Many Canadians live without a budget of any kind and have little idea of exactly how much they spend each month. While they may be aware of the cost of utility bills, those ubiquitous credit card charges get swallowed up at the end of each month in the minimum monthly payment. Unless you review your credit card statements item by item, you really don’t know where the money is going.
The first step in solving financial difficulty on your own is to establish a strict budget, cutting back on discretionary expenses – those things you can live without. Do you really need to buy an expensive cup of coffee several times a day? What about bringing your own lunch instead of eating out?
If credit card payments are a major drain on your monthly income, you can go directly to the creditors for help. First, you have to be able to explain and verify your financial difficulty by letter. Include copies of income statements as well as monthly expenses to prove you simply don’t have enough money to go around. Include your credit card and ask that the account be closed. For debtors with low income and no assets, you can either propose to pay back a portion of what you owe if you can afford it, or propose a complete write-off of the debt if you can’t. Why would a creditor listen to you?
Banks are also experiencing financial difficulty. They have hundreds of millions in credit card debt on their books with more and more debtors unable to pay. If your income is low and you have minimal or no assets, chances are very good they will listen to you since you have little for them to legally go after to recoup some of what you owe.
If you have enough income for them to garnish your wages for repayment or if you have assets they can attach with liens for payment, working things out on your own may not be your best option.