Why You Haven’t Been Able to Get Your Credit Cards Paid Off (2024)

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Why You Haven’t Been Able to Get Your Credit Cards Paid Off (1)

You don’t have a clear “why” that you think about often

You need to have a reason greater than just wanting to be debt free. You need to have a “why” that is bigger than your excuses. Whether that may be so you don’t have anxiety every single day, so you have more energy and aren’t so exhausted from being stressed about your finances, to wanting to be able to spend more time with your family and friends, to wanting to experience other cultures and to expand your worldly perspectives, to wanting to overcome stress eating (which you turn to when you are stressed about your money), to be able to pay to take your family on a vacation, to be a positive role model for your children so you can teach them financial education so they don’t struggle as much as you have, etc.

Wanting to be debt free is great, but it isn’t good enough fuel to drive you to do what you need to do to pay off your debt, it isn’t giving you a reason to stick to your plan, it doesn’t remind you WHY you are doing it and what you will truly feel and experience when you have your debt paid off and you can do so much more and you have so much less stress in your life.

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You haven’t made paying off your credit cards, your top priority

When you are doing 100 different things and saying yes to everything and everyone, you are actually saying no to you. You are saying no to speeding up your debt repayment.

I want you to look at it this way, when you start to stand up for yourselfand start saying no to other things, that is when you start saying yes to making your finances a priority. When you are starting on your money journey, you have many years of bad habits, misinformation, limiting money beliefs and you don’t have a strong money mindset yet, so yes it is going to take time to learn these things.

Click here to download my Realistic Budget template!

Why You Haven’t Been Able to Get Your Credit Cards Paid Off (2)

But, if you never create time and space in your life to learn and implement healthy money habits and systems, how do you think you will be able to get ahead with your debt repayment and increasing savings? Saying no to other people and other things that you truly don’t want to be doing, that you don’t have to be doing, that you are doing to make other people happy, is saying no to you. You need to start saying HECK YES to you and your life. You need to be a little selfish with your time and your energy if you want to get ahead financially and stop struggling with your money.

Are you ready to feel free and not have so much anxiety about your credit card debt anymore?If you need further accountability and want a plan to get your money in order and make this year the most successful year financially, you can check out my one on one financial coaching services.

You don’t have the accountability that you need

If you don’t have accountability, you can easily give up on yourself. If you have someone you have told your goal to, then you work harder and you stick closer to your goals because you don’t want to disappoint that person. Pick someone you trust such as a significant other, a friend, family member, hire a financial coach, pick someone that you will tell your dollar amount goal and your date you are going to achieve it by to.

Click here to download my Realistic Budget template!

Why You Haven’t Been Able to Get Your Credit Cards Paid Off (4)

It’s the same as weight loss when people tell someone their weight loss goal and have someone to stay accountable to, they lose more weight. They also do it much sooner, because as humans, we will stick to something better once we have told someone we are going to achieve something, than if we haven’t said out loud to anyone, what we are going to do.

When I decided to pursue both my Power Engineering and my Holistic Nutrition education without taking out any loans, paying for it myself and not working while I was away at school, I didn’t know how I was going to make it happen exactly, but the most important thing was that I set that goal, I had a date of when I would start and when I would I would finish, meaning that I knew the exact times that I wasn’t going to be able to earn an income, so I had to manage my finances very closely during those periods of time.

What I learned from reducing my expenses, getting a system into place for organizing my finances, developing my money mindset and increasing my financial literacy, I have used these same strategies and principles to achieve success with my one on one personal financial coaching clients to speed up their debt repayment.

Click here to download my Realistic Budget template!

Why You Haven’t Been Able to Get Your Credit Cards Paid Off (5)

Frequently Asked Questions about Financial Coaching

If you are ready to accelerate getting your credit cards paid off, follow me on Instagram for more tips and tricks: @mandyythomas

Do you have any questions or anything to add? Leave me a comment and I will respond back to you!

Why You Haven’t Been Able to Get Your Credit Cards Paid Off (2024)

FAQs

What happens if I can't afford to pay my credit cards anymore? ›

If this happens: Your lender will contact you to demand the missing payments are made. Then if you don't make the payments they ask for, the account will default. And if you still don't pay, further action may be taken, such as employing debt collection agents to recover the money you owe them.

