More People Seek Credit Counseling

As more Americans find their wallets empty, the consumer credit counseling service wants people to know they're here to help.
Education Specialist Tracy Johnson, "There's no shame in having financial difficulties, everybody has had financial difficulties at one time."CCCS
Tracy Johnson teaches people how to budget their money through Fiscal Fitness Workshops. She says many people don't know how to adjust their finances to make up for soaring food and gas prices.
Johnson, "When you have a particular part of your budget that has increased then you have to decrease somewhere else to make ends meet."
Nationwide, the average price of gas is more than 4 dollars a gallon. The Energy Dept expects prices to hover around $4.15 for the next year. CCCS Director Charlie Hixson says more families feel the impact.
Hixon, "Individuals who are in the 50, 60, 70 thousand dollar household income who may have two or three kids and they have a long distance to drive to work."
More people are using credit cards to pay for gas and other expenses, such as food. Hixson says they're racking up more debt than they can handle. Credit counselors say if you're using one credit card to pay another you could be in trouble.
Hixon, "If you start doing that disaster is just around the corner because you're going to get yourself into a situation you can't back out of."
CCCSConsumer Credit Counseling Service offers free budget help, debt management, and housing education. All services are confidential.

To learn more, visit
www.mycreditcounselors.com

Warning Signs of a Credit Crisis

• You are near or at the limit on your credit card.
• You charge more each month than you make in payments.
• You are late with bill payments.
• You must use savings for daily living expenses.
• You are using cash advances from credit cards to pay other creditors.
• You are working overtime to keep up with spending.
• You have recently been denied credit.
• You really have no idea of you total amount of indebtedness.
• You have paid a bill with a post-dated check.
• You have had a check returned for insufficient funds.
• You only pay the minimum amount due on your credit card bill each month.
• You have received a phone call regarding delinquent accounts.
• You are facing creditor lawsuits or garnishments of wages.