Unemployed or underemployed and can’t make payments on your loans? You are not alone.

The American Banking Association recently released a report indicating that a lot of Americans are not paying their bills.

…delinquencies on consumer debt rose to a record 3.23% in the first quarter of 2009, up slightly from the previous quarter.

This number does not include credit card debt.

Similarly, the balances on those late credit card accounts rose to 6.6% of all outstanding bank card debt, marking another record high.

The reports shouldn’t be surprising. If you have no money or are making less than you did, paying bills becomes difficult if not impossible.

Don’t dodge bill collectors or anyone you owe. Be forthright and explain your situation or try to make some small payment if you can.

Prioritize your bills. Pay the essentials such as mortgage or rent, transportation to get to work and utilities.

You aren’t the only one. Ask for a restructuring of your mortgage, if you can. If it is true hardship you can ask to reduce the interest rate on your loan with no additional fees. Some income requirements may be imposed but remember companies also want their money too. Late payments and delinquencies also can mar your credit report but making some effort will be better than doing nothing.

This morning before 8 a.m., it was 80 degrees.

Last week it was on the cool side for June. This mean it is time to turn on the air conditioner.

To save money but still stay cool, close the blinds or drapes and run the fan. This way the air conditioner doesn’t have to work as hard. The newer more efficient energy star air conditioners make a difference in your electric bill. Just because it is 90 outside, doesn’t mean that you need to have your air conditioning set at 68. Air-conditioning units also remove humidity from the air so a 72 or 74 degree setting with a fan going and shades drawn will make it very comfortable inside.

If you have peak periods of sun near your home, keep the curtains drawn during that time. Even if it is early, the sun can really heat up your home and your air conditioner will have to work harder. Generally, there is enough outside light, so you don’t have to turn the lights on either.

Fans do not use as much electricity as air conditioning units. If you aren’t home during the day, use a timer to turn the ac on an hour or so before you get there, so the house will be cooler. Keep the shades and blinds closed during the day so that your home won’t be as hot.

For walkers, runners and bikers, don’t go out in the peak of the day unless you have to, and drink plenty of water.

Stay cool!

Be a pest.

When you notice that something in wrong on your bank statement or credit card statement, politely ask for an inquiry. Sometimes you may have to ask twice but ti will work. Two months ago I found fraudulent charges on a credit card statement, then I found double billing from a company I actually placed an order with. The fraudulent charges, I had to place an inquiry twice, but while the charges were being investigated, I didn’t have to pay interest on those and checked frequently to see how the status of the inquiry was going.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Persistence pays off, but politeness along with assertiveness helps. An overly aggressive person can escalate a situation and make it difficult to get someone to help you.

Assertiveness and aggressiveness are two sides of the same coin but can evoke reactions from different ends of the spectrum. A polite assertive person might be able to get a situation rectified in their favor. An aggressive person who seems to be a bully or boorish (think ugly American) may not be able to have a situation resolved in their favor.

Assertive behavior also deals directly with the person or company that can resolve the issue. You may feel aggravated by having to repeat a situation but by maintaining a pleasant demeanor and you will be able to have your situation resolved. Recent situations where people called 911 because of problems in fast food restaurants or other retailers indicates that shoppers weren’t using assertiveness, they were being aggressive.

Complain to the right person. Generally, the cashier or first person you speak to isn’t the person who can help you, if you have a serious issue. Ask to speak to a supervisor. Keep asking until you get the right person to help you. When calling on the phone, take notes including the time you called, and the name of the representative. Ask for what you want – a refund, a repair, a new item. You may not get it but by asking politely, you are closer to getting what you want than if you are aggressive and get angry quickly.

Telling your problem to someone who cannot help you, such as on an anonymous complaint site does nothing to resolve your problem. Using the sites will help warn others of potential problems, but many situations are different.

If you are delinquent on your credit card bill, it may not be Monty Hall calling to make a deal, it may be your credit card company.

The delinquency rate on credit cards has risen, as have calls from credit card companies to people with high balances. Companies are trying to make deals with people in order to get something rather than nothing.

Even with settling for less than the entire amount, there are still high balances around.

“Revolving credit, a close approximation of credit card debt, totaled $939.6 billion in March. The Federal Reserve reported that 6.5 percent of credit card debt was at least 30 days past due in the first quarter, the highest percentage since it began tracking the number in 1991. The amount being written off was also at peak levels.”

Credit brings a different dimension to this recession.  The unemployed and under-employed do not have as much to lose. When you aren’t making any money, your wages can’t be garnisheered. This does not mean forgoing payment. Although no one can say, yet, how taking a deal from a credit card company will affect your future credit or credit score.

Are a you a fan of just charging it all and then paying the bill when it comes? According to CreditCards.com that may be damaging your credit score. Not only where you buy but what you buy seems to have an impact on a credit card company’s profile of spenders. Prior to the new credit card law, companies would  use the information about your purchases to lower your spending limit.

This made me reflect on two young ladies I saw making purchases of less than $15 at a thrift store. Would that purchase reflect on their credit score or spending habits? The only time I spend less than $15 on a credit card happens when a large department store has a special sale and you get an additional percentage off of any purchase made with the store’s credit card.

Cash on the other hand for certain purchases is hard to trace. Granted, if you are making a small purchase and you have a problem with an item, you would be less likely to be upset about a faulty $15 dollar item than you would for a faulty $150 or $1500 dollar item.

Where and how much you spend with your credit card, gives credit card companies an accurate picture of who you are – at least through your purchases. If you only use your purchases for certain items, then they have a flawed picture. But if you use cash for many of your purchasesthen credit card companies will have a skewed picture of you.

For an example of what types of purchases will affect your credit score, try the interactive shopping cart. Certain purchases decrease your score considerably, while other seemingly innocuous purchases will raise your score considerably.

You can’t always pay for items with cash, especially online purchases but if you are prudent in your spending with your credit card, then your score and credit limit may suffer less.