angela920

There seem to be several decisions happening that have resulted in living beyond your means. Resolving the problem will mean making some hard decisions that may be uncomfortable for the short run but will definitely help in the long run. Your suggestions of sending the daughter to public school along with finding a cheaper place to live are definitely good ones. With credit card debt that high you will be accumulating significant interest payments that may eventually far exceed the amount of the original debt. The longer you take to address ithis problem and pay off the debt, the more the amount will escalate.

You might find it useful to sit down together with a credit counselor and discuss your financial situation and see about working out a repayment plan. Burying your head in the sand doesn't make it go away - it just makes it become a bigger and bigger problem until it becomes unavoidable on its terms, not yours. You definitely need to be pro-active about this. Good luck.

Thank you for your response, I just wish my husband could understand the circumstances of what he is doing right now. I told him that many times but he said that public school here is bad. My opinion is it can't be that bad since we live in a nice neighborhood. I also understand that his daughter is also his responsibility but i am just really worried about the outcomes later.

The companies could really find out if hes capable or not, coz if he is not they he could declare bankruptcy and destroy his credit score for 7 years, but apparently sending his daughter to a private school means not paying the credit cards.

He is even telling me to find a better paying job, which i think is sick. I am trying so hard to find a good job but in this economy i could only be optimistic. I never stopped applying for jobs. Also, I can only apply to a place accessible to bus because we only have one car.

I just really don't know what to do right now. He said he'd ask his ex-wife or brother to at least help with the tuition but hes hasnt done it yet.

Where can i find a credit counsellor? I am so tired and I just want to give up and go somewhere.

Hello to all visajourney goers here! I hope everything is going well.

I think i have a dilemma right now. I will try to make this as short as possible.

My husband owes at least $35,000 from his credit card. He has four credit cards. The problem is we aren't able to pay them all. They are all in past dues and some of them are in their care program (less interest and no late payment charge), but still we need to maintain and pay the minimum for us to be qualified still to their care program.

Reasons for the debts:

visited me many times in the Philippines and relied too much on the credit cards

Had a major dental surgery in the Philippines

Our rent increases yearly (although i know we can find a cheaper place but he thought we'd be alright so we just renew our lease and will expire on July 2010)

his daughter goes to private school, tuition also increases

I couldn't find a job right away when i got here because I had to wait for my Greencard

I just recently got a job and it doesn't pay well but still it helps us. But my pay just goes directly to phone bills, electricity,sewer, water and a little bit for the rent. His salary goes to rent and her schooling. He is divorced and only required to pay $35 monthly for child support because they (ex-wife) almost had the same income when they divorced. No spousal support. They have joint custody.

We live in a good neighborhood here in Fremont, Ca. We have been receiving calls from the credit card companies about our debt. We argued many times about it already and I am just tired. I told him if we can send her daughter to a public school for a year until we can breathe a little bit and find a cheaper place to live (til our lease expires in 2010) then she can go back to private school. We pay $1000 monthly for her school. The ex-wife pays the summer class and she lives there. She just had her braces. We only get to see her once a week... every Saturday and stays overnight.. and rarely in the weekdays because her mom always picks her up at the school.

But he doesn't like it. He just ignores the call and told me we'll pay them when we can.

So my questions is...

Can he be sued? I asked because he is capable to pay those debts but chose not to.

Can the court order him to pay the credit card company and take money directly from his paycheck?

Thank you. I appreciate all the answers.

Also I wanna add if this is considered as cheating? (not to me) but to the credit card companies. He signed a contract that he must pay the debts monthly right? I am just worried because what if these companies find out that he could pay since he is sending his daughter to a private school and just ignore them (credit card companies). I think he can be sued and be forced to pay the debts first, because it is his responsibility.

I am just so stressed right now. I wanna help him but he doesn't want to help himself.

Please take your birth control pill every day... don't forget it!!!

are you trying to be rude? I am here to seek suggestion because we messed up. I admit that. I am trying to figure out how to make our lives easier by asking suggestions.

Please don't be rude as I am really emotionally drained right now.

Hello to all visajourney goers here! I hope everything is going well.

I think i have a dilemma right now. I will try to make this as short as possible.

