Once you've made even six on-time payments, I'd ask if they would increase the limit -- a person who carries balances and makes the payments is a credit card company's ideal customer.

Best of luck to you, Susan. I'm very (veryveryvery) familiar with what you're going through, and I can tell you that there is a light at the end of that long tunnel. I had to live very frugally a few summers ago to pay off one credit card (damn garnishment), but I did it and improved my credit score by nearly 100 points as a result.

ION, I saw this great story about what goes into stories shown on shows like Dateline and how the reporters feel about the entire procedure.

Giuliani's claim that he has more experience fighting terrorism makes me laugh and laugh. It's like a mugging victim claiming to have more experience fighting crime.

A mugging victim who's younger brother took karate.

The NYPD has done more to protect NY than anyone from the federal government... but it was all after Rudy left office.

I mean, why should they, given my current circumstances? Just because I know I'm stubborn as hell and determined that this debt is going to die doesn't mean they have any reason to believe me.

Also you already owe the debt to another company. So transferring a debt is (for some companies) a different matter than increasing total debt load. Also they are taking business away from a competitor. Make it clear that you want to transfer balances from other credit cards and close those credit cards. I can't promise a yes, but I guarantee they will consider it seriously.

Also you already owe the debt to another company. So transferring a debt is (for some companies) a different matter than increasing total debt load. Also they are taking business away from a competitor.

This.

Happy Birthday ita!

And the way I'd put is to approach it as a mutual goal you like them to help both of you (you and Discover reach.)

Since you got your Discover card you've been much happier with them than your other cards. Service is better. Interest rates are lower. You'd like to close a couple of other cards (Card X with a balance of A and Card Y with a Balance of B) and transfer those balances to your company. Can you look into it and see if there is a way we can do this?

That way it is all positive. You are not complaining about the other companies; you just like Discover better. And you just want to find a way to be a bigger customer for Discover and are willing to stop being a customer to the other places in order to do it. Of course Discover will know that saving money is your goal. But you still get points for putting in a way that makes it sound like you are doing this because Discover is such a great company, and a pleasure to do business with.

And then you are putting the ball in their court. "Here is our mutual goal. Can you find a way we can accomplish it?"

Gummi Bears are a good diet food, right?

Thanks to Anne, I have organic gummi bears on my desk. How can those not be good for you? They're all full of antioxidants from bluberries and something called acai fruit which I don't even know what is so I'm sure it must be like the new superfruit just discovered in the Amazon or something.

I think acai is the third thing in the triple-antioxidant Vitamin Water, along with blueberries (?) and pomegranate (?), so it must be good.