Having done all that, you could still be having trouble getting out of debt. If so, you may want credit-yogi to help you with credit consolidation advice. Credit counseling agencies are readily available, but you may want to be careful in choosing one. Some are non-profit, which could reduce the fees that you will pay to them. Some for profit agencies have reportedly pretended to be non-profit.
You may want to know if the firm is a member of a professional agency such as the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies. These are non-profit organizations of debt relief advisers. Their members typically have excellent relationships with the various creditors and can offer some special consolidation deals. Through their influence with the creditors, the creditors could be convinced to lower interest rates or even the balance owed. After all, if in danger of default, the creditors want to get at least something back, and if you are driven into bankruptcy they may get nothing, so they are typically willing to make a deal.
It’s good to know if the debt consolidation firm will offer a free initial consultation. They should and by law many firms must include credit counseling as part of that consultation. Here is where your personal tracking of expenditures will be helpful. If you haven’t yet made such an analysis of your true spending habits, the credit counseling firm will probably insist that you do so. It also never hurts to check with the Better Business Bureau, to see if there are complaints registered against the firm you are considering.
Once you have chosen a firm to work with, credit-yogi.com can connect you with one or more free consultations, you can insist that all agreements be in writing, and that they include fee relief if the firm does not provide the services promised. You could then be well on your way to getting out of debt.