This was in my local paper today. thought it would be nice to share.
How to handle a money crisis
MARY HUNT
Article Last Updated: 07/10/2007 11:45:08 AM CDT
You know what to do in a medical emergency, but do you know what to do when faced with a big, fat financial crisis? I recently received this letter from a reader:
"After 10 years of marriage and tons of unwise decisions, my husband handed the finances to me to handle. I have never done this before. We have mountains of bills and $900 in the bank. I don't know where to start. Please help me. I feel like I am drowning." - Gladys A., e-mail
First, you need to separate facts from feelings. There will be a time later to address emotional issues and how to develop financial intimacy in your marriage. But for now, pack up your feelings and put them on a shelf. Develop a mind-set that you've been called in to perform a financial rescue for a complete stranger.
Take a deep breath and write down all of your bills. Include the "bills" for basic food, gasoline and necessary medications, if any, to survive until your next payday. Divide these bills into two lists: essential and nonessential. An essential debt is a serious obligation that, if not paid, could produce severe, even life-threatening, consequences. Now, prioritize your bills as follows so that the most essential come first. This is the order in which you should allocate the $900 you have on hand:
Family necessities: This means basic food, necessary medication and health insurance.
Rent or mortgage: Being late with a mortgage payment or rent could mean eviction or foreclosure.
Utilities: Pay the minimum required to keep essential utility services.
Car payments: If a car is necessary to keep a job, the payment is essential.
Child support: Paying child support is absolutely essential or you go to jail.
Other secured loans: If getting the item repossessed would be devastating, pay this bill next. Otherwise, consider it nonessential.
Unpaid taxes: If the IRS is about to take your paycheck, bank account, house or other property, you need to set up a repayment plan immediately.
Nonessential debts: These are bills you can let slide for a while because the effects of not paying will not be devastating. You still owe the money, you'll pay late fees and you will damage your credit report. But in the big picture, a blemished credit report is easier to live with than being thrown out of your home or having your car repossessed. Nonessential debts include student loans, credit cards, personal loans, medical, legal and accounting bills and other unsecured debts.
Survival mode: This means absolutely no spending at all for anything that isn't critically essential. Determine that you will live on the food you have in the house already, supplementing with milk and produce as necessary. Start planning for ways you can raise cash - a garage sale, working extra hours, selling larger items on eBay and so on.
Find a community that can support and encourage you during this time. A great place to start iswww.debtproofliving.com. Knowing you are not alone will give you the hope you need to keep going.
I know things look bleak right now. Just don't let your emotions run the show. Make decisions based on principles, not feelings. Remember: Tough times never last, but tough people do.
Send questions or tips to cheapskate@unitedmedia.com or Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. All correspondence becomes the property of Debt-Proof Living.
allgirls
How to handle a money crisis
MARY HUNT
Article Last Updated: 07/10/2007 11:45:08 AM CDT
You know what to do in a medical emergency, but do you know what to do when faced with a big, fat financial crisis? I recently received this letter from a reader:
"After 10 years of marriage and tons of unwise decisions, my husband handed the finances to me to handle. I have never done this before. We have mountains of bills and $900 in the bank. I don't know where to start. Please help me. I feel like I am drowning." - Gladys A., e-mail
First, you need to separate facts from feelings. There will be a time later to address emotional issues and how to develop financial intimacy in your marriage. But for now, pack up your feelings and put them on a shelf. Develop a mind-set that you've been called in to perform a financial rescue for a complete stranger.
Take a deep breath and write down all of your bills. Include the "bills" for basic food, gasoline and necessary medications, if any, to survive until your next payday. Divide these bills into two lists: essential and nonessential. An essential debt is a serious obligation that, if not paid, could produce severe, even life-threatening, consequences. Now, prioritize your bills as follows so that the most essential come first. This is the order in which you should allocate the $900 you have on hand:
Family necessities: This means basic food, necessary medication and health insurance.
Rent or mortgage: Being late with a mortgage payment or rent could mean eviction or foreclosure.
Utilities: Pay the minimum required to keep essential utility services.
Car payments: If a car is necessary to keep a job, the payment is essential.
Child support: Paying child support is absolutely essential or you go to jail.
Other secured loans: If getting the item repossessed would be devastating, pay this bill next. Otherwise, consider it nonessential.
Unpaid taxes: If the IRS is about to take your paycheck, bank account, house or other property, you need to set up a repayment plan immediately.
Nonessential debts: These are bills you can let slide for a while because the effects of not paying will not be devastating. You still owe the money, you'll pay late fees and you will damage your credit report. But in the big picture, a blemished credit report is easier to live with than being thrown out of your home or having your car repossessed. Nonessential debts include student loans, credit cards, personal loans, medical, legal and accounting bills and other unsecured debts.
Survival mode: This means absolutely no spending at all for anything that isn't critically essential. Determine that you will live on the food you have in the house already, supplementing with milk and produce as necessary. Start planning for ways you can raise cash - a garage sale, working extra hours, selling larger items on eBay and so on.
Find a community that can support and encourage you during this time. A great place to start iswww.debtproofliving.com. Knowing you are not alone will give you the hope you need to keep going.
I know things look bleak right now. Just don't let your emotions run the show. Make decisions based on principles, not feelings. Remember: Tough times never last, but tough people do.
Send questions or tips to cheapskate@unitedmedia.com or Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. All correspondence becomes the property of Debt-Proof Living.
allgirls
