- That line about the “emergency” Target run is way too real. I’ve been there with those “just a few things” trips that somehow turn into a mini financial crisis.
- Rolling credit card debt into a mortgage *can* lower your monthly payment, but like you said,
I think that’s the biggest risk. You get some breathing room, but unless you really clamp down on spending, it just drags out the pain.“if you don’t change the habits, it’s just moving the mess under a different rug.”
- I’ve actually seen friends do this and end up with more credit card debt a year or two later. It’s tempting to see the mortgage as a “reset,” but if you’re still swiping the cards, you’re just stacking up more trouble.
- On the other hand, if someone’s really ready to change—like, they’ve cut up the cards and set up a strict budget—it can be a way out. But that’s rare, honestly.
- Curious—has anyone here managed to actually stick to the plan after rolling debt into a mortgage? Or did it just kind of start all over again?
Honestly, you nailed it with the “moving the mess under a different rug” thing. I’ve watched a couple of people in my family roll their credit card debt into a refi, swear this is the last time, and then six months later, the balances start creeping back up. It’s tough to break that cycle if you don’t get real about the spending. But I do think it’s possible—one cousin actually did it, but she went full-on cash envelope system, no more credit cards, tracked every dollar. It was a slog, but she’s better off now. Not easy, but doable if you’re serious.
I hear you on the “last time” promises. My partner and I were tempted to roll our cards into our new mortgage when we bought the house, thinking it’d be a reset. But then I pictured us just racking it up again because, let’s be honest, Amazon exists. Ended up keeping the debt separate so it’d bug us enough to actually pay it down. Not sure we’d have had the discipline for the envelope thing—major respect to your cousin for pulling that off.
We actually did roll our credit cards into our refi a couple years back, thinking we’d “never” let it happen again. Guess who had a surprise dental bill and a weak spot for Prime Day? Honestly, I think you made the smarter call keeping it separate. The pain of seeing that balance is weirdly motivating.
I get where you’re coming from, but I tend to be pretty wary of rolling unsecured debt into a mortgage. Sure, it feels good to wipe out those credit cards, but now that balance is tied to your house and stretched over 15 or 30 years. That $2,000 dental bill ends up costing way more with interest over time, even if the rate’s lower. Plus, you lose the “pain factor” of seeing a big credit card statement each month—sometimes that’s the only thing that keeps spending in check.
I’ve seen folks refinance, pay off cards, then rack them up again when life throws curveballs. Suddenly, they’ve got more debt and less equity. Not saying it never makes sense, but I’d rather keep my short-term debt separate and just bite the bullet on paying it down fast, even if it stings a bit. It’s just too easy for those balances to sneak back up if you’re not careful...
