dealing with debt Archives - The Outlier Model

How to Recover from a Holiday Shopping Binge

big bargains, shopping, discounts, profits

Melissa Batai / December 26th, 2013 / 4 Comments

When my husband and I were just married (and beyond broke), we only bought very small presents for each other and some presents for my mom that were within our budget. However, when we got home for Christmas, my mom was beaming with pride as she showed us the many presents she had under the tree for us. Embarrassed by our small number of gifts for her, we went out shopping on Christmas Eve to give...

Posted in: Credit and Debt Tagged with: christmas gift ideas, Christmas gifts, christmas shopping, coping with debt, dealing with debt, overspending

Dealing with a collections agency (or, remember to pay your bills!)

collections agency, past due bills, collections agent, bill payment

Brian / June 5th, 2013 / 17 Comments

Yesterday, I received a surprising phone call from a collections agency stating I allegedly owed $211 on a past Telus account (phone/internet/cable company). Naturally, I was somewhat shocked – I’m a personal finance blogger, how the hell am I being contacted by a collections agency? I have never missed a payment on, well, just about anything! After I got over the initial adrenaline burst...

Posted in: Credit and Debt Tagged with: collections agency, credit rating, credit report, credit score, dealing with debt, negotiation