As we grow older, we tend to realize that Mom and Dad were right about credit cards being a big responsibility. We realize we have overdone the freedom which we thought was an adventure and that it resulted to the thick wad of bills on our desk. Before we could hear our parents say “I told you so”, we try to seek for other ventures to get this problem fixed. That is another adventure, but this time, we are on the hard mode of difficulty. Our goal? To battle, out the evil effects of having too much debt.
So what do we do? Like the heroes in the role playing games we play, we have to gear up everything that we may need. For this level, we may need a calculator, a pen, a paper, the bills, the receipt and the core of the adventure, courage and commitment. Yes, that is the basic tools for now. Using our weapons, we need to list our debts and reconcile them with the receipts. It is important to note and search for errors. We don’t want to pay a thousand bucks for a hundred dollar worth purse or shoes. Next, we rank the debts from the most burdensome to the light ones. How do we know which are burdensome and which are not? Burdensome debts are those which have huge amounts and due or near due. Those which have minimal amount and are due next month would have to go under the stack. Now with these most burdensome amounts, we have to think of ways on how to come up with enough money to cover them.
This takes us to level two of our adventure. Using our knowledge about the basics of a credit card and our debts, we act. If there are disputes on the bills or credit monthly statement, let’s get to the proper parties and request for correction. If not, let’s try and negotiate with them. Here’s where courage is put to use. If we know we can’t handle many debts, we try to fix the term which are comfortable for both us and our creditors. Not working? Let’s seek the wisdom of our credit counselors who will guide us to get to the true path. They aren’t really the first base solution because they charge for counseling sessions, which may even add to the bills.
Okay, RPGs have some monsters and enemies that would stop the hero from getting to the final level. These enemies are the urge to get more credit. For that we have to fight these temptations. Let’s not get excited when we see the great sign of the land: SALE. And let’s try to get away from the cash-back credit card offers. They will do no good for our adventure.
By the end of our adventure, we will find the Boss Monster already dead.
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