credit card debt

[Wellies]

to my horror dp has told me his/our credit card bill has now reached several thousand pounds. i have no idea how to handle it. we have had an expensive few years with every appliance breaking down and needing replacing but i hadn't realised quite how bad the situation had got

we both feel really worried about this and just want to get rid of the amount as quickly as possible. i think we have learnt our lesson and won't let it get this bad again.

Should we look into adding the amount on to the mortage and cut up the card so we never get in this situation again?

Go to the CAB - see their debt advisors, get a budget planned etc.

I think getting rid of the card is a fantastic idea when you can - talk to a professional though about it so you don't end up getting screwed in some other way.

Thanks, never crossed my mind to talk to CAB.
we always resisted getting a credit card until about 5 years ago and I regret it now so would very much like to get rid of it asap.

I am terrible with money and haven't go ta clue when it comes to working out a budget/book-keeping etc

I was in a similar situation about 3 years ago. My husband was out of work for 6 months & we ended up with almost 15k of debt. We got a consolidation loan from a company called Debt Advisers Direct which allowed us to reduce the amount we were paying back each month & eventually we we able to get rid of that awful debt.

I also cut up all the credit cards. I do have one kept for emergencies, but it is in a drawer, not my purse where there is a temptation to use it.

Your debt isn't quite as much as mine but maybe have a look at getting a loan or something else. I'm sure CAB will be able to advise you as LewisFan said.

Good luck!
SarahT

If you can get one to approve you, it would be worth looking at a balance transfer onto an interest-free credit card. There is a fee, but the charges will be so much lower and then at least most of what you pay will go to reduce the balance. Once the interest free period is up, there is nothing stopping you moving the balance again to another one. Depends on your credit rating etc. but worth a try.