My husband owes at least $35,000 from his credit card. He has four credit cards. The problem is we aren't able to pay them all. They are all in past dues and some of them are in their care program (less interest and no late payment charge), but still we need to maintain and pay the minimum for us to be qualified still to their care program.

Reasons for the debts:

visited me many times in the Philippines and relied too much on the credit cards

Had a major dental surgery in the Philippines

Our rent increases yearly (although i know we can find a cheaper place but he thought we'd be alright so we just renew our lease and will expire on July 2010)

his daughter goes to private school, tuition also increases

I couldn't find a job right away when i got here because I had to wait for my Greencard

I just recently got a job and it doesn't pay well but still it helps us. But my pay just goes directly to phone bills, electricity,sewer, water and a little bit for the rent. His salary goes to rent and her schooling. He is divorced and only required to pay $35 monthly for child support because they (ex-wife) almost had the same income when they divorced. No spousal support. They have joint custody.

We live in a good neighborhood here in Fremont, Ca. We have been receiving calls from the credit card companies about our debt. We argued many times about it already and I am just tired. I told him if we can send her daughter to a public school for a year until we can breathe a little bit and find a cheaper place to live (til our lease expires in 2010) then she can go back to private school. We pay $1000 monthly for her school. The ex-wife pays the summer class and she lives there. She just had her braces. We only get to see her once a week... every Saturday and stays overnight.. and rarely in the weekdays because her mom always picks her up at the school.

But he doesn't like it. He just ignores the call and told me we'll pay them when we can.

So my questions is...

Can he be sued? I asked because he is capable to pay those debts but chose not to.

Can the court order him to pay the credit card company and take money directly from his paycheck?

Thank you. I appreciate all the answers.

We call each other SWEETBABU from the 1969 peanut cartoon Charlie Brown. Sometimes he calls me mighty babu and i call him Big Babu coz hes way taller than me. When Im mad he calls me sweet & sour babu. hehe.

Some people works overseas to get ahead and its not a bad idea at all. Thousands of americans is having a good life here in the middle east. No taxes, free furnished apartments, car, what else can you ask for? Maybe you and your husband should consider working overseas just to get ahead, pay off the billX, have some savings then go back in the USA. Just a thought.

Leave for 125 degree weather.... hmmm, I'm staying put in the USA!

Well if he wants to get over his debts? why not sacrifice? Beside work is inside the office with fully airconditioner, not outside under the sun...hmmm.. sometime you need to set aside something if you want to get ahead.

yes you are right, my husband and I are slowly getting off the shithole. We are planning to have a BPO in the Phils and hes already starting to gather some data and information about the prices and the law. I just hope it becomes successful.. Thank you sa mga replies!

I live in Bay Area, Fremont, California. I'm 1hr away to San Francisco If i take the Bart.

hello! May malapit ba dyan sa Fremont, California? hehe hang out naman tayo! napapagod na ako magwork!!! ang liit naman ng sweldo huhuhu. Miss ko na ang inuman! hehe

Thank you for all your replies! I really appreciate it and it gives me good views on how to handle credit card wisely in the future. It's not mine anyway. It's my husbands. hehe. I just help him pay it all off since kasama din naman ako sa gastos niya dati. Nabaon kami sa utang kasi naman when I got here I couldn't do anything but to wait for my adjustment of status.. ssn... work autho and green card... hay. The government won't let you do anything til then. Naaawa lang ako kay hubby since ang laki ng debt niya so I give my share of my money to pay it off a little bit.

Credit card debt is a big problem for many people in the States. Generally it's the interest rates that make it impossible to pay your cards off if you can only afford to make the minimum monthly payment. You may want to consider a considation loan to get those cards payed off and under no circumstances should you apply for another credit card at this point. Concentrate on getting your outstanding debt payed off first before considering getting a card of your own. Every time you apply for any kind of credit it is sent to all three major credit bureaus in the United States. Just applying can have a negative impact on your over all credit score.

make it look like a loan? I think they offered us that but it also means that the credit cards will be close by us when we paid it all off lets say for 60months. We have been paying a lot of past dues right now. I have been stressed lately.. even though its my husbands but still I help him with the bills. All of my salaries every 2 weeks just go to the credit card dues whew It's such a pain in the ####. Our american express and Chase credit cards are close and we are paying it like a loan so once we paid all the debts it will be closed. I am trying to save the bank of america and the citibank though...sigh.

Just wondering if you enroll to their program will it affect your credit score? They told me it wont because once its all paid off it will show as WE close it, not them. I have never had a credit card so mine should be just neutral?

I think you are misunderstanding Melissa. You have to go to your bank and apply for a consolidation loan. You can get a loan to pay off all of your outstanding debt at a much much lower interst rate than what the credit card companies are going to offer you.

Ohh i see! i never thought that's possible. I will try to talk to my husband about it then. Thank you so much!

My solution was to make extra payments on the higher interest rate card. When that card was payed off, the money went to the next card. It is not easy, but a good way to learn about money management. After this I only used the credit card to make purchases I could pay off in a month. This allows credit for emergencies.

I added my wife to one of my credit cards to get her a credit history. This lowered my credit score as closing credit cards did for your spouse. Close the cards if the temptation to use them is too much.

Search jean chatzky on google as she has many great budgeting tips.

Oh so if you add your wife like an extension she'll have a credit history? Coz my husband added me even before we got married so my card is under my maiden name. So if all else fails...like let say that card which i have my name on as an extension got submitted to collections department. IT would also affect me? even though it's my husband was bf who submitted it? Is that how it works here?

Then we better save that card then. I don't want to have a bad credit score even before I start.

Credit card debt is a big problem for many people in the States. Generally it's the interest rates that make it impossible to pay your cards off if you can only afford to make the minimum monthly payment. You may want to consider a considation loan to get those cards payed off and under no circumstances should you apply for another credit card at this point. Concentrate on getting your outstanding debt payed off first before considering getting a card of your own. Every time you apply for any kind of credit it is sent to all three major credit bureaus in the United States. Just applying can have a negative impact on your over all credit score.

make it look like a loan? I think they offered us that but it also means that the credit cards will be close by us when we paid it all off lets say for 60months. We have been paying a lot of past dues right now. I have been stressed lately.. even though its my husbands but still I help him with the bills. All of my salaries every 2 weeks just go to the credit card dues whew It's such a pain in the ####. Our american express and Chase credit cards are close and we are paying it like a loan so once we paid all the debts it will be closed. I am trying to save the bank of america and the citibank though...sigh.

Just wondering if you enroll to their program will it affect your credit score? They told me it wont because once its all paid off it will show as WE close it, not them. I have never had a credit card so mine should be just neutral?

Hello visajourney people! I have not been online for a while because I am busy with my work and paying some bills! uh tell me about it! I just want to share I am so happy because I passed my behind-the-wheel test here in California. Well, barely passed! hehe I had a lot of minor mistakes. It only took 2 weeks and I got the driver's license card. Now I can drive alone but the thing is.. I need to save up for another car.

I'm currently working as a part time-regular in a retail store and I would like to get more income. Do you know any legit home based job? As I have never encountered anything. It is so hard to find a job nowadays that will pay more than the minimum. I feel so stuck, depressed and helpless because I really want to study but since our bills are so high especially the credit cards, I didn't have a choice but to work and help my husband earn. We both are working so hard to make the ends meet. He told me that we are still lucky compared to other people and that i should be thankful that I have a good job.

We are broke right now because of the credit cards issue. I need advice on what to do with them? 2 of our 4 credit cards are closed.. i think when you enroll to their program it will show as you close it instead of them closing it. Now I feel like i don't want to get a credit card here.. I have never had any, but they say you need it to have a credit score? Should i get one?!

Thank you!

lintek na yon napakapakialamero... parang bakla! kainis! Congratulations sa interview mo ha! We are all happy for you here sa visajourney! Wag mo na pansinin yon siraulo na yon ha! Nakakainit lang ng dugo so what kung nagmeet kayo sa dating site? wala na siya pakialaman doon. So nameet niya ang girl niya while eating sa jolibe? hahaha baka yung gurl e namamalimos ng food at sa jolibe pa ha? masyadong nagmamalinis akala mo naman kung sino! GRRRRR

