Lucy Hebron

As the comedian Jeff Foxworthy would say: “You know you’re a redneck when…” Likewise, we at Hebron Law Firm tell you:

“You know you’re in financial hot water and should consider bankruptcy when…”

• you are taking cash advances on your credit cards to pay current bills
• you are you paying for food, groceries, small items, or everyday expenses with credit cards
• you are behind on any of your debts
• you are behind on any of your secured debts (mortgage, car payments or other loans for which you have pledged some sort of property as collateral)
• you have taken out a “payday loan” or otherwise borrowed money to pay bills
• you are usually late in paying your bills
• you are tossing bills in a pile without even opening them, let alone paying them
• this month’s bills are coming in before you have paid (any or all) of last month’s bills
• you are losing sleep or constantly worried about your finances
• you are unable to make the minimum payments on your credit cards
• your credit card balances go up each month even though you’ve stopped charging
• you are avoiding telephone calls, messages, letters, or process servers who are seeking to collect from you or serve you with court papers
• you are forced to reduce or cut out debt payments so that you can pay for food, medicine or housing expenses
• money arguments have increased in your household
• you had a recent decrease in income, job loss/hours cutback, divorce, or medical emergency
• you are being contacted at your home or at work about unpaid bills
• you are paying more than 20% of your take-home pay/income for installment debts and credit card debts
• you have outstanding bounced check charges or collection lawsuits pending against you

If even one of the above applies to you or your family, you should take a closer look at your budget and either trim expenses or increase income.

If more than one of the above applies to you or your family, it means you may need help preventing debt problems. Consider going to the “Consumer Credit Counseling Service” (CCCS) in your area. CCCS is the only non-profit credit counseling service that most bankruptcy attorneys recommend as an option prior to making the final decision to file bankruptcy.

If four or more of the above applies to you and your family, it means you are definitely in trouble and should call Hebron Law Firm, 903-569-5829, to see what your options are.