What happens if you are not able to pay off a credit card loan? ›

Under this scenario, the issuer will declare your account as a Non-Performing Asset (NPA). This means that the issuer sees your credit card account as a loss. Now, they may file a lawsuit against you or sell your debt to a debt collection agency.

Why is it so hard to pay off credit card debt? ›

Usually interest is compounded daily. This means if you have an interest rate on your credit card of 18% APR (annual percentage rate), you would have to take 18% and divide that by 365 (days in a year) to get the amount of interest charged per day.

What happens to unpaid credit card debt after 7 years? ›

After seven years, unpaid credit card debt falls off your credit report. The debt doesn't vanish completely, but it'll no longer impact your credit score. MoneyLion offers a service to help you find personal loan offers based on the info you provide, you can get matched with offers for up to $50,000 from top providers.

How to pay off credit card debt with no money? ›

How to Pay Off Credit Card Debt When You're Short on Cash
  1. Create a Budget and Stick to It.
  2. Secure an Additional Source of Income.
  3. Consider Nonprofit Credit Counseling and Financial Assistance.
  4. Look for Debt Relief.
  5. Understand How to Use Credit Responsibly.
  6. The Importance of Debt Reduction.
Feb 24, 2021

Can you be forced to pay credit card debt? ›

While debt collectors cannot have you arrested for not paying your credit card debt, creditors can still use the legal system to make sure they get their money back. The most common legal recourse is to sue you for payment. If you get sued for unpaid credit card debt, don't ignore the lawsuit.

How much will a credit card company settle for? ›

FAQs. What percentage will credit card companies settle for? Credit card companies may settle for anywhere from 10% to 50% of the amount owed. It depends on several factors, including the credit card company and how delinquent the balance is.

How much to offer credit card settlement? ›

For junk debt buyers, a low settlement could be around 10% of the total debt, but more typically, offers between 30% and 40% are accepted, especially if you can pay in a lump sum shortly after reaching an agreement.

Can your house be taken for unpaid credit card debt? ›

If you owe money for most other debts like credit cards and medical bills, you (usually) did not sign a security agreement. So, the creditors cannot seize your home to pay the debt.

How to pay off $30,000 in credit card debt? ›

How to Get Rid of $30k in Credit Card Debt
  1. Make a list of all your credit card debts.
  2. Make a budget.
  3. Create a strategy to pay down debt.
  4. Pay more than your minimum payment whenever possible.
  5. Set goals and timeline for repayment.
  6. Consolidate your debt.
  7. Implement a debt management plan.
Aug 4, 2023

How long will it take to pay off $20,000 in credit card debt? ›

It will take 47 months to pay off $20,000 with payments of $600 per month, assuming the average credit card APR of around 18%. The time it takes to repay a balance depends on how often you make payments, how big your payments are and what the interest rate charged by the lender is.

How to pay off $15,000 in credit card debt? ›

Here are four ways you can pay off $15,000 in credit card debt quickly.
  1. Take advantage of debt relief programs.
  2. Use a home equity loan to cut the cost of interest.
  3. Use a 401k loan.
  4. Take advantage of balance transfer credit cards with promotional interest rates.
Nov 1, 2023

What is the 609 loophole? ›

Specifically, section 609 of the FCRA gives you the authority to request detailed information about items on your credit report. If the credit reporting agencies can't substantiate a claim on your credit report, they must remove it or correct it.

Is it true that after 7 years your credit is clear? ›

Most negative items should automatically fall off your credit reports seven years from the date of your first missed payment, at which point your credit score may start rising. But if you are otherwise using credit responsibly, your score may rebound to its starting point within three months to six years.

What happens if a credit card company sues you and you can't pay? ›

You may lose the ability to dispute the debt, if you believe you don't owe it or that the amount is wrong, and depending on your situation and your state's laws, the creditor may be able to: Garnish your wages. Place a lien against your property. Move to freeze funds in your bank account.

Does credit card hardship hurt your credit? ›

Disadvantages of a credit card hardship program

On the other hand, being in a credit card hardship program may have a temporary negative impact on your credit scores, as participation in these types of programs — as well as any missed payments —can still be reported to the three credit bureaus.

How often do credit card companies sue for non-payment? ›

George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD/MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat. Summary: On average, credit card companies sue for non-payment in 1 out of 7 cases, or about 14.5% of the time.

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