The credit card companies are smart business people. A local guy who wrote a book, "Financial Freedom Witout Sacrifice", says that we should teach a great deal more about common sense money management in schools ... but we don't. Have you ever heard the slogan on TV, " ... You deserve it!"? TV teaches us that our wirth is bound up in the stuff that we have. And they are totally nconcerned, now with the stuff that we bought last week - that's ancient history! The thing to do is *buy* - *now*! Remember - that was the first thing that Mr. Byush said, after 9 - 11. In fact, some say that there are some common characteristics between the management of TV programming relative to the commercials and hypnotism. The progams sure like to leave the suggestion in your mind that you need the product that they're shilling. How would you like to earn nearly 40% on your money? Guaranteed! If you have one of most store-issued "credit" cards ... the rate of interest that they charge is about 25 - 28%, on an annual basis. Most of the stuff that most of us buy on the card is not deductible. So we must pay for stuff bought in those stores with after-tax money. Divide 28% by 3, you get 9, then add the 9 to 28%, gives 37%. If you're in 25% marginal tax rate, 1/4 of your earnings goes to tax, so you divide 37% by 4, get about 9% going to tax, leaving 28% after-tax residue in hand to pay off he debt. If you always paid your credit card balance off in full each month before the due date, no interest fee. If you charge so much stuff on it that you can't pay it off before the due date, you must start paying those high intrerest rates. Hey, lookie ... you just gave yourself a guaranteed reduction in income, next year (unless you get a substantial raise)! Would you give even a second's thought to asking your boss to reduce the amount that the company pays you easch payday? But that's precisely the kind of boot in the tail that you just arranged for yourself. Trouble is - you probably didn't even notice it!! If you don't boss yur money (and learn how) ... it'll boss you!! Have yourself a great week. ole joyful

soggy, Do you have a good connection with a credit union or bank? What'd be your possibility of getting a loan from them? If unsecured, probably somewhere around 10% - almost certainly a lower rate than you're paying now. If you own some mutual fund or stocks for which you are holding certificates, lodge them as collateral - or a (whole life) insurance policy with some cash values built up, you could probably get a loan at 5 - 6% approximately. Whole life insurance policies should do something to at least partially justify their high prices! If you own mutual funds or stock in companies with only documentation in the broker's computer - maybe have them issue certificates, if you plan to hold them for a while. The $35. - 50. or so fee would soon be made up by the difference in interest cost, if you have any sized balance owing on your "credit" (really "debt") card. Pay the darn "credit" card company off in full. Just one proviso - when you get the "credit" card balance paid off - don't succumb to the temptation to use it to go out and buy a lot more stuff! Just remember - when you get the "credit" card balance paid off - don't succumb to the temptation to use it to go out and buy a lot more stuff! Don't forget, now ... when you get the "credit" card balance paid off - don't succumb to the temptation to use it to go out and buy a lot more stuff! If you do - you'll have two debts - one at a lower rate of interest cost, and another at a high rate of interest. There's a 6-letter word for that - S-T-U-P-I-D. Hope you're enjoying a really great summer weekend. A local KT (Kitchen Table) resident and I are looking forward to coffee with another KT person who's coming to our city tomorrow. ole joyful

First the most important thing is they can not discuss or try to collect the debt from anyone other than the name on the card. Some states how ever can discuss it with the spouse but they can't collect or force the spouse to pay. If they have disclosed the debt to his mom they have violated FDCPA regulations. He can actually sue them for doing this. This can not show up on the wifes credit report unless she is on the account as an authorized user. If o, she need to call and remove herself. She also need to stress "Do not call me at work" they have to of once again they will violate FDCPA regs. The only other way it can affect the wife is if they own a home and the credit card company decides to litigate if they are successful they can have a lien put against the house. Consumer Credit Counseling Services is a great place to start, but beware of the "gazillion" companies out there they "pretend" to be CCCS. They need to give them a call. With the wife increasing her debt they may soon find that she is in the same shape. If he hasn't worked since last year he needs to go out and get some kind of job to bring something in. In my 30 years in the "credit" industry you can't believe the number of times I have heard "if I can't make what I was making I am not going to take the job". I don't know their situation but something is better than nothing. Hope this helps. Karla p.s. Sue I have a friend who is also an attorney and goes through the same thing. about once a month I get a call from him that starts with "I have this client....." lol he is getting pretty good at the credit thing :)