:rofl: sorry di ko mapigilan tumawa kafatid

hahaha ok lang! Madali lang talaga ako mahigh blood lalo na sa mga taong nagmamalinis hehehe at ayokong may natatapakan na Pinay dito

lintek na yon napakapakialamero... parang bakla! kainis! Congratulations sa interview mo ha! We are all happy for you here sa visajourney! Wag mo na pansinin yon siraulo na yon ha! Nakakainit lang ng dugo so what kung nagmeet kayo sa dating site? wala na siya pakialaman doon. So nameet niya ang girl niya while eating sa jolibe? hahaha baka yung gurl e namamalimos ng food at sa jolibe pa ha? masyadong nagmamalinis akala mo naman kung sino! GRRRRR

I remember asking you what job you were applying for in your previous topic. I know for a fact that it is not that difficult to find a decent job in the bay area if you are not that choosy in most industries (even with a weaker job market now compared to last year's) but you must research the company thoroughly. Be wary of companies advertising jobs that don't specify requirements, job duties or no skills required. And when a company is interested in your application and call you for an interview, ask questions after they have interviewed you.

You may also look at temp. agencies. Again, research their reputation too.

Thank you. I applied for almost any position available that I am confident enough I can perform. I applied as store associate, cashier, customer service, teller, sales associate etc.. etc.. I can't really broaden my area of search for jobs because I don't have a driver's license yet. I only have a permit and going there means I have to either take a bus or taxi (which my husband don't mind) I also prefer working at night because at least he can take me to work and pick me up in the morning.

What avenue do you use in searching and applying for jobs, i.e. submitting your resume, for these job positions store associate, cashier, customer service, teller, sales associate? Do you search jobs at the company's (that you're interested in) website or do random search in sites like Monster Job, Career Builder and craigslist?

Thanks for the reply... I applied jobs to the company that I liked like Petco, Petsmart, Walmart, Macys, Target etc etc... I go to their website too. I joined Apple one but they turned me down. I saw that scam on Yahoo hotjobs search!

I remember asking you what job you were applying for in your previous topic. I know for a fact that it is not that difficult to find a decent job in the bay area if you are not that choosy in most industries (even with a weaker job market now compared to last year's) but you must research the company thoroughly. Be wary of companies advertising jobs that don't specify requirements, job duties or no skills required. And when a company is interested in your application and call you for an interview, ask questions after they have interviewed you.

You may also look at temp. agencies. Again, research their reputation too.

Thank you. I applied for almost any position available that I am confident enough I can perform. I applied as store associate, cashier, customer service, teller, sales associate etc.. etc.. I can't really broaden my area of search for jobs because I don't have a driver's license yet. I only have a permit and going there means I have to either take a bus or taxi (which my husband don't mind) I also prefer working at night because at least he can take me to work and pick me up in the morning.

wow sorry to hear that but to be honest we've been scammed numerous of times or more already on craigslist.com and maybe it cost us heartaches and money plus TIME... major scam no#1. we're looking at houses for rent in florida and we found a good deal (maybe $500 less for what its really worth/month) we contact the person and he said he's on a mission right now and out of the country... so we thought ok no big deal we just deal with his rep to let us see the house. exchanged numerous of emails and then he said just wire the money $3000 thru western union and he will mail us the key to the house... he's name "per se" is jones smith and when he called his freakin accent is nigerian! what a piss of sh!t! douche!!! wow!!! we never send him money of course!!! lol

major scam no#2 i always wanted to go to disney in florida (been to fl 3 times already and never seen disney/mickey mouse heheh) so i told my hubby that since we're going to fl might as well go to disney this time. he said YES to it... we found a lady from another state tennessee i think and said she had 10 tix (tickets) for disney! sweet i thought. when we landed in fl. a friend of ours has been in contact w/ this lady and "he" thinks its legit. (note we've been burned w/ scammers before)... so my hubby talked to her on the phone and she said she's not a scammer and just wire the money using money gram at walmart and she'll fedex the tix overnight. hubby was skeptical but his friend said we should trust her. and so we did buy 4 tix from her using our debit card and once we send the money and gave her the no# to claim, she never calls us back anymore and when we called her she wont answer or kept hanging up her phone... we lost $375 from it ... and i wasnt able to see disney nor mickey!!! another lessoned learn!!! a very expensive one... i cant really blame my hubby coz of his friend but we should have known right??? it is what it is...lol... now as for jobs, yes lately craigslist has been bombarded w/ scammers... happened to me and to my hubby when you emailed them, they will give you a link w/ full of questions or shenanigans that is not even related to what you're applying!!!

melissa/martin i am really sorry to what have happen to you... i do wish that you will find a right job God bless

Thank you so much for the reply. I am extremely saddened about what happened to me. Raising my hopes high, my expectations of an interview, meeting the manager and practicing my speech in front of the mirror lol. I feel really bad about myself right now. I feel like I am not capable of doing anything. -sigh- and Im also thinking that my experience from the Philippines is not or wont help me at all. I don't know what qualifications they look for as a cashier or even just store associate.

