Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Credit Card Debt Nears Toxic Levels
myfoxdc.com ^ | February 26, 2012

Posted on 02/27/2012 6:49:58 AM PST by upchuck

Edited on 02/27/2012 6:51:05 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]

More American households are falling back into the debt hole, this time without the safety net of home values to help bail them out, the New York Post reported Sunday.

Last year, total US consumer debt reached its highest point in a decade, according to a credit card industry observer.


(Excerpt) Read more at myfoxdc.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: creditcard; creditcarddebt; daveramseyping; debt; debtfree; finances; getreadyhereitcomes; prepperping
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-51 next last
Live a debt-free life. Nothing finer. Learn patience and restraint.
1 posted on 02/27/2012 6:50:00 AM PST by upchuck
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: upchuck

Don’t tell that to CNBC. They are reporting that the economy is taking off and that Wall St. is doing great. If the Republicans should happen to win the election, then they’ll be singing the blues and everything will be rotten again.


2 posted on 02/27/2012 6:54:36 AM PST by txrefugee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: upchuck

Loading up the cards before they file bankruptcy.


3 posted on 02/27/2012 6:55:03 AM PST by Mashood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: upchuck

>>Live a debt-free life. Nothing finer. Learn patience and restraint.

Then this article isn’t about you. Its about the people who believe the leftist media hype about the “recovery” and start thinking that they should start spending again, even though they only make a fraction of what they used to make. It was just depressing to hear people who have taken lesser jobs talking about “giving the kids a great Christmas” when you know its all going on the plastic and there’s probably a bankruptcy in their future this year.

We live in a sick, depraved nation where fuel and food don’t count towards inflation, people who give up looking for jobs aren’t unemployed, and it’s a “recovery Christmas” when its all bought on credit. Is anything about our country honest anymore? Anything?


4 posted on 02/27/2012 7:00:51 AM PST by Bryanw92 (The solution to fix Congress: Nuke em from orbit. It's the only way to be sure!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: upchuck

ping


5 posted on 02/27/2012 7:04:01 AM PST by rfreedom4u (Just because someone thinks it's a good idea doesn't make it legal.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bryanw92
Then this article isn’t about you.

You're right. And I thank the Good Lord on a daily basis for my blessings, financial and otherwise.

6 posted on 02/27/2012 7:04:16 AM PST by upchuck ("The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." Ecclas. 10:2)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: upchuck

People just following the government’s example.


7 posted on 02/27/2012 7:06:01 AM PST by gramho12
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: upchuck
And I thank the Good Lord on a daily basis for my blessings, financial and otherwise.

And your blessings no doubt include good common sense, something that is sorely lacking these days.

And while common sense usually can't be taught, I always thought it would be a good idea that instead of teaching children that Heather has two mommies or that they need to agitate for class warfare, that they should be taught something about money management and staying out of debt. But I know that is just a pipe dream.
8 posted on 02/27/2012 7:07:51 AM PST by rightwingintelligentsia (Be careful of believing something just because you want it to be true.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: txrefugee
If the Republicans should happen to win the election, then they’ll be singing the blues and everything will be rotten again.

Ain't that the truth.

The MSM buttboys are also the butboys.

I remember as far back as Reagan the good NEWS would be reported as..
'The US exports rose to its highest levels last month, BUT..(add bad news here).
Only happens during repub administrations.

9 posted on 02/27/2012 7:08:40 AM PST by Vinnie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: gramho12

Excellent point. Thanks. Of course the gvt has a big head start: they can print money at will.


10 posted on 02/27/2012 7:09:47 AM PST by upchuck ("The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." Ecclas. 10:2)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: upchuck

About 5 yrs. ago I finally got in the position of having paid off the few credit cards I have. Nice.

I still use them. There are certain advantages to using them, ie. warranties, disputes.

But I pay them off at the end of the month.
After awhile you get into the mindset of whether you have the money to buy something or not. You forget about installments.


