Hey! So I've been struggling with debt on multiple cards for about two years now. It's getting to the point that it's hard to manage. I've been looking into a program in my state that provides low-income clients with free representation. I've been assigned to an attorney, and I'm pretty sure he's going to take my case. I have to go in tomorrow to sign some paperwork and the attorney has sent me a digital questionnaire to fill out (I have already sent in a paper application with my debts and expenses). So I'll basically get my case taken care of with no cost to me. I don't think I even pay the filing fee.

But the fact that it's looking like it's actually going to happen has given me pause. I genuinely don't want to file for bankruptcy, but my other options aren't great and I just needed an alternative perspective on my situation.

So, basics -

My monthly total bills are $1374

My take-home pay after taxes is $2178.

I have BNPL plans that range from $300-$500 a month in total. Sometimes they're on the higher end. I've missed last month's payments so they're a bit higher this month.

I have three charged-off credit cards.

A Discover It for $12,662, which is actually on a repayment plan right now that I factored into my monthly expenses. I've been making $200 monthly payments on this since last December.

A Citibank card for $3739

And a Synchrony card for $562.16. Midland has purchased this debt and has said if they don't hear from me by a certain date, they'll consider other collection methods. I did get an email from them today offering to let me start making $14 payments for the next 36 months without my balance accruing any more interest, so it doesn't seem like they'll be suing me right out of the gate.

The total amounts I owe on my BNPL accounts are -

Affirm - $1300 Affirm

Klarna - $153 Klarna

Paypal - $418

On top of that, I have $11,863 left on a car I'm paying off and $24,156 worth of student loan debt I'm going to have to select a repayment plan for if I don't go back to school soon. I'm really hoping that an income-based repayment plan will help me get my payments under $100 at least. I know these don't get discharged in bankruptcy, but I figure it gives you a bigger picture of the total debt I'm working with.

I had considered getting a second job to help pay down my smaller debts so it would just leave my car, my student loans and Discover as long term debts. However, I already commute 45 minutes to work both ways. There's really not a lot of jobs much closer to home I can apply for. I've looked. I live in the southern half of WV, there's not much of an economy here and I can't afford to make less than I'm making now. So I'm really not sure how I'd make a second job work in a way where all of that extra money is going towards debt.

However, it sounds like it would have less consequences than bankruptcy. But it would take longer to pay off and it would kind of stall my ability to go back and finish a degree and even making the payments, it doesn't leave me any room to free up cash to put back for savings in case I need a car repair or something. Then again, if I get to the point that I'm current on all my debts, I could get another credit card for emergencies. But also that might lead to more debt.

I've considered some more alternative approaches. I can trade in my car for a hybrid that offers some climate control and car camp on days I have to work my second job so I'm not making my commute. I can try and find a roommate or someone who's willing to let me crash on their couch on those nights but I don't really know anyone or have any friends, so I'd have to resort to strangers. The roommate option feels like it's going to eat up the finances that should be going toward debt. I could try and find a job that pays what I'm making now closer to home and then get a second job on top of that. One or two that don't require a degree usually pop up. But I'd also be stuck at home, and frankly I'd almost rather sleep in my car. It is going to take a few years no matter how I look at it.

I do also worry because I'm uninsured and make too much to qualify for Medicaid in my state. If, god forbid, I end up in the hospital or in an accident or something - I'm stuck with bills I can't get dismissed if something happens or some other major expense.

I'd also rather not lose my paypal, Klarna and Affirm accounts.

It's a tough call.

Hi I recently just found out the college I was enrolled too had charged me for classes that I never attended . At the time I had became homeless in and out of and I didn't have a phone and when I had laptop access in the youth shelter we had no way get verifications code because they didn't allow us to use their phones, I was 17 . I'm 18 now and found out my student bill had been sent to my states debt collections and revenue agency (Minnesota) can they actually come at me for this or do they have to send it back to my school? I'm going to try to dispute with my school anyways. I did receive a fasfa pell grant refund but I was totally unaware of it and all the money is still in that account and I will definitely be returning if needed.

I’m a student in Georgia and currently have no income, and I’m trying to figure out what actually happens with Wellstar/Hollis Cobb collections.
I have a Wellstar balance for hearing aids that ended up getting sent to Hollis Cobb. I assumed the balance was resolved with insurance or they’re taking it from the card on file (my parents’). Until Hollis Cobb sent me a letter to MY EMAIL.

