Since I've been running this site for 7 years, I know that debt is stressful. I hear from people with credit card debt every day. But this is a real bad sign about just how stressful it can be:

Workplace suicide rate up dramatically

I hear from plenty of people who have good jobs, work hard, don't live their lifes in luxury - and STILL have way too much debt!

Why the heck do we let money define our lives? And why don't we stop spending if we don't have the cash or savings to pay for something? How can so many people get the wrong message, and still use credit cards when the balances keep piling up?

Debt sucks, that's easy to figure out.

But the reason it affects so many people to such a large degree is the false hope it gives us:

- No interest for 12 months
- Buy now, pay later
- Small (affordable) monthly payments even for large purchases
- Credit applications in the mail, online, and at every store
- More credit is easy to get even when you're struggling
- It keeps multiplying and growing slowly over time so we don't notice we're in trouble until it's too late!

So do yourself a big favor - be honest. Don't buy if you can't afford. Don't apply for more credit just because it's so easy. Remember those who fell victim to the pressure and took their own lives.

And don't let it happen to you!

Let's get one thing straight - if you've got too much debt, it's not the credit card companies fault. It's your own fault.

Sure, they shouldn't be sending all those tempting offers to people whose credit cards are already maxed out. And they shouldn't approve more credit to those who are obviously in way too deep.

But nobody forced you to use them, right?

Ok, how here's another perspective:
Woman revolts, won't pay credit card bill

This woman got so fed up with all the nonsense that she decided to stop paying her credit card bills. And go public with her decision!

While I'm not sure I'd use her strategy, I do think that if enough people did the same thing, maybe the credit card companies would start to listen. And stop charging outrageous fees. And stop changing the terms of our agreements just to boost their profits.

What do you think? Will her actions do any good? Is she wrong to do what she did? Would you ever think about doing the same thing and stop paying your credit card bills if you felt that enough was enough?