Consolidating Your Credit Card Debts
Many of us are burdened by credit card debts. Spending money by swiping those silver, gold or platinum plastic cards rarely makes us feel like we are actually parting with money. When we use cash, we actually see the money leaving our pocketbooks so we tend to be more frugal with it. When it comes to swiping cards, there is just no stopping us. We use credit cards to make purchases on both necessary and unnecessary items. Sometimes it gets up to a point where we do not even realize how deep we are in credit card debts that we keep spending the money we do not really have and receive the shock of our life when the bills finally come.
If you feel like this has happened to you and you need to take all the necessary steps to prevent yourself from getting deeper into debts, you might want to consider seeking credit card debt advice from financial advisors or credit counselors. If you are advised of your options and you opt to consolidate your credit card debt, there are three possible ways for you to do so and they are as follows:
i) Credit card consolidation
Sometimes known as rolling over of debts, credit card consolidation allows you to take the balance of every single one of your card and put it all into one new card, preferably one with very low interest rate. It is not advisable that you put your balance into a credit card with high interest rate because you will most likely end up not being able to pay off the interest. If you opt for this particular method, you are advised to make sure that you do plan to aggressively make all the required monthly payments on time. Better yet, it is recommended that you pay more than the required minimum monthly payments in order to quickly pay off all your debts and save more money in the long run as you will not have to pay more on the interest alone.
ii) Debt consolidation loan
Applying for a new loan to obtain enough funds to pay for your existing credit card debts is also another way that you can choose to adopt. The general idea is for you to take a new loan in the amount of the total of your credit card debt and use the money obtained to pay off all your creditors all in one shot. After doing so, all you will most likely have to do is to make the required monthly payments of your consolidation loan. Most consolidation loans come with significantly lower interest rates compared to the interest rates of credit card charges. However, you might want to bear in mind that although the monthly interest rate is comparatively lower, you might actually have to pay a larger amount of interest in the long run due to the longer loan life. Your credit ratings pay a large role in determining whether or not you qualify for a consolidation loan and in certain cases, even if you are deemed qualified by your lenders they will charge you a higher interest rate because you will most likely be categorized as a high risk debtor.
iii) Lifestyle Change
Sometimes it is not that you cannot afford to pay off your credit card debts. When you are used to a certain lifestyle, making all the necessary changes to enable yourself to pay your credit card debt might actually be as exciting as planning and purchasing your own burial plot at the cemetery. But in some cases, it might be the only thing you need to do to be able to pay off your debts without having to transfer all the balances of your credit cards into one single card or to apply for a credit card debt consolidation loan. Discipline and determination are what you most likely need. Sacrifices have to be made and yes, that could actually mean passing up on the next Gucci warehouse sale. Most of us were once students and we all remember how frugally we lived our lives when we were living on cash alone. Perhaps it might be best for you to start living your life as if you were a student again and use the extra money that you get to save from the change of lifestyle to make the required monthly payments to your creditors.
In essence, the amount of your debt is controlled by your behavior and attitude towards money. If a change of behavior is what you need to go through in order to release yourself from a mountain of debts, it is probably wise for you to actually create the changes and start living your life free of any debt.
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Category: Finances
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