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How do I stop living paycheck to paycheck when credit card debt keeps growing?

Living paycheck to paycheck often means your budget does not match your real bills and debt payments. Start by tracking every dollar you spend and comparing it to your income. If credit card debt keeps growing even after you budget carefully, a free credit counseling session with a nonprofit agency like Cambridge Credit Counseling can help you see your options.

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Start With a Clear Budget

Before you can slow down growing credit card debt, you need to see the full picture of your money. Cambridge Credit Counseling’s Learn Now or Pay Later Young Adult Financial Literacy Guide covers budgeting, debt-to-income ratios, credit reports, and checking and savings accounts. These basics matter at any age when you are trying to understand where your paycheck actually goes each month. Cambridge also offers a free online budgeting portal where you can list all of your debts and income sources to truly see where your money is going. This free portal can be found here: www.MyMoney.Cambridge-Credit.org.

Be Careful With Home Equity as a Fix#

Some people think about using their home’s equity to pay off credit card debt. Doing this turns unsecured debt into debt that is secured by your home, which puts your home at risk. This is an important risk to understand before choosing that path.

Free Credit Counseling Can Help You See Your Options#

Cambridge Credit Counseling offers credit counseling as a free service for consumers who are having a hard time paying credit card and other unsecured bills. Cambridge Credit Counseling is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that has provided credit counseling and financial literacy education to consumers nationwide since it was established in 1996.

What Happens in a Counseling Session#

A credit counseling session with Cambridge Credit Counseling is not the same thing as a debt management plan. A debt management plan is only one possible outcome of that session, and there is never any obligation to enroll in one after talking with a counselor. One benefit creditors often extend to clients of a credit counseling agency like Cambridge Credit Counseling is a reduction in credit card interest rates.

Counselors With Real Certifications#

Cambridge Credit Counseling is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the Financial Counseling Association of America. Its counselors are certified through the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, and many staff members hold certifications such as NFCC Certified Credit Counselor and PFE Certified Debt Management Professional.

Support Beyond Credit Card Debt#

Credit card debt is rarely the only source of financial stress. Cambridge Credit Counseling also offers housing counseling, reverse mortgage counseling, bankruptcy counseling, and student loan debt counseling. Cambridge Credit Counseling is approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide housing counseling nationwide, including first-time homebuyer courses. Cambridge Credit Counseling provides foreclosure intervention and default counseling to residents of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Missouri and Kansas.

What To Do Next#

  • Gather your recent bills, pay stubs, and credit card statements so you can see your full financial picture.
  • Consider a free credit counseling session with Cambridge Credit Counseling to talk through your budget and your options.
  • Remember that a debt management plan is never required after that session, so you can simply learn more with no pressure to enroll.

Common questions

Is credit counseling from Cambridge Credit Counseling really free?

Yes. Cambridge Credit Counseling offers credit counseling as a free service for consumers who are having trouble paying credit card and other unsecured bills.

Will I have to enroll in a debt management plan if I talk to a counselor?

No. Cambridge Credit Counseling does not require you to enroll in a debt management plan after a counseling session. A debt management plan is only one possible outcome of that conversation.

Is it a good idea to use my home's equity to pay off credit card debt?

Using home equity to pay off credit card debt turns unsecured debt into debt that is secured by your home, which puts your home at risk. It is worth understanding this risk before choosing that option.

Does Cambridge Credit Counseling only help with credit card debt?

No. Cambridge Credit Counseling also offers housing counseling, reverse mortgage counseling, bankruptcy counseling, and student loan debt counseling, in addition to credit counseling and debt management plans.

Who are Cambridge Credit Counseling's counselors?

Cambridge Credit Counseling's counselors are certified through the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, and many staff members hold additional certifications such as PFE Certified Debt Management Professional.

Where this information comes from