How To Find Credit Card Relief

Normal 0 If you have credit card debt, then you're probably crying out for credit card relief. Although you can get out of credit card debt, true relief only comes when you learn to manage your spending and use credit wisely. That means using credit cards as a convenient way to pay, not as a way to buy things you can't currently afford. Making the switch requires a change in habits and thinking. Learn how to do both by following these steps.

1. Prepare a Budget

Most people dislike budgets. They feel that budgets restrict their freedom and overspend as a result. A true budget is designed to present you with an accurate picture of your spending so that you can see how much necessities cost and where you tend to overspend already. Once you understand where you overspend and what it costs you in credit card interest, you may be more motivated to reduce your spending. Being aware of the cost of basic necessities also allows you to plan ahead for them.

To prepare a budget, get out a piece of paper, a pencil, and all of your bank statements, income statements, and bills for the past two months (to make sure you include bi-monthly bills in your budget.)

List every cent you earn, from every source. Now list every expense, including regular bills and credit card purchases. If you spend a lot of cash, write down every cash purchase for one month. Once you have all the necessary information, group your spending into categories like Housing, Groceries, Dining Out, Utilities, Insurance, Clothing, Gifts, Entertainment, Auto, Child Care, Finance Charges, Credit Card Debt, etc.

2. Cut Spending

This is the hard part for most people. Start by looking for areas where you can easily cut back. For example, if you buy a lot of music, movies, or games, stop buying them and enjoy what you already have. You could also sell them to raise money for debt repayment. If you have all the premium channels, cut back to basic cable. If you buy a new pair of shoes every month, but back to one pair every three months.

Once you cut back in the "luxury" areas, see if you can reduce your necessities. For example, can you reduce the amount of driving you do in order to cut gas costs? Can you turn down the heat and put on the sweater or turn down the air conditioner and use a fan? Can you turn off the lights in rooms you're not using? Can you switch from convenience meals to homemade dinners? These little changes can add up to a lot of freed up cash.

3. Use the Savings to Pay More Debt

You've made it through the two hardest steps. Now it's time to use the savings to pay down debt. List your debts in order from highest interest rate to lowest, or from smallest debt to largest. Although you will save a little bit of money if you focus on higher rate debt first, you might be more encouraged to keep going if you see rapid success with small debts.

List all of your minimum payments and debts. Decide which debt you'll pay first. Now pay as much as you can toward the first debt while paying only the minimums to the rest. When the first debt is paid off, apply the payment to the next debt along with that debt's original minimum payment. Keep going until your debts are gone - credit cards, auto loans, small student loans, everything except your mortgage and low-rate student loans.

4. Switch from Paying to Saving

Once your debt is gone, put the money you used to pay debt into a savings account every month. From now on, only buy things that you can afford to pay cash for. You can use a credit card for convenience, but the cash must be in your checking account so you can pay the total credit card bill at the end of the month without accumulating more debt.

If you make a commitment to pay off debt and are willing to reduce your expenses, you'll soon discover that you don't need all that stuff you used to buy. Instead, you'll enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that you defeated debt and created your own credit card relief.

For more articles and suggestions, visit http://www.bills.com/credit-card-debt/

justin narin

Justin narin has 5 years experience as a financial adviser; his key areas are loan consolidation, debt relief, mortgages etc. For more free articles and advice visit http://www.Bills.com

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Free Credit Score Online

If you haven't seen a copy of your credit report, you should seriously consider ordering one today. Now days in just a few minutes you can see your free credit report online.

Free credit score online is one of the best ideas to improve or increase your credit score. There can be many errors in your credit report that can obstruct your financial flexibility. Some people have the opinion that checking score can reduce their credit score rating but it is not so. Checking does not harm your credit score. In fact credit score check improves the credit score rating of an individual.

Why Check Free Credit Score Online?
Many lenders and retailers who extend credit facilities use credit score. The main purpose is to eliminate bad debts or any such poor line that may involve in the transaction. If you have bad credit score the lender may refrain from extending credit facilities but person with good credit score does not face any financial shortage. If you desire to have good credit score or want to increase credit score scale then you must check your credit score periodically. It is always advisable to check your credit score once in six months. Remember a minor error in your credit score can cause major destruction in your credit score rating.