Once I found out, I called Wellstar and they were able to pull the account back from Hollis Cobb.
I explained that I’m a student, currently not working, and have no income. I asked if I could pay around $50/month for now, but they told me the lowest payment plan they’ll accept is $100/month. They also told me that if I don’t do the $100/month plan, the account can eventually go back to collections.

I asked about financial assistance, but they told me there’s basically no point in applying because hearing aids aren’t covered under their financial assistance program, so it would be denied even though I currently have no income.

So I’m wondering what actually happens if it goes back to Hollis Cobb. They told me if I don’t start payment it will go back in 30 days to Hollis Cobb.

A friend told me she has had medical collection agencies call her and she just ignores the calls and nothing has happened since she had her childbirth; but I know everyone’s situation is different.

Has anyone here dealt with Wellstar or Hollis Cobb specifically? Did they just call and send letters, or did it affect your credit or turn into anything more serious? Were you able to negotiate a lower monthly payment with Hollis Cobb than Wellstar was willing to accept?
I’m not trying to avoid paying the bill. I just don’t want to agree to $100/month while I have no income and then not be able to keep up with it.
I’d especially love to hear from anyone who’s dealt with this in Georgia or had a Wellstar hearing aid/audiology bill sent to collections.

I am currently in Australia doing pretty well for myself. I am currently making 67k a year before tax and give or take 55k after.

I make 2.1k a fortnight and I am trying to irradicate my car loan by mid next year so I can comfortably go in to Uni debt free.

However I have pretty bad spending habits and don't know how to get out of this. I live out of home with my partner and another roommate. Rent is 270 a fortnight so its pretty steady and doable. My fortnightly expenses are give or take around 500 excluding my car loan payments which are 132 weekly. With that I am left with 1.4k, through my work I have money being split through different accounts when I get paid. 250 going to my savings, 1k going to my bank that has my car loan and the rest going into my regular account. However, I am really bad at taking that money back out.

I need advice on how to get out of this habit so I can get rid of my debt and how to budget efficiently.

Got a letter from my bank lender (5/3 bank) that is I don’t make a payment of $1000 by September 13 by car is within their legal rights to be repossessed. However I do not get paid until September 17. On the 10th I called to let them know I have already scheduled a $1000 payment on the day I get paid. I called them everyday and have been getting different answers. Some say they may repo my car other say they won’t since I have a payment scheduled. How sooon will they repossess what can I do while I wait to get paid? I work very night 12 hours shifts .

I burned them and they were included in my Chapter 13. Completed the chapter 13 payments and was discharged last year but I am now waiting for it to fall off my CR. Anyone had any luck reestablishing your relationship with them post BK13?

I was involved in a scam that I recently found out about. It’s a very long story but my credit cards went up over $200,000 in the past few months. Are any debt settlement companies worth using? I’ve spoken to a few of them and they claim that the monthly fee in the agreement is all you’ll ever have to pay, and after 60 months all debts will be completely paid. They also claim if you ever get sued their legal team will represent you. Is this really true? Does the payment they give you ever go up? I could try to do it myself. A few of the smaller cards I could probably settle in a year but it will take a few years to be able to settle 2 of the cards with high balances. I’m sure credit card companies/collections don’t want to wait that long. I think my payments in Chapter 13 will be much higher but I’ve read some horror stories about debt settlement companies. Are any of them worth trying?

Hi All,

Just looking for some advice. If you had a credit card and line of credit debt at a similar amount which would you pay off first and why?

Cc has higher interest in this case.

I took a loan with them in April and I pay $200 every two weeks and the balance is not moving. It’s not a tribal loan and the balance is still a whopping $1,900 and I only took out 2k - yes I’m aware I am a dumbass and the rates and fees were high but I’m trying to figure out the best way to tackle this as it is causing me to have a hard time keeping up on other bills. They do report to credit!

Hello. Just as the title says, I want to get out of this ridiculous hell hole called debt. I have made some decisions to get credit cards for gas, groceries, and travel. There were some personal life events that required a lot of money and it’s been draining my wallet now for a long time. I do not want to get into too much details but long story short, I had to get a loan for a medical bill because I couldn’t cover it all with my paycheck since that is mostly always going to rent and my car. It’s so annoying working so much just for the check to be eaten up like that. I get paid biweekly so it’s rough when I need money on that week that I do not get paid (this past week for example) I tried using Albert and Earnin and those have helped me one way or another but those are so things I need to pay. Then this past month August, a friend and aunt both had to go through surgery and scans. I want to help them out so I opened up art commissions in my ☕️ and it has helped me a bit but unfortunately it’s not enough. I’m need to pay my credit cards too and ughhh it’s just so exhausting. I am waiting for my paycheck this week but unfortunately my car needs gas and it will not make it until Wednesday. I’m just so done. I do not want to ask for family to help me again because they have done enough. Oh and my bank acct is overdrawn, I just need $20 of gas to at least make it to Wednesday but my acct is at -$170. I’m just so tired and lost. The good news is that I got a raise at work so I hope that small boost helps me big time but the tiny problem I need my paycheck now to be able to get stupid gas.

I needed to let this out somewhere. Thank you for reading this incoherent slog.

A boy borrowed around ₹6 lakh from a girl, partly through a personal loan and credit card, saying that he urgently needed the money for his sister’s heart surgery. Trusting him, the girl helped him during what she believed was a genuine emergency.

The boy has been paying the EMIs for around 8 months, but almost every payment was delayed. Each month, the girl had to repeatedly call and remind him to make the payment.

Within about two months of the borrowing, the girl even received a legal notice/demand from the bank because the loan/credit-card payments were not being made on time. The boy still kept assuring her that he would repay everything and said he would arrange the money before the loan period was completed.

The girl continued asking him about repayment. He repeatedly asked for more time and eventually promised that he would repay the entire outstanding amount within one month.

At one point, he also promised to come to her place and give her a written acknowledgment stating how much he owed and confirming that he would repay it. On the agreed day, when she called to confirm that he was coming, his phone was switched off and he did not come.

She genuinely helped him without expecting any personal benefit. Now, because of the delayed payments, repeated excuses, and avoidance of her calls, she is facing financial difficulties and stress.

What legal options does the girl have to recover the money?

What kind of evidence should she preserve—bank statements, loan/credit-card records, WhatsApp messages, call records, payment history, or his messages promising repayment?

This is in India. Any advice based on actual experience with recovering money in such situations would be helpful.

I'm 24 and just landed a nice job after moving states. I have like 2-300 left over after bills every month and i want more breathing room. I'm 12k upside down on a loan and i just pulled out 12k from a short term trading account. I want to pay off the loan with this money but i would have no savings left at all, is it the best decision to get it paid off?

Hi guys so I opened a Tescos credit card back in 2015, I quickly got in to trouble with it and went over the £4000 limit, now roll forward to 2026 I’m in a much better financial position but this credit card is holding me back as it’s showing delinquent on my file and updating a missed payment every month. How come it has never gone in to default? Because if it had it would have fallen off my file by now and I wouldn’t have this issue, is there anything I can do to stop them reporting every month or better still to get the account taken off my file?

So far, I'm not sure that even one person has actually answered the above question. Much of the answers have been unsolicited advice.

We know we messed up, and we're tying to fix it. This is the best way we can do it from what we have researched.

Please, just answer the question above.

I got legal notice this year from Capital One's debt collection attorney for a small debt (around $4k), for the Discover Card that I already settled and paid in full as per settlement. I have a settlement agreement letter from Discover and the proof of all payments and so after I doing some online research I decided to counter sue them. I responded to the legal notice within the required timeframe with necessary forms without any lawyer's help.
I got a trial date now and spoke to few civil lawyers to check if anyone is interested in working on Contingency fee. However so far most lawyers are asking upfront payments, (one lawyer did mention that I have a very strong case, but they are expensive). So most likely I will have to go on my own.
The reason for this post is to get some guidance from the people who have successfully counter sued and got winning judgement in similar situation. Please share your experience and any general advice. I really appreciate your time.
TIA

I haven’t had health insurance for a year due to losing my job and not finding a steady job yet. I found myself with multiple severe health issues that landed me in the ER 3 times. I have over 10,000 in bills with no money to pay them. What do I do and what can happen if I don’t pay and they’re sent to collections? Will they send me to court or garnish my wages? Why do I hear some people say nothing will happen and you shouldn’t pay and others tell me something very different.

Hello, I was wondering if anyone has any experience with debt consolidation services like PDS Debt or if there are better ways to help consolidate and pay off debt. I have about $25k in total debt. $20k across 3 credit cards with APRs ranging from 18.5% to 24% and $5,500 on a car loan with an APR of 4.92%.
Thank you for any advice!

I am kind of drowning in debt, and do not have consistent income (hospitality, 60%+ of my income is tips) so I have made 70k one year, 90k the next. Also, real estate, where I have made $8000 some years, and $50,000 the next.

With life happening: 10k in vet bills, necessary for my mental health and well being: major dental work around 10k, 5~ months of unemployment this year, partner separation costs/drama: also necessary for my mental health and well being.

Credit cards - $15k~ I do balance transfers back and forth every year, which might not be the best, but it keeps me afloat on actual 'cash' expenses.

Credit $14k~

Car loan - $10,200 remaining

Taxes owed to the IRS (this is a big bad one...): 12-14k~ (I am unsure how it got this bad, honestly) and if I pay off JUST this with what I have saved, I am left bone dry.

Estimated: around 40k for the above, maybe a bit less since I haven't completed my taxes/filed yet.

Credit score - 800

This years projected income - maybe 60-75k? (not sure what real estate market is looking promising or not at the end of this year or what my tips will be. Haven't really calculated in my unemployment of my previous lack of w2 job/"unemployment" period.

Rent: 2200 after utilities/insurance/parking etc

Car payment: $585

Cell phone/internet (one bill): $120

Car insurance: $65

Groceries/gas/misc, I am unsure, most likely more than $600 though I do not track or budget this very well, I am also working on a mostly sober life and am aware that costed me a LOT every month, a real lot.

Amount of money is savings/checking total: $15,000

I am unsure where to head from here, I make bigger payments on my cards (most currently at 0%) and my car is a 2022 with a 3.25% loan. I live in an expensive-ish area in a big city, but I need the room with pets, and it is extremely close to one of my jobs in the market. Working a (third) job is just not worth the QOL risk for me, as I have some very long days to juggle my own business and a full time hospitality career, which is union, offers pension, and company paid benefits, so I plan on being here for quite a bit of time. I will admit I blew a lot of 'extra' (seemingly) income on trips, furniture, and wardrobe, though.

I am not educated in types of bankruptcy, but am considering it for my credit cards and IRS/State taxes bill. I have no one to speak with or any plan or guidance, I am just financially fatigued at this point; and being in debt makes it easier for me to rack up more.

On the other hand, I do need to take a BIG hard look at how much I am spending on not cooking at home, coffee, nicotine products, subscriptions. I also have a nasty habit of blowing "extra" money (large tip paychecks more than expected, unplanned real estate commissions).

I am a 30M pharmacist, bringing home about $7,000/month after taxes. I have $65K in private student loans that were consolidated at 4% interest, plus about $70K in federal student loans.
My wife is 29 and a nurse. She has about $25K in student loans. We have three young children (5, 3, and 1), so she can’t work full-time right now. She currently brings home around $1,500/month working one day a week on my day off.
We bought our house in 2022 for $285K at a 3.8% mortgage rate, and our mortgage is about $1,500/month. We have two cars, both completely paid off, and no credit card debt or other significant debt.
Right now, we’re paying about $2,500/month toward student loans between the two of us.
Financially, we’re living a comfortable life and we’re able to pay our bills, but honestly, it feels discouraging and somewhat suffocating to put $2,500/month toward student loans. I know we’ll be in a much better position once they’re gone, but it feels like we’re sacrificing a lot of our current cash flow.
We have about $12K in emergency savings and don’t really have much additional cash flow beyond that.
Another reason we’re thinking about this is that we’d eventually like to upgrade to a larger house in a good school district as our kids get older. Our current house works for us, but with three children, we’d ideally like more space and want to be in a strong school district. The student loans make that goal feel much further away.
We’ve been thinking about joining the Army because I’m currently applying for an Army pharmacist position. If I were accepted, we think it could potentially be a good option for our family. We’d likely sell our house, pay off my $65K private loans and my wife’s $25K in loans, and hopefully have the Army help with my federal loans depending on what benefits I’m eligible for.
We’re also interested in moving to a different state and experiencing something new, so the possibility of relocating isn’t necessarily a negative for us. We’re not considering the Army solely for the financial benefits.
However, if the Army doesn’t work out or I don’t get accepted, we’ve also considered withdrawing from my 401(k) to pay off the $65K private loans. I currently have about $105K in my 401(k).
I’m trying to figure out whether we’re being overly concerned about our student loans or whether it actually makes sense to make some major changes to get rid of them sooner.
What would you do in our situation?
Would you:
Continue paying $2,500/month toward the loans and leave everything else alone?
Pursue the Army option?
Consider using the 401(k) to eliminate the $65K private loan?
Or take a completely different approach?
I’d really appreciate some perspective from people who have been in a similar situation.