are THEY serious??

Do you have any idea what happens when you begin the journey of paying down your debt?  Those kind folks over at the credit card company decide it’s time to REWARD your for your “generosity” so they begin to send you mail.  CONGRATULATIONS your credit limit has been increased.  CONGRATULATIONS you are being sent this no interest, no fee credit card.  CONGRATULATIONS for paying off your credit card and being a valuable customer, just sign this application and mail it back and we will send you a new card or reopen your account.  It’s like crack cocaine I tell you!  There is not a day that goes by that I don’t get at least ONE of those pieces of mail.  I guess they haven’t heard my unemployment ran out and I really have NO money now – I am in The Season of BROKE!

By now, we all know the pain (and suffering) that credit card debt can cause.  Like many I took my income for granted and never thought about it ever ending abruptly.  The saddest part of all is I don’t even remember what I bought, how much I paid or what, if any, satisfaction I got from the purchase.  In retrospect was the sale really sale or did I end up paying four times more for it because I charged it?  It makes me cringe to think about it so I try not to.  I come from the land of guilt and owned up to the fact that I got myself into this bind and I was going to get myself out.  I could have taken other ways out of my financial situation I suppose, but I remember telling these horrible customer service credit card reps that I would pay back every dime I owed them.  I worked out my payment plan to the penny determined to be debt-free before my unemployment ran out.  Unfortunately life happens and although I made huge strides, at the end of the day I still had debt.  Getting in the habit of paying your bills on-time, even if just the minimum is an uphill battle.  I made a lot of sacrifices and I tried each month to reach at least the minimum amount.  Being debt-free in 3 years became my goal.  It is very tempting however to fall right back into the “black hole.”  If you let them, they will take your life over again.

Yesterday I hit the jackpot!  5 new applications in the mail addressed to me.  My husband is now even getting suspicious and continually asking if I applied for them.  Of course I didn’t!  Apparently these geniuses report to the other geniuses “the credit card reporting people” that I have been paying my bills on time every month (for the most part).  So they “reported” to any one who asks about me and voila. Determined I was a good risk for EVEN MORE credit cards!  Needless to say I don’t even open that mail.   Do NOT be tempted!!  It’s not worth it.  It would really stink, wouldn’t it if you reached your road to the Season of Abundance and had to payback those credit card companies again????

I don’t know about you, but I have a lot BETTER things in mind when that Season arrives!