I don't have a lot of credit card debt and I just paid off my car. My main debt is from student loans.

Well, I have secured debt from my home and auto loans. I don't have any credit card or other unsecured debt.

I'm paying a 7 year note on my business right now, but otherwise I'm relatively debt free. I currently rent, but I'm looking to buy a home in the future. I guess that would mean even more debt.

How far you into paying off the 7 year old loan?

I wouldn't say I was in debt as much as some people, but I'm really struggling now I'm currently unemployed. Just last week my local bank branch fobbed me off to their call centre, claiming that they can no longer help me, I've already had to borrow more money from them because they wouldn't extend my overdraft, and the loan repayments are now crippling, if I didn't have their hefty chunk of money coming out every month, I could easily cope.

I am a freelancer..and the hardest thing for me was finding good clients to work with. It’s really hard when money is not coming in. THat’s how I got into debt. The best thing is to be versatile. Think of more ways to make money than just slaving away for it. This has worked for me.

I don’t know one person that isn’t crabbing about the cost of things and their debt. In fact, one bank teller told me that a lot of people don’t know their limits. She said, “I can tell you do..” I said..“thank you”..but I have a different problem in that I am a freelancer...but I would rather be a freelancer doing different things and having more than one skill than to have one job and being dumped and at the mercy of unemployment insurance..been there, done that and will never revisit it again!”

At one time I had the credit card debt and after that I swore I would never get into that pickle again. And that was 8 years ago. Now I have no debt at all.

I have a house payment. Just paid off my car and I do have one credit card but there is not alot on it at all. You know in a way I agree that sometimes people don't know their limit. But in this day and age it don't take much to get behind and really not have a lot of debt. What I am saying is that alot of people cannot afford to put money away in case of emergencies so then when one thing goes wrong it becomes like a snowball effect.

I totally agree with you PG...it’s hard when you’re freelancing though. Now I have some work coming in...but looking for work sucks more energy out of you than doing the work!

Freelance work - though it is unpredictable, it is stimulating but it can be hard on the nerves and the budget!

I agree with your last comment tater..and I feel sorry for those people who live in the US without health insurance...peoples lives can change in an instant..