Get Out of Debt Today!
3 Bureau Credit Report: 
How to handle your bills and get out of debt?
Fond memories of the holidays can become the winter blahs in January, especially
if your mailbox is filled with credit-card bills.
"Get out of debt" tops the list of many New Year's resolutions, but you have to have a strategy. The right one will allow you to live well but regularly reduce your debt load. Counselors say it takes three to six years for most clients to erase credit card debt. Here's a way to start:
Study
expenses and find places you can save. Example: You want to quit
smoking anyway. If you smoke a carton a week, it costs more than
$100 a month. Write down all expenses for a week, and you will
come up with the amount you need.
Check
for lower credit card interest rates. Often you can negotiate for
a lower rate, which makes more of each payment go to debt reduction.
Dip
into savings, but only if you are determined not to charge again.
Your savings may pay 3 percent interest, but credit cards may cost
18 percent.
Put
a small amount of money away each month for emergencies and for
the next holiday season.
Make
a habit of using cash. If you run out of money before the end of
the week, don't buy anything. Stay home and enjoy being there.
Ask
for help from a debt counselor, or ask your parents for a one-time
loan or bailout program. But don't charge more.
Get
your 3 bureau
credit report and scores
including
information from all three national credit bureaus
(Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion)