photo by Jeff Harbin, Life of Riley Photography

Mark and Amy Tinsley

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In the nearly 28 years Mark and Amy Tinsley have been married, they’ve run into financial problems three times, and it was this last time, almost four years ago, that they decided enough was enough.

“The first time was in 1990, when we started having real problems with credit cards,” recalls Mark, an Affiliated Foods truck driver. “We got out of that mostly, but in 1998, we had to file bankruptcy.”

Mark and Amy met in Amarillo in 1981 when they both worked at JC Penney. The two were married within six months of meeting and soon after moved to Shreveport, Louisiana. Both of their children, Chris, now 21 and in the National Guard, and Shannon, 19, were born there. Mark was an insurance salesman and Amy was a stay-at-home mom. What made 1998 an especially hard year, in addition to losing their house and a car to bankruptcy, was a severe cut in Mark’s salary as he transitioned from salesman to long-haul truck driver.

“That was such a hard time because we had to tell the kids that we couldn’t live in that house anymore. We were behind on the bills and the house payment and just couldn’t do it anymore,” says Amy. “He’d be gone for weeks at a time so the kids and I were alone a lot. It was such a hard road.”

The family moved back to Amarillo in 2000 and within six years, they found themselves in financial dire straits again.

“When we moved back here, I just got too many credit cards. We already had some and I got more from department stores. We had 16 cards at one time,” says Amy. “I always say that this is all my fault because I’m the one who applied for all of those cards.”

“But I didn’t stop you,” assures Mark.

Their life turned a corner the night that Mark looked over their Capital One statement in disbelief of all the charges. He said, “This is it. We’re gonna stop.” The next day, Amy called Consumer Credit Counseling for an appointment. The couple started the debt repayment program in November 2006, and by May 2009, they were debt free.

“We just felt so helpless,” says Mark. “We’d tell ourselves that we wouldn’t use the cards that much or that it wasn’t a big deal, but it had just gone too far. Now, all the extra money goes into savings.”

For the first time in more than three years, the Tinsleys went on vacation and paid for the entire trip with cash. They enjoyed a trip to San Antonio, just the two of them. And now that purse strings aren’t so tight, they anticipate more traveling and planning for the future, payable in cash.

“We are just bound and determined to stick to it this time,” says Amy. “No more credit cards. I have absolutely no problem saying no.”

Part 4 - 10 Ways to Stretch Your Dollar

by Jennie Treadway-Miller

Jennie was a columnist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press for eight years prior to moving to Amarillo in 2008. She is an avid reader, runner and writer.

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