SALEM — Josie Estes makes her credit card payments on time each month, but she worries.
"I think, at this point, nobody's untouchable," said Estes, 47, a Salem mother of two. "Do I use my credit cards? Sure. I'm still trying to keep on top of them though."
Debt counselors in the Granite State might tell Estes she's right to be concerned. More and more, New Hampshire residents are reaching the breaking point when it comes to credit card debt, according to Sara Varela of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of New Hampshire and Vermont.
"Last year was our busiest year ever in the agency, and this year the projections are already above what we did last year," Varela said.
The 15-year-old counseling service helps people negotiate with lenders, often credit card companies. The private agency has helped 3,718 people so far this fiscal year, more than the 3,362 it had helped by this time in fiscal year 2007.
And 2007 was a record, Varela said.
But the biggest difference, she said, is the number of people who are turned away.
"Overall, we are kind of surprised by the amount of people that we haven't been able to assist due to the lack of sufficient ... income to cover their expenses," she said. "Or, to say it another way, due to the amount of debt."
The debt counseling group doesn't track the number of people turned away, she said.
But, Varela said, those people often must choose between bad options — take an extra job, file for bankruptcy or make drastic lifestyle changes.
"(We tell them) this is the amount of money you need to make ... to get into a program," she said.
And, judging by bankruptcy statistics in New Hampshire, many local residents simply have too much debt.
Since the quarter ending in March 2006, New Hampshire bankruptcies have been steadily climbing, according to data from the federal judiciary.
In the quarter ending in September 2007, there were 776 bankruptcy filings in New Hampshire. A year earlier, in the quarter ending in September, there were 550 filings.
As for Estes, she's polishing her resume.
"I'm a stay-at-home mom, but I've begun looking for a part-time job, just in case," she said.
