenses you only pay a few times a year, taxes, clothing, haircuts, add these up and divide by 12 to get a monthly total. Also make a list of all your assets, savings & checking accounts, vehicles, 401k.

Why do you need to do that? Many reasons, it'll give you a visual guide and any service you contact will need this information in order to help you. Using this guide you can make decissions as to where you can cut expenses.

Do you use an on-line service (usually free with most banks) for paying your bills? A great way to cut expenses and avoid late fees.

Good luck.

There are a lot of debt consolidation programs - my husband entered one many years ago - not sure if that or his debt created issues with his credit.

My recommendation would be to do some on-line searching for companies and then check with the Better Business Bureau, Federal Trade Commission and your State's Attorney General's office to make sure none have had complaints against them and are reputable.

Good luck.

When I met my hubby he had recently gone through a divorce and had aquired a lot of debt. He went through CCCS. They were an awesome company to work with.

You can do it yourself, it is just so overwhelming for a lot of people. CCCS took all the stress out of it. My hubby's debt was paid of in two years (we were on a five year plan so we paid it off three years early). It took a lot of discipline on our part, but CCCS was always there to support us and answer our questions.

I think they're website is creditcounseling.org. I would definately call them, they are very nice and easy to talk to.

Good luck getting out of debt!