Forgive me, in advance, for my lengthy post... I am never short on words. Prescription discount cards are not new and they do work. In addition to the "questionable" organizations/companies many refer to in these related forums, they're also offered by legitimate organizations, profit and non-profit alike, and even some states! I'm sure someone may have already mentioned that but I didn't read ALL the postings, most but not all. My husband is on Medicare. I am 12 years younger and have no health insurance. We carried insurance when we owned and operated a family business, but the premiums (for a 10,000.00 deductible) became ridiculously high, plus we were paying everything out of pocket. We only had the insurance for that hope-it-never-happens catastrophic illness. We dropped the insurance and decided to start our own insurance "fund". However, that's just a bit of background. I take five prescription meds, one of which is very costly. I have three discount cards on file at my pharmacy (Walgreens) and am enrolled in Walgreens' prescription program for $20.00 per year. One discount card is through our state Farm Bureau as we are members. One is through the United Methodist Church organization as we are First United Methodists. The third is the Relief card and I have to be honest, I cannot remember receiving this card, however my memory isn't what it used to be. The pharmacy is supposed to run each of my new fills and refills through each discount program in my file. They often forget to do this and I have to remind them. I have saved MANY dollars by remembering to remind them. :) Case in point... this past week I refilled my most expensive med. I get a three month supply, which usually runs over $200.00 with one of the other discount plans (not Walgreens...I actually do not save much with them and am considering dropping that plan). When I picked up my refill, the tech told me it was over $400.00. My hair stood on end. I had them run it through all of my discount plans. I ultimately paid just over $60.00 for that three month refill. I asked which plan had saved me that much and was told the Relief plan. Now, maybe I'll be sorry somewhere down the line but I'm surely happy about it now. BTW... that med is a generic. Discounts are often deeper for generics. As for jeopardizing personal information, one person suggested that Walgreens would have to give out my DL# to these companies. I never voluntarily gave my DL# or SS# to Walgreens (or SS# to ANYONE), but my DL# is on my checks for anyone to see, as is my bank's routing number and my account number. I pay for meds with Walgreens' Express Pay, which means that they have a copy of one of my CC #'s on file. Since we travel a lot, I know that this number is in the Walgreens' system for any Walgreen's pharmacy to use, anywhere in the country, as I have had Rx's filled in other states. No problems with CC theft yet. As for submitting personal information, we do it in some way many times a year. Did you not give your name, birth date and state when registering for this site?? The page where I entered my information was not encrypted. Do you really trust this site's Privacy Policy just because it's there?? And, have you actually read it verbatim?? I doubt that many people read any or all Terms and Conditions before accepting them. I also checked the BBB for ScriptRelief, the company which issues the Relief Rx cards via Health Alliance. See link (copy and paste) http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/business-reviews/medical-dental-discount-plans/script-relief-llc-in-new-york-ny-130619 There are 22 complaints listed, 14 of which are related to advertising/sales issues. It went on to say that the BBB knows of no government actions involving this company and that all 22 complaint issues were resolved by Script Relief. If you do a search for prescription discount cards, you'll find a whole host of them. And, if you search for "how they work", you'll find MANY articles. I wanted to find unbiased information that was not supplied by any of the discount plan companies and happened upon this one... simple but good...(copy and paste link) http://www.frugalconfessions.com/save-me-money/are-prescription-drug-discount-cards-for-real.php This author states that the companies offering the free discount RX plans make money through referral fees paid by pharmacies for each RX filled using the card, i.e. they want to get and keep customers who ultimately purchase much more than meds in their stores. Her research leads her to the conclusion that it can't hurt to sign on to one (or more in my case because different cards offer different savings on the same med) of these programs. One might argue that other people, private pay and with insurance, are paying more for those of us using discount cards. To this I say, I am private pay for all other medical visits, hospital stays, diagnostics, etc., and I'm sure that I am paying a higher price for those who get assisted relief from medical costs. My clinic and most hospitals offer a 5-10% discount for private pay, if the charges are paid in full. Who do you think makes up that difference? As for insurance, everyone's premiums are affected (and increased) by other people's claims, lawsuits, etc. It's a fact of life that we ALL pay for each other in some way or another. Sadly, it's just looked at negatively unless it's charitable and tax deductible. I've been using my discount cards for at least ten years. (Our son was too until he graduated from college and got a job with health insurance.) I still have my identity, no one has come looking to collect the difference I have saved on my meds all those years, and I'll keep using them until I woefully reach the age of Medicare, if Medicare is still a viable option when I get there because that money is really not there, (refer to our national debt) but that's a whole other topic for another time. I'm not trying to convince anyone to use the discount cards; just FYI'ing. I will keep using them and if I encounter a problem, I promise to post it. :)