Credit Scoring: Advantage
Your credit score reflects your past payment and debts history. Because of this credit score and reports many financial institutions are able to lend "instant credit" to the borrowers. Now days if you intend to purchase a car or house on credit the prospective seller ask for your credit score. That indicates that your credit extension is totally based on your credit score scale.

When are you entitled for a copy of free credit report?

• You are entitled for a free copy of credit report if you have been denied credit
• If you are unemployed and intend to apply for employment within 60 days.
• If you are a public welfare assistance
• If you report has been revised

If you credit report contains inaccurate information due to fraud or theft

Isabella Rodrigues writes for credit-free-score.net,
offering the latest information on credit score, visit them today for more infromation
on credit score..

Visit today: http://www.credit-free-score.net

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Credit Card Offers Explained - Yes, Your Banker Lied to You

Credit Card Offers Explained...

For decades people have been trying to figure out what the best credit card deals are. The answer as to what the best credit cards are isn't as simple as you might first think.

If you are looking for a 0% intro APR your thought might be whatever offer gives me the longest term on credit card purchases, but I have to tell you the truth about this thinking, not all credit card deals are structured the same.

Going with the example of applying for a 0% APR card offer, on the surface seeing 0% for let's say 15 months on new purchase is a great deal, but if you currently have a balance on another credit card then you have to view the terms and conditions for the introductory APR on balance transfers because the rate on transfers may be different from the purchase APR's.

You might think you are getting a great credit card offer but after you read the fine print you will suddenly recognize that the big banks are simply trying to rip you have with false hopes and promises and as direct result of this revelation you must take the onus on yourself to check the card offer terms and conditions.

Some credit offers boast being the best credit card application because they have no annual fee or they claim their business credit card offers are best in class because of whatever reasons they shove down you throat. But I am getting across here boils down to this, whether you are looking for a business, bad credit or even a student credit card for that matter, the major financial lenders have only one goal in mind and that is their businesses bottom line.

To increase their business, credit card companies, will execute cut throat marketing tactics to make you perceive their "rewards credit offer" or their "0% Intro APR" offer is a step above the rest of the card issuers on the market to entice you into their own credit card offer and then proceed to scour every nickel you have anywhere in your night stand.

Here is exactly what you need in order to apply for the best credit card offer that will give you the maximum rewards for what you current situation is:

Credit Card Offers for People with Bad Credit

1. If you have bad credit, the best credit card offers will give you at least a minimal interest free period on balance transfers. This will save you money and help your credit score, and boosting your credit score is all you should care about when applying for a credit card offer.

Credit Card Offers for People with Poor to Good Credit

2. If you have poor to good credit, you are a person that has forgotten to pay their bills due, likely being too busy with career and life issues, and the major banks have you minor indiscretions against you for this so you need to think about your role in have less than perfect credit and stop being angry with the banks for not issuing the best credit card deals and apply only for credit card offers that are designed for you specifically.

What that means for you when it comes to reviewing a particular card offer is you need to do one thing. That one thing you must do is spend 5 minutes to peruse the offer terms and conditions and further to that actually take an additional 10 minutes to write down on a calendar items such as when introductory rate expire as well as the conditions of how and when a 0% introductory card offer expires.

For millions of Americans that are lumped into the good to fair credit rating category, it is for the most part not due to inability to pay, the case is more typically that you are simply overburdened in your day-to-day life that you forget about menial issues such as your credit card offer terms.

It's only when you get your statement that you ask yourself this:

"But I thought when I applied for that particular offer that my credit card rates, bonuses, rewards, etc, were supposed to be XYZ."

No, you are not an awful person because you forgot what the initial credit card offer terms and conditions were, you are simply a busy person.

So all I am suggesting to you is to be "less busy" when you are considering credit card offers. Take more time to note the offer stipulations and if you heed this advice your credit score will enter the "credit card offers for people with excellent credit" category faster than you ever thought possible!

Credit Card Offers for People with Excellent Credit

If you have excellent credit, then you pretty much have free run at all credit card offers so you biggest problem is choosing the rewards and benefits that best fit your lifestyle.

If you have excellent credit then all you need to do when reviewing credit card offers is compare the rewards you want and then apply. People with excellent credit pretty much have free run at every credit card offer they want, so ask and you shall receive.

Jessica Millington

Jessica Millington has been writing credit card offer review for websites such as http://www.crediteria.com for over a decade now. Jessica has been providing articles to help consumers to inform them how to apply credit card offers. She had bad credit & knows exactly what every card holder needs.

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