15 signs: When to call a debt expert

Look for a pattern

No magic number of these statements has to be true to indicate you have a credit problem. Even if you see yourself in several of these instances, you still might be able to deal with your credit crunch on your own.

But if you spot a trend, beware.

For example, don't panic if you occasionally shop surreptitiously, not letting your spouse in on your splurge. Similarly, paying off minimum balances once in a while could be acceptable. But if it's more than an isolated money-management misstep, you could be headed for trouble.

Don't wait too long

Getting help sooner rather than later can take months or years off the process of getting out of debt.

Once you've hit rock bottom financially, it's much harder to work your way out of it. To ease the stress and financial burden, seek credit counseling before tipping over into the abyss.

Any trip to a credit counselor should be preceded by a thorough analysis of your family's personal finances -- how much money you have saved, how much you owe, how much you have coming in each month and so on. Such an analysis will help you assess how much trouble you're in and how much assistance is required.

In the end, getting organized may be all the help you need.

This story was reported and written by Jenny C. McCune for Bankrate.com.

Published Sept. 16, 2008

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