11 posted on 02/27/2012 7:14:17 AM PST by Vinnie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Vinnie
About 5 yrs. ago I finally got in the position of having paid off the few credit cards I have.

Good for you! Feels great, doesn't it?

12 posted on 02/27/2012 7:18:19 AM PST by upchuck ("The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." Ecclas. 10:2)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: upchuck

+1

30 years of hard work and happy (if not fancy) living means that the wife and I now have two houses fully paid off and enough invested in a very diverse portfolio to be stress free. A lot of people think that F.U. money involves millions of dollars. It doesn’t. Happiness is a choice that many people seem unwilling to make.


13 posted on 02/27/2012 7:19:41 AM PST by Natufian (t)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: upchuck
My older brother is nearing retirement age. He is bemoaning the fact that he can't afford to retire because of all his bills. He maxes out credit cards and squeezes every bit of equity out of his home. I told him to “stop spending!”
14 posted on 02/27/2012 7:21:41 AM PST by 4yearlurker (Sorry,no tag line today.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: upchuck
Live a debt-free life. Nothing finer. Learn patience and restraint.

I'm enjoying following that advice. We have no mortgage, no credit card debt, no car payments, no debt at all. If I want it, I can buy it, but that means there is no thrill in buying the trash that commercials are trying to sell us. "Man does not live by bread alone". We are not denying ourselves anything we desperately need or want, but neither are we defining our lives by the stuff and toys we accumulate. My life is centered on my wife, my kids, and my friends - and, as you say, that is as it should be.

15 posted on 02/27/2012 7:25:54 AM PST by Pollster1 (Natural born citizen of the USA, with the birth certificate to prove it)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Vinnie

>>Live a debt-free life. Nothing finer. Learn patience and restraint.

It’s a shame we can’t get most of the country to live by that simple rule. But they believe in the media’s version of “the American Dream” which is to “own all the stuff”.

You just can’t explain to them that sitting in an empty house but being free of government, banks, and most of all debt, is the real dream.

You even see it in church when some guy is saying that he can’t afford to tithe because there just isn’t enough money and his 8 year old has a $100/month iPhone 4S (because the 4 just didn’t have enough features, of course!).


16 posted on 02/27/2012 7:26:24 AM PST by Bryanw92 (The solution to fix Congress: Nuke em from orbit. It's the only way to be sure!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Vinnie

I’ve got my basic supplies stored up, so this year I am focusing on my debt. I’m not putting any more in my retirement account until I get the credit card (which I haven’t used in forever, but which still carries a balance too large for comfort) paid off. I’d rather pay it now and not save for retirement than have to pay it in retirement with what little I’ve saved. (That is... assuming I’ll ever get to retire.) Besides, who wants to add more money into a rigged market and 401K system that they’ll end up stealing anyway?


17 posted on 02/27/2012 7:30:53 AM PST by ponygirl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: upchuck
I have never carried a credit card debt month to month. I have always bought my cars for cash. I paid my house off after five years. I don't see that I live that much worse than my friends and relatives who spent beyond their limits. Sure they got off the blocks a bit earlier. However a couple of decades on I've got everything they have and a bit of brass in pocket left over. Mostly because I'm not paying a mortgage or car payments while they are still paying off the debts they ran up. In addition I save a ton of cash on high blood pressure and ulcer medicine, because unlike the paycheck to paycheck folks I don't need it.
18 posted on 02/27/2012 7:31:46 AM PST by GonzoGOP (There are millions of paranoid people in the world and they are all out to get me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: gramho12

Damn right. Desperate.


19 posted on 02/27/2012 7:33:50 AM PST by ichabod1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: upchuck

Yep! Zero debt other than a mortgage that is well above water. More than anything it gives a good peace of mind.


20 posted on 02/27/2012 7:34:46 AM PST by cornfedcowboy (Trust in God, but empty the clip.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-51 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson