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Old 01-31-2006, 09:48 PM
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Default Re: Paying Off Credit Card Debt vs Building An Emergency Fund

Quote:
Originally Posted by cicy33
While this is true in theory and very interesting actually, I have to put in the other factor that is being completely ignored. What if you don't have enough on the card to allow for the emergency? This is also a scenario that says they both already have $1000. But if like most of us you don't, what next? Lets say that the card is $2000. But you have maxed it out. You go ahead and build the emergency fund to $2000 while paying the min. Then you have to use your emergency fund. At least then you have an option to not further build debt as well as using the emergency. (based on that the card is not enough to cover the emergency) While I agree that yours would work on a high credit level I don't think that it does if you have a low credit level card. Especially if the emergency isn't nice enough to wait until you have the card paid off, which it usually doesn't. Or even if the card is not worth that much. Do you think that would change the scenario?
It doesn't change the scenerio. If your credit card is maxed out and you have no savings and an emergency happens, you have to come up with a new plan to pay in either case.

If your credit cards are maxed and you put $100 into savings or $100 toward credit card above the minimum, it frees up that amount on your credit card in case of an emergency. It's the same either way.
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