To all the Visajourney goers:

Thank you for all your replies to my questions.

Recently, I posted a topic "I have a job interview on Monday". Well I found out that it is a scam. When the receptionist called me, I didn't really hear the company name and didn't bother to ask because shes giving me a contact info as to where to go for my "interview" also she said she'll be sending me email to remind. So, i said to myself "ok i will know the name of the company when she sends the email"

I received an email Sunday night. The name of the company is VECTOR MARKETING (you can search it up in google and find many complains about them). They are associated with Cutco Cutlery company (i don't know if you have heard of it). They tell you there is no telemarketing, no cold calls and no experience required (they provide the training). So i went to their website and yes there is a training for 3 days.... but it is not paid!

They also make you buy a knives from them (you sell knives door to door) but they tell you it is a deposit. I think the knife is about $150 before you can start your job. They also have a mandatory meetings every weekend. All in all... they make you buy their knives and training is unpaid.

I think nowadays it is very hard to find a job but I am not giving up. I applied for different companies and have not received anything so far. Those who contacted me are either scam or very strong sales. I am wondering somehow if my experience in the Philippines is not helping at all?

I only worked for a year in Teletech as a technical support. You know how it works in a call center. You have a different supervisor every 2 weeks. I have encountered a lot of companies testing website who don't have an option for international location and numbers (can't proceed if you don't fill it up)

Now I feel like putting my experience in the Philippines will not help me at all. -sigh- I could use some advice. Thank you!

LOL natawa naman ako sa mga reply dito! sige hahanap din ako ng baril ko hehe magbarilan ang magputukan na dito

Hello to all visajourney goers here! I hope you are all doing great!

Share ko lang... ang hirap mag apply ng work dito grabe! as in overnight ako sa computer. Everyday yun ang ginagawa ko.. ang mag apply ng work. Sa wakas may tumawag naman pero grabeng piga pa ang ginawa ko kakasagot ng mga online test nila. I hope I pass the interview. Sa mga wives din dyan na nag apply ng work like me. Wag tayo mawalan ng pag asa... dadating din ang para sa atin!

i did a bunch online test too as in a bunch!!! hehehe... 25-45 minutes ka nakababad to answer their personality test to think you're only applying for a gorcery clerk or whatsoever... last yr, i decided to finally apply for a job (aside from helping my hubby on our previous business). sabi ko kaya ko mag isa heheh... maryusep online test pa lang drain na utak mo sa kakasagot heheh... its easier to get a job early last yr... offered me better pay too... pero ngayun wala talagang tumatawag sa akin for interview (meron isa pero minimum pay tsaka part time at medyo may kalayuan)... sabi ko hapan uli ako ng mas better... gusto ko kasi if i got a job gusto ko yung long-term hindi panandalian...

so happy for you that they called you for an interview... that means nag sta-standout ka sa kanila!!! pray ka lang kaya mo yan!!!

CONGRATS!!! God bless sa yo!

Salamat ha! oo sobra talaga ang mga online test nila. I applied every position na available.. sabi ni hubby it doesn't matter. It doesn't cost anything to apply so go! kahit wala akong experience go! hahahaha... I received an email from citibank telling me i passed their online test and will call me soon, I applied as a teller, customer service, receptionist, warehouse, sewing machine sales clerk, clerk, kahit ano nalang na available. I don't care about much sa salary as long as I have a job then I can start moving up from there. I know na foreign ako dito sa USA and starting will always be hard para sa tin. My major was nursing but i didn't pursue it as a career.

Lahat check ko sa time availability.. work on weekend, holidays, long hours etc.. etc... starting pay ko always minimum.

