I've got a huge problem. I haven't been honest with my spouse and it's going to catch up with me. I have bad credit and lied to my husband about it. My debt in under $2,000 so it's not out of control. I haven't used these cards in over a year (before we wed) so he doesn't even know they exist. My husband has outstanding credit so this is so embarrassing for me. I thought I could handle it without him finding out but I can't manage to get a dollar out of the house with out him finding out about it so I can pay these bills. I need to come clean with him because it's really bothering me but I have no idea where to start. He's going to freak out. I'm afraid he'll no longer trust me and this might really leave a scar on our marriage. I've toyed with the idea of writing a letter to him just to get the ball rolling. I would really appreciate some advice.

so did he ask you or did you just not offer the info. there is a difference...
My hubby's credit is the same as you and i did not know, the longer you wait the worse i will get, the credit that is, be honest so you can pay it off ASAP!!
We cant even buy a house and we have three children, so before the family arrives get it done.

I entered my marriage with $25K worth of debt. We were dating for 2 years before I told him, but I told him when we were still just planning on moving in together, so the "rose was still on the bloom" of our relationship, which is definitely a better time to tell him than now.

Come clean immediately. Expect him to react. But give him some credit for perhaps understanding why you were so afraid. He may surprise you.

And if that doesn't work, you can always say your debt isn't as bad as this woman's on the marriage forum.

<img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="images/icons/tongue.gif" />

P.S. I am happy to say we are completely out of debt today. Because my husband's credit was so good, he was actually able to help me by shifting my balance onto one of his cards with a very low interest rate (be prepared - this might be what your husband reacts to the MOST in this situation - it surprised me). Anyway, I still had to pay the amount myself, but I am glad I told my husband because he was actually able to help.

Thanks for the advice. I'll post when I have an outcome.

Have you read Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey? Kind of the marriage builders book of finances- because it talks about getting on the same page (like POJA)

No, I haven't read the book you mentioned. I probably should. Even if I didn't have this credit problem, my husband and I would still disagree when it comes to money. When we were dating he wasn't like this at all. I actually feel mislead. I don't expect a lot, I'm low maintanance. At this point in time our priorities aren't the same. Here's where the problem started. We both expressed a desire to own a home. My husband has a real problem with renting which we are doing now. But we're newlyweds and just starting out so I think it's okay and we just moved in August. We can't agree on what to do about a house. He's into fixing one up for the profit but I'm not. That's a lot of work and I don't enjoy doing something like that. If it was my home that I planned to live in, that would be another story. He never mentioned that he wanted to do this until after we got married. We have plenty of money and a substantial savings, I don't see the need to invest in something like this. Another thing is we can't agree on location. Basically at this point in our marriage, I think we're still working some of the kinks out. I've heard that the first year of marriage can be difficult so I'm not worried. I think we'll get settled in time. But he doesn't see that the bickering isn't healthy. In my opinion, my husband and I can barely have a conversation without bickering. He's very opinionated and I'm very sensitive- a bad combo. When I try to talk about this with him, he dismisses it as healthy. I don't think so because it really bothers me and if it was healthy, it wouldn't bother me. Don't get me wrong, I want this to work like he does. I think it's healthy to identify and recognize problems, he sees them as a weakness therefore they aren't acknowledged. Regardless of my credit, I'm not ready for a house. Moving is stressful, physically and mentally. I have a few years on my husband so it's alright with me but I have to deal with him when he hurts his back, etc. Taking care of a sick man is no fun. I'm far from perfect but he's got to learn how to respect my opinion, even if it's different from his. I just basically spilled my guts, sorry for making a novel out of a note. I just have a lot on my mind. I'm going to approach him about marriage counseling if we can't get this worked out within a resonable amount of time. I would hate to waste time resenting each other when a solution is right around the corner. I think we need a mediator, r I do at least! He tends to shoot me down whenever I bring this up so I can't get my point across. We work together so that's another thing. We are together most of the day. We eat three meals together everyday so that probably has something to do with it also. If you have any thoughts, please share. This is my first marriage so I'm new to this. Thanks.

Just tell em!
$2,000. isn't bad at all.... My soon to be is almost 70g in debt, just until him and the x gets every thing squared away.
He may wonder why you didn't feel like you could come to him to begin with. He isn't unapproachable is he? Just tell him what you told us, you should do fine.
Good luck and God Bless!!!

Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey is also a good one.