Having acheived a consolidation, you will still need to make some fundamental changes to your life. You have to get back on track of spending less than you earn. Only when you have done this will you be able to increase your repayments, and get size of debt down. Getting spending down is not actually as hard as it sounds. For example, many people think nothing of spending $4 or $5 on a Starbucks coffee and bun first thing in morning. Why? They are 'treating' themselves because it is such a struggle going to work! Try waiting till you reach office, and drink free coffee there. Granted, it doesn't come in a fancy cup, or have a caramel splash, but it's F-R-E-E. And forgoing a single $5 coffee every day will save you $100 a month. That's $1200 a year, ignoring interest! Think about it, and you will start to see MANY opportunities to scale back spending. Make your own sandwiches, and take them to work - far cheaper and much healthier than a McDoodah's!

So how do you choose a debt consolidation company? Ask your friends and family. Don't be embarrassed, many people end up in debt thru no fault of their own, and your family will probably be supportive. Never go with a company that wants your paycheck, and then sends you on a much smaller check - you are effectively handing over control to a third party here, and getting into control of your debt is an empowerment strategy, not a wimp out clause. Never agree to anything over phone, and ALWAYS get paperwork checked, even if just by your partner or sibling. They may spot something you missed. Stick with big companies - even though their deals may look slightly less attractive, they won't try to screw you. There are a range of well regarded debt consolidation companies over at http://www.nodebtever.com .

If you can follow these simple debt consolidation tips, you can quickly get your debt problem under control and get back on path to a debt free life!

90% of Americans 'are not concerned' by their credit card debts, although about 50% of them would refuse to tell a friend how much they owe.

A quarter of adult Americans have 'maxed out' a card at some time or other.

A tenth of them have been hounded by collection agencies for late payment, same amount as have gone at least 30 days overdue on their credit card bills.

The typical US student has 7 credit cards, and a significant percentage of them (over 10%) owe $15,000 or more on them.

Credit cards encourage you to spend more. In surveys, it was found that paying for junk food with a card as opposed to cash led to a 50% increase in spend. You want fries with that?

Far from becoming rich, average middle aged US citizen is only worth about $40,000, and that INCLUDES any equity in their homes. The rest of it belongs to banks and lending institutions. This reflects drop in personal savings, down from 8% of income to less than 1% in 2004, thanks mainly to poor returns on savings accounts, and easy availability of credit.

In 2002, sum total in card fees for US credit card sector was $45 billion. It is expected to top $60 billion by end of 2004. Why is this? Find out at http://www.nodebtever.com

Ian Young is a debt counselor working for www.nodebtever.com where the debt consolidation advice is free