At what point do you just say 'screw the bills!'?

Question

The USA...land of the (supposed) rich...home of the most people in debt. :)

Answer 1

Why can you not pay the bills?

What is eating away at your net income? Is it the mortgage? Car payment? Student loan? Most likely not.

Do this:
Write down everything you spend money on, and how much, for a few months. (At least one, but I recommend at least three.)
Then tabulate how much you spend and on what. I did this and as dumbfounded at how much I spent in stuff I could easily live without.
$59 a month on cell phone? Got a pre-pay, I now spend about $100 a year. The caller ID works just fine, and unless it is an emergency, I will call you back from the nearest landline.
$4-6 a day on coffee? What the F was I thinking. That's around $1200 a year, and frankly, I can't really taste a difference between Starbucks and the stuff coming out of my drip coffee maker.
$107 a month for cable? When was the last time I actually watched a movie being broadcast on cable? Dropped the service to the basic plus service (not going to give up the Discovery channel) and saved $60 a month.
Buying lunch out at work was about $10 a day. We are talking about $2500 a year here people. Started bringing lunch. Saved a TON of cash.

Cut the BS out of your day to day spending, and all of a sudden the big bills will become REALLY easy to pay. It is not the $500 and up bills that really hurt, it is the "It's only a few dollars (or a few dollars more)" things that kill.

I would strongly encourage you to avoid bankruptcy. Even if you only do 1/2 of what I proposed above, you will have several hundred more a month to pay your debts.

Best of luck.

Answer 2

Well, I must say that in America, Land of the Many People DO NOT Contribute to the Financial Landscape .. because they DO NOT HAVE TO... are usually what causes many of the middle class to go into debt. There are also those that buy WAY more than they can afford and let us not forget the fact that many people come here in search of health care & welfare without legal citizenship and/or contribution.

I am sure I am going to get royally booed for this; however I am part of the middle/upper class. I work very hard and while I am comfortable, I do not take for granted that it will always be like this. I have to watch where my money goes and I need to be very responsible with it. I do not have a fancy house nor do I drive around in a really nice vehicle; however I know that both my home & vehicle are safe even if I were to lose my job.

America is the land of the free, because of the brave. Not everyone has a fair shake; however there are always opportunities. Yes, there are those that claim they are unfairly treated; however if everything was fair we would all have equal stuff and that is not the case.

While the USA may not be the best, please let me know somewhere else that is better?

I know that it is hard and sometimes downright frustrating; however if you are upset with the way our economy is going - you are the majority.

This is not so much a political thing as it is a personal responsibility thing. If more people would take personal responsibility in their lives and less would rely on other's to do it for them.. I believe we would be a little better off.. but there are too many people out there that expect something or feel they are entitled to something without effort. I have also heard people say that I should not make what I make and yet I am at the office well before they are and I stay there long after they are gone...

It's frustrating.. but if all of the responsible people said 'screw the bills' - it would still not compel the lazies of the world to become contributing members of society.

I wish there was more that we could do; however many people are more concerned with pointing out what is wrong rather than trying to find ways to combat the problem.

I do not have a solve all answer.. but I do believe that if more people had a strong desire to be reputable, hard working people .. I think the world would spin a lot easier.

God Bless America and all that it offers. Remember you can lead a horse to water.. but you can't make him drink...

I wish you well!

Answer 3

You can say "screw the bills" but they are not going away. The creditors are still going to want their money and they will keep tryng until they collect as much of it as they can. After about six months of not paying them anything (no payments at all, not even $5.00) they will write it off as a bad debt. This does not mean you are home free. They can and will continue to attempt to collect their money. At this 6 months + point you can settle the debt for 40% to 60% of the original debt. The creditors will 1099 you for the remainder of the debt, but taxes on this amount will be far less than you would have paid to the creditors and your debt will be settled. I do not recommend this route and creditors do not want you to know this inside information. Once you get debt free, it will take about 6 months to get your credit score headed toward the 500's. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.
You need to keep food on the table and a roof over your head. Stay out of debt once you get there. Good Luck. The light at the end of the debt free tunnel is waiting for you.

Answer 4

hi,
you don't you just keep on paying the bills and hope that someday you will get rich so that the bill are not a problem.

Answer 5

You don't. Learn to live within your means and you won't have so many bills to pay.

Theres a big difference between WANT and NEED.

Answer 6

Don't ever and never. Work towards the repayment. There is no getting away from them.

Answer 7

WHEN YOUR OUT OF CASH,YOUR OUT OF CASH.YOU HAVE TO EAT AND SLEEP AND DRIVE AROUND TO FIND A JOB,SO WHEN IT GETS DOWN TO THAT JUST SAY GET IN LINE FELLOWS I'LL GLADLY PAY YOU NEXT TUESDAY.YOU FOLLOW ME?

Answer 8

get another job or two

Answer 9

:-) who knows