By the way I live in Fremont, CA.. I applied only in around Fremont, Newark and Union City. Kasi i dont have a drivers license yet.. permit palang. So i will take a bus or taxi if i have to. I am happy because my husband is supporting me with everything.

Advice ko lang sa mga nag apply. Wag masyado chosy at always always make sure you are available and flexible anytime. Don't ask for too much salary muna.

i know thats me a bit choosy... heheh... but to think $7.26/hr for less than 20 hrs/week doesnt really compensate my gas... i work as a cashier before sa ace hardware 8.50/hr ok sya kahit 8 hrs standing on one spot kasi full time 40hrs/week plus lapit lng... i know wala akong experience dito sa US kaya nga hanggang sales assoc lng ako or cashier etc i dont mind pero pag hindi naman ok sa gas tas oras na ibinibigay nila, wala rin...

citibank is a good company and has benefits so GO ka don

Saang state ka? kasi ang minimum dito sa California required by law is $8 per hour. So any less than that e illegal na, you can sue them. I'm happy kasi yung pupunta ko sa monday e sobrang lapit lang dito sa house as in pede lang ako mag bike but siguro bus lang ako everyday. Sana nga makuha ko e. Una unahan na kung sino unang tumawag hehe. Salamat sa mga sumagot! Good luck sa ating lahat dito!

I am gonna chop his balls off with a rusty knife and sew her ##### with an old very rusty used needle.

Pareho silang mali... if he just kept his "toy" in his pants edi walang sanang accusation. If she just didn't drink too much and go to the bar and be left with 4 guys edi wala sanang narape. Sana maging lesson to sa girls dyan na masyadong mahilig uminom at nawawala sa sarili. Uminom nalang kayo sa bahay and if you know you cant handle hard drink. Wag ka na uminom. Iba talaga nagagawa ng alak. Hay!

LOL magbaon na lang ng gatas pag pumunta ng BAR hehehehe

Korek! hehehe

Hello to all visajourney goers here! I hope you are all doing great!

Share ko lang... ang hirap mag apply ng work dito grabe! as in overnight ako sa computer. Everyday yun ang ginagawa ko.. ang mag apply ng work. Sa wakas may tumawag naman pero grabeng piga pa ang ginawa ko kakasagot ng mga online test nila. I hope I pass the interview. Sa mga wives din dyan na nag apply ng work like me. Wag tayo mawalan ng pag asa... dadating din ang para sa atin!

i did a bunch online test too as in a bunch!!! hehehe... 25-45 minutes ka nakababad to answer their personality test to think you're only applying for a gorcery clerk or whatsoever... last yr, i decided to finally apply for a job (aside from helping my hubby on our previous business). sabi ko kaya ko mag isa heheh... maryusep online test pa lang drain na utak mo sa kakasagot heheh... its easier to get a job early last yr... offered me better pay too... pero ngayun wala talagang tumatawag sa akin for interview (meron isa pero minimum pay tsaka part time at medyo may kalayuan)... sabi ko hapan uli ako ng mas better... gusto ko kasi if i got a job gusto ko yung long-term hindi panandalian...

so happy for you that they called you for an interview... that means nag sta-standout ka sa kanila!!! pray ka lang kaya mo yan!!!

CONGRATS!!! God bless sa yo!

Salamat ha! oo sobra talaga ang mga online test nila. I applied every position na available.. sabi ni hubby it doesn't matter. It doesn't cost anything to apply so go! kahit wala akong experience go! hahahaha... I received an email from citibank telling me i passed their online test and will call me soon, I applied as a teller, customer service, receptionist, warehouse, sewing machine sales clerk, clerk, kahit ano nalang na available. I don't care about much sa salary as long as I have a job then I can start moving up from there. I know na foreign ako dito sa USA and starting will always be hard para sa tin. My major was nursing but i didn't pursue it as a career.

Lahat check ko sa time availability.. work on weekend, holidays, long hours etc.. etc... starting pay ko always minimum.

By the way I live in Fremont, CA.. I applied only in around Fremont, Newark and Union City. Kasi i dont have a drivers license yet.. permit palang. So i will take a bus or taxi if i have to. I am happy because my husband is supporting me with everything.

Advice ko lang sa mga nag apply. Wag masyado chosy at always always make sure you are available and flexible anytime. Don't ask for too much salary muna.