Mariam

my debt was no longer manageable. How much? I actually didn't see. Well, I thought the chapter bankruptcy after when I was getting approved for this, um, unit, There was something on my credit that I just didn't know about. It was a medical bill that was like $6,000, $7,000 that added on to what I already had, which is up to about $60,000 of consumer debt outside of student loans.

How many student loans? Oh, Allah.

Oh, $98,000. And the thing is, I didn't have the degree. Oh, so this is the thing. I didn't consider student loans actual debt.

No, well, I genuinely didn't understand it to be actual debt. So when the lady was like, oh, he approved you, but he was hesitant because of all your debt. And I was like, oh, oh, they're student loans. And he was like, yeah.

I did get approved for it. I got approved for the duplex, but I realized it was just too much debt.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. The duplex is getting rented while I pay off my property.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm just renting a duplex.

It's owner finance.

Correct.

$19,000.

Well, we're working on that, but that's not a here nor there. Well, tell us what the question is.

Yes, the question is about, because it's about a car. So I realized before I had the EveryDollar app, I am here. I'm pushing the movement. I really am. Like, I believe in it, right? Because I was not aware that I was basically spending nearly $700 on Ubers and Lyft to get to work. Okay. And I was like, okay, so I'm paying for a car that I don't have. I was like, this is insane.

I was like, okay, I have to take public transit. I have to take the bus.

Okay. when is it appropriate to use a loan because I know you can get a loan for buying a house, but I hear y'all, you know, you're, you tout. Mario.

100%.

It's about a vehicle.

My safety is in jeopardy. So this morning, because like I was saying, in order for me to take public transit, I have to work overnight. I get off at 5 a.m. I was getting off at 5 a.m. this morning. I'm walking down the street because my last bus stop, it's about a little bit less than a mile for me to get home. I'm walking down the street. I see this man doing all this kind of movement.

So I didn't know about the epidemic of the drug crisis that's going on in Phoenix.

You're right. This man is doing all this crazy body movement. And so as I approach him, I try to like not look at people in their eyes.

He had a metal mallet. So I'm like, okay, when am I going to... Here's what I want you to do.

Well, now the consumer debt's getting discharged.

Well, I'm working overtime. I average about 5K monthly net.

Well, I've already gotten approved for, I just have to have $1,500 down.

Subprime. Oh, yeah. And so that's okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hi. Thanks for taking my call. You bet. Hey. So about seven or eight years ago, I found a debt relief company to help me pay off credit cards to work with the companies. And so we set up a plan where I would pay them $1,200 a month for one year, and then that would be enough to pay off all of the cards.

So at the end of 12 months, I get a note saying, well, all that money kind of went into a savings account, and then we started working with each creditor, and we couldn't pay this one off. And maybe that was in the fine print. I don't know, but that's not what I was expecting. I don't know. that point I was mad and just let it go.

Right. Right.

So, um, and that was, um, that was like eight years ago and no one's ever contacted me about it. Um, But at the same time, it shows up on my credit. And so my credit score is really low, even though, I mean, that's it. I mean, this is like 13 years old. I just assumed it would like drop off.

Hi. Good day. It's Mariam.

But I guess I was wrong. That's what I thought. I thought like after seven or eight years, it dropped off.

Right.

Correct.

Well, they say that it's now $8,733. What was the original tab? I don't know. I think it was more like $3,000 or $4,000.

Well, that's my issue. I mean, I guess I could call the credit card company, which was Chase. I guess I could call them and say, who has it? I don't think they have it anymore.

I don't know who has it. I don't know who to negotiate with. I just know I want it gone and whatever I need to do. I know somebody can negotiate that price down. Somebody is you.

I need to go get a prepaid credit card.

Yeah.

It's 13 years old.

Thanks for the correction. My bad.

It's okay. It's okay. It's Arabic. Yes. So just quickly. Barbara chapter, I will move from the South. I'm a Southern gal, um, moved from the South, um, June of 2024 out here to Phoenix.

Been to Phoenix one time, uh, August, 2021. Me and my daughter drove from Atlanta all the way out here to get some solar panels. So it was beautiful. It was like, Oh, I never live in Arizona.

ended up purchasing 3.5 acres by lost grace so I'm like whoa what am I doing out here in Phoenix I'm about to start um an eco village or whatever wow okay anyway long story short because I'm paying off my property um I decided I wasn't going to get a car at first turns out when I was getting um approved for this duplex that we're in right now that's when I realized that uh my debt was