so file bankruptcy and get out of the debts you can...the student loans do not go away....so be prepared for that....but the other things can go away...unless you do the repayment type of BK,,,,,the thing with psychology degree is the work requires a PhD to really be paid for your schooling.....so that is not the degree to pursue for just a BA....it will leave you little job skills....

I would do (which I have done) everything in my power to avoid bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy was made for folks that have medical issues and yes a lose of job.

It was not intended for those who don't want to change their lifestyles. Cable TV is not a necessity to live... if your car was repoed how do you still have a car payment?

If you can't afford rent, find a smaller place... find a studio apartment or even a room.

I agree it's not the life anyone wants but if you do it and you survive it you learn what is important in life. I borrowed money from my parents well into my 20s... I borrowed from my brothers till I was nearly 40.... until one of them finally said to me to GROW UP. He was right, I was acting and behaving like a child. For some unknown reason I felt like I was entitled to all those perks in life.

I did pay my parents back before they died and I did pay my brothers back and never borrowed from them again. I did end up homeless for awhile but it was because of the choices I made not because my family wouldn't help me.

Looking back at it, I'm now glad they wouldn't loan me anymore money. I had to quit being a little boy and become a man. Do you know how embarrassing it is for a person in their 40s to be borrowing money from family? I know, sometimes it is necessary but if you need to borrow because of a lifestyle then it is time to look at life and see what is important.

Cut expenses and then cut some more.... besides a full time job get a part time one as well. Yes, for awhile life will be over but in the end you will be glad you did it.

I've known people who have gone bankrupt and didn't learn a thing. I know one guy who just turned 50 and went bankrupt for the third time. He hasn't learned anything and continues to spend like he has "earned" it.

Six years ago I was $60,000 in debt... three and a half years later I was debt free. It can be done if you truly want to do it... and in the end it feels a lot better then bankruptcy...

I am kind of the same as messenger..I had to own up to getting myself into the mess I did.. it was myself who had to get themself out of it..Its not easy but that was the first step..admitting this..I will not do the bankrusptcy route..but maybe its worked for some ..but my path was not to do this...what you do is always keep looking for that way through ..example I applied for a job..so didnt think I would get it..because of the others seemed so smart against me..I didnt walk out..I hit the interview person with a sense of humour comment..they said it made their day..I said what about the form I filled he laughed and said with the others I dont read..he gave me a job..:)...dont wait to be called take the lead..always look at options

While it is true that student loans don't go away from filing bankruptcy, they can be forgiven if one is on total and permanent disability for a period of time.

I took out a hefty loan to get my MS degree in Special Education. I worked for a year and a half as a teacher's aide and then got my first teaching job. Four months into the job, I was hit with a severe and recurring type of vertigo that has hospitalized me and caused me to need to re-learn to walk, drive, etc, twice so far. I live with residual dizziness every day and know another attack can occur. On the bright side, it's not life-threatening, but it is lifestyle-threatening for sure.

In any case, teaching special education no longer was an option, especially not full-time. I did try during periods of remission, but the relapses eventually chipped away at the jobs. I finally applied for the loan discharge on the basis that I was not able to sustain employment. My doctors had to fill out some forms. The Department of Ed. granted the discharge pretty quickly. They have been monitoring my income for the past 3 years, but after the 3rd year, they stop that requirement as well.

I do work part-time from home, btw. I am allowed to make a certain amount without jeopardizing this discharge.

This is not right for everyone, but it may be right for someone.

Messenger how in the world did you get out of debt?

I have between 10-15 grand in debt. 98% of that is from my ex. I will never get help in paying that off. I have a son, can't afford after school care which means no part-time job for me. I have no family or friends that could possible help. It's just me. I just started working last week. I have been unemployed since Feb. Savings account is non-existing. I had to drastically cut back. No cable, no internet, just the basics. Can't go back to School to get Certified to change careers because I need Internet access to get started. Can't afford it anytime soon. I'm stuck! Literally I'm pinching pennies. I'm 1 check away from being homeless. Trust me when I say that looks can be deceiving. I went through the same thing last year when I lost my job for 3 months. I had an angel at that time to help. It literally took months for me to land another job. I do Contract Security work, so this is the reason for the gaps of unemployment. Every dime is accounted for. EVERY SINGLE DIME.
I wish I had family. I also wondered if Bankruptcy would be the way to go. Can't consolidate the debt because I can't afford anything extra. Makes you think about taking off some clothes to bring in the money. lol I'm half joking.

I have raised kids and was constantly broke... I don't have an answer to get out of debt with children. It was something I could never do.

How did I get out of debt? First thing I did was walk away from my house... it was foreclosed on and sold and I paid the difference. The rent I pay now is less then half of what my mortgage payment was.

I only use my car once every two weeks to get groceries and other necessities. The rest of the time I walk. A tank of gas can last me up to four months.

I cut down or cut out my "sins." I quit smoking. I quit buying soda by the can and only got it in 2 liter bottles. I quit making perc coffee and drink instant.

I don't have cable TV. I watch everything with rabbit ears or off the internet.

I don't eat out. Every two weeks when I shop for groceries I do treat myself to a meal but other then that I never eat out.

Sunday nights I'll make my lunches for the week - something like ham salad or egg salad or tuna salad... that and some potato chips and my lunch costs me under a dollar.

Winter time the apartment is never above 70 and in the summer never below 75. I don't use a clothes dryer. I use a drying rack, which you can get at any dollar store and I also have a clothes line in my apartment.

I turn off computers