Cold, hard

We're friends, right? So I can talk with you about this.

I'm seriously considering signing up with the CCCS. Here's the deal: When the Ex and I split up, we had a fairly high debt going on. We'd just finished the basement in our house the year before, to make room for the Girl's arrival. On top of that, there was some manic behavior going on, and nothing runs up a credit card like some good ol' fashioned manic behavior, coupled with some good ol' fashioned passive-aggressive denial. Yummy.

Anyway, loads o' debt. Then we had the whole, wow, one income thing; the wow, I'm depressed, let's spend some money thing; the wow, I'm selling my house and the market just tanked thing...you see where we're going. And it occurs to me, after having some talks with family who have done the CCCS thing, that I would be willing to be bereft of the safety net of credit for 5 or so years in order to be done with this debt. It's really the only thing that's killing me, and you know, I was one of those people who got sucked into it in college and never really got out. I make a decent living, and if I didn't have the credit debt, frankly, I could make it completely on my own, without child support or anything. Which for some strange reason I would really, really like to be able to do--just in case one found it necessary.

I'm not even a big spender--it's the damned interest rates that kick your ass and turn you into Sisyphus. When my kids go to college, I don't want to be in worse shape than they are. And I certainly don't want to be in the financial position my mother is in now.

I know there are some stigma attached to using the service, but frankly I don't give a crap. I want out, and better a little discomfort now than going bankrupt in a few years.