Love story: How one couple survived a powerful enemy -- debt
By Laure Shanahan • Bankrate.com

She was a bubbly belle from Baton Rouge, La., and he was a sweet-talking, treetop-tall man from Macon, Ga.

But it was at Dillard's department store in Nashville, Tenn., right by the Fruit of the Looms, where their love found wings.

"He was a salesman -- and he sure sold me."

This is a love story with a happy ending. But it was a close run thing. Something they never expected came between them and nearly wrecked their marriage as it does with some many couples: crushing debt.

Tanya Christian, 25, recalls her first impression of Greg as "your basic tall, dark and handsome." In turn, Greg, 30, was hit between the eyes by his wife-to-be's "long, black hair, real pretty eyes and friendliness."

Tanya had been living at home, a student and part-time worker.

"My only real expense was my car payment. Living at home, I didn't have to worry about big things like rent, so when my credit-card bills came, I paid them off real soon -- with my very next Dillard's paycheck. I always had A-1 credit."

About five years ago, shortly after she met Greg, Tanya moved into her own apartment.

"It was a one-bedroom," she recalls. "Cheap. Just $400 a month."

She and Greg enjoyed the things all couples do -- movies, dinner out, surprise gifts, nights on the town. Their relationship meant extra spending for both of them, but they paid for everything with little problem.

Baby on board
Then Tanya found she was pregnant. Everything else in their lives, including Tanya's near-finished college education, would be put on hold.

"I had three years toward a degree in education," she says. "But I couldn't afford the luxury of going to school anymore. I dropped out so I could get a full-time secretarial job, paying $9 an hour. This was in addition to my part-time work at Dillard's, which paid about $100 to $150 weekly."

Tanya and Greg were flexible enough to reprioritize their lives, pronto, but then came another surprise bend in the road. It seemed a godsend at first -- but it turned into what the Christians now call "the biggest mistake of our lives."

Greg, who had been pulling in between $25,000 and $30,000 as a salesman in a Cadillac dealership in Nashville, was lured by the potential for big bucks at a dealership in Texas.

"We decided to go for it and start a new life together in Dallas," says Tanya.

A dream deferred
Dallas, alas, turned into a dead end. The big bucks were to come from a high commission on sales -- but the sales were few and far between.

Greg saw his income dwindle to nearly nothing. And Tanya had given up her two Nashville jobs to go to Dallas with him. In their darkest days they managed to earn just $1,200 monthly, if they were lucky. And their debts, old and new, kept snowballing.

The stress of dealing with what both now realized was a bad move -- coupled with mounting debt and the comfort of family so many miles away -- took its toll. Tanya and Greg, so hopeful and happy on arrival in Dallas, stood by helplessly, watching their relationship deteriorate as though it were a bad movie.

Both became depressed and withdrawn. Finally, with no hope on the horizon, Tanya packed her bags and moved back to her mother's home in Tennessee. Her mom helped, but Tanya's debts kept growing. There were ongoing car payments, a student loan and an increasing number of credit card bills. What she really needed now was a job.

"Employers say they don't discriminate against pregnant women, but they do," Tanya says. After long stretches of pounding the pavement, she found work at an eyeglasses shop.

Then life threw Tanya another curve. After just two months at her new job, pregnancy complications set in and her obstetrician ordered her to stay in bed until her delivery.

"We would talk on the phone," says Greg, who was still in Dallas.

Down and out in debt hell
His depression over his increasingly dire financial situation deepened by the loss of Tanya and living alone in a new city. As his depression grew, his motivation to sell cars further plummeted -- as did his finances.

Finally, one month before baby-boy Dylan was born, Greg could take the separation no more and he moved back to Nashville to rejoin Tanya and to ask for his old job back at the Cadillac dealership, which, mercifully, was glad to have him back.

Dylan's birth helped soothe some of the couple's emotional wounds, but the baby's medical complications added to their debt, leaving them with bills of $1,500 beyond what Greg's insurance would pay.

"We managed to get a nice two-bedroom for just $475," says Tanya. "But our finances continued to take a toll on us personally. Any incoming money was going into paying off our cards; even just paying the minimum was a huge burden. Greg and I were back together, but it was definitely leading to marital stress.

"We couldn't even take a break, go to a movie, go out to dinner." But instead of digging their heels in and trying to conquer their mountain of debt, Greg says, a sense of rebelliousness set in: "We just couldn't keep up, anyway. I figured, what the heck, may as well escape through entertainment -- which meant we went more in the hole."

"And as though our nerves weren't frayed enough, bill collectors kept calling," adds Tanya. "They would start early in the morning, and talk to me like I was dirt."

Greg was upset for her. "Unfortunately, Tanya got the brunt of it. I'm pretty sure some of them crossed the line with her."

Still, the plucky couple was determined their marriage would work -- despite the seemingly endless downward spiral of their finances.

"We were even considering bankruptcy, just to get some peace of mind. In fact, we know people who filed who were in far better shape than we. But although we didn't see a way out, we hung in," say the Christians.

Then, a ray of light.

Road to recovery
Scanning the classifieds for a cheaper apartment, Tanya saw an ad for American Credit & Debt Management Inc. in Delray Beach, Fla.

"I was leery because I'd had bad experiences when I'd approached credit counselors before," says Tanya. "One wanted $300 upfront. But ACDM didn't ask for any money and the Better Business Bureau, which I called, said good things about them."

"This place is almost too good to be true," adds Greg. "They did things I never could have, like consolidating our debt, getting rid of all our credit card interest and late charges -- no more of that. Realize we had a debt of about $15,000 to $20,000 on 21 accounts. Since August 1999, we've paid off 13 of them, more than half.

"We've reduced our debt enough to now pay off just $350 monthly, but we choose to keep doing $550."

Interestingly, Tanya and Greg add, now that they have more money freed up, they need less to be happy.

"I've learned to be less impulsive about my spending and life decisions in general," says Greg. "I blame myself for that move to Dallas and all the financial and personal problems it caused. I'm much more cautious today. Guess I've learned what's really important -- my family -- and I want to do right by them."

"Just having family nights, staying in and cooking, are what we like best," adds Tanya. "We used to go out every night, but those days are over. The stronger our relationship, the more we enjoy just being together."

One of the Christians' favorite activities is tuning into Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Becoming millionaires is not their No. 1 priority -- but, hey, who knows? Greg just got a job managing a Fort Myers, Fla., car dealership, at a very substantial raise in pay, and he and his family have moved into a beautiful three-bedroom apartment in the Sunshine State, where Tanya plans to complete her education.

"This place is paradise," he says in the appreciative tones of a man who's known quite the opposite -- and is determined never to experience paradise lost.

-- Posted: May 12, 2000