I totally get where you’re coming from. Resetting those cards to zero can feel like a fresh start, but it’s also a slippery slope if you’re not careful. When I rolled my credit card debt into my mortgage, I set up a few ground rules for myself. Here’s what worked for me:
1. I literally cut up two of my cards. Kept one for emergencies, but put it in a drawer, not my wallet.
2. Set up alerts on my phone for any charges over $20, just to keep myself in check.
3. Made a list of “approved” expenses for the house—anything not on it, I had to wait a week before buying.
It’s not foolproof, but it helped. I hear you on the house expenses, though. They never end.
That’s the toughest part. Do you have a plan for handling surprise repairs or stuff that just can’t wait? That was my biggest challenge after refinancing.“I feel like it’d be so easy to slip right back into old habits, especially with all the house expenses popping up.”
I hear you on the house expenses never ending. When I rolled my cards into the mortgage, I thought I’d finally get ahead, but then the water heater died two months later. Ended up dipping into savings, which stung. Now I try to keep a “house emergency” fund—even if it’s just a few hundred bucks. It’s not perfect, but it helps me avoid reaching for the credit card again. The temptation is real, especially when stuff breaks at the worst possible time.
Rolling credit cards into a new mortgage: worth it?
I get the appeal of rolling debt into a lower interest mortgage, but honestly, I’m not convinced it’s always the best move. Stretching out credit card debt over 15 or 30 years can mean paying way more in interest long-term, even if the rate’s lower. I’d rather knock out the cards separately and keep the mortgage focused on the house itself. Stuff breaking is just part of homeownership—sometimes I joke my properties have a sixth sense for when I’ve got a little extra cash lying around.
I get where you’re coming from, especially with this:
But do you think it ever makes sense if someone’s drowning in high monthly payments and just needs breathing room? I’ve seen folks who are paying 20%+ on cards, and rolling that into a mortgage at 6-7% actually cuts their monthly outflow by a lot. Sure, the long-term interest can add up, but what about the immediate cash flow relief? Sometimes that’s the difference between staying afloat and sinking.Stretching out credit card debt over 15 or 30 years can mean paying way more in interest long-term, even if the rate’s lower.
I’m also curious—have you ever run the numbers both ways? Sometimes people plan to pay extra on the mortgage to knock out that chunk faster, though yeah, not everyone follows through. I guess it comes down to discipline and whether someone’s likely to rack up more card debt after the refi. Just wondering if there’s a scenario where it’s worth the trade-off, or if you think it’s always a bad idea regardless of circumstances.
I totally get what you’re saying about needing breathing room—sometimes the monthly payment is just crushing. I’ve actually run the numbers for a family member before, and the immediate relief was huge, but like you said, it’s easy to fall back into old habits if you’re not careful. Do you think it’s more about the person’s mindset than the math? I wonder if some folks just need that reset, while others might end up worse off in the long run. It’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all thing.
