Q I think our debt is way out of hand. My husband disagrees. Who's right?

A Take this quiz to see.

E Do you argue with your spouse over bills?

E Do you find an increasing percentage of your income going toward debts? It's not uncommon for families to be spending several thousand dollars per year on interest, money that could be applied to basic needs.

E Are your credit cards at or near their limits? Do you keep applying for new cards to expand your limits?

E Are you only paying the minimum balances due on your credit cards?

E Are you chronically late in paying bills?

E Do you borrow to pay for items you used to pay cash for? This is an early warning sign of problems.

E Do you put off medical or dental visits or necessary things like car maintenance because you don't have the money? Delaying true needs often causes greater expenses in the long run.

E Would a job loss place you in immediate financial difficulty because of debts? The high interest of credit cards becomes impossible to manage with a major reduction in income.

E Are creditors calling you and threatening legal action? The stress from these calls and notices can cause divisions in a marriage.

E Have you avoided adding up your total debt out of fear?

If you answer yes to any of the above, then you're in debt trouble. Proverbs 22:7 reminds us, “The borrower is the slave of the lender.” Step one is seeing the problem.

God love you!

Phil Lenahan is executive director of Catholic Answers.

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