12 hair-raising money tales

We all have been lured by the "low interest for the life of the loan" credit cards. They were great for short-term loans -- no hassle, no fuss, just fill out the check and you are set. Oh, but don't forget the fine print!

I am very good about paying my bills on time via the Internet. However, by accident I once transposed the $243 amount due to $234. I was hit with a $36 late fee, but the real big hit was watching my 2.9 percent interest rate zoom to 27 percent. My heart dropped to my stomach.

I called the credit card company and was told that if I was good about future payments, they would drop it 1 percent (to 26 percent). Now what to do? I scrambled to find the money needed to pay the total amount due on the card from every nook, savings and friend I knew. Eventually, I paid it off. I paid everyone back and got my credit card back on track. I signed up for payment alerts and I double check my math to make sure I don't do this again.
-- Carla, California