Signs Your Debts Are Getting Out Of Hand

The average American is currently buried in debt. If you want to find out if your debts are getting out of hand, you need to look for certain signs.

First of all, when your credit cards are being declined by the machines, that is a good sign that you have more debt than you can actually handle. A maxed out card means you have let your debts and the respective interest and fees go for long without any payment. Or you could be meeting the minimum payment requirement but it is still being overrun by your card purchases. Either way, your maxed out card means you have to start paying a significant percentage of your balance.

Another sign that your debt is getting out of hand is when you find yourself relying on your credit cards for even the most basic of expenses. If your credit card bill comes in to display your grocery purchases, then ask yourself why you do not have the cash to pay for food. Maybe too much of it is going to your debt payments? Or maybe you have been spending it on unnecessary things.

You are also in trouble with your debt when you don’t even know how much you owe. Whether you are ignoring it on purpose or it is simply too many to monitor, you have to recognize that your debts have gone out of hand.

If you have been late on your bill payments because you are waiting for the next paycheck to have the funds to pay it off, then your finances are surely in disarray. You should think about where your money is going and make sure it is allotted to where you intend it to be.

Yet another sign that your debts are a problem is when you refuse to answer your calls because you are afraid it is the collector asking you to pay off what you owe. If this is your reaction every time the phone rings, then your debts should be getting more of your attention.

If your reserve fund is also depleted because you are using it to pay off your debts, that is another indication that your debts are on a downward spiral. This is getting serious because not having enough to pay off your debts and having no savings will leave you with nothing when an emergency strikes.

You can also look at changes in you to find hints that your debts are more than you can handle. This includes losing sleep over your financial troubles, not being able to focus on your work or you have turned to smoking or alcohol to help deal with your money problems. These are all dead giveaways that your debts are starting to be a big problem.

If you have one or more of these signs, then it means you should start paying more attention to your debts. That means creating a budget to help you control where your money is going. It also means looking for a debt relief program that can assist in paying off what you owe. You can choose between debt settlement, debt consolidation or debt management. Regardless of your choice, make sure you make a commitment to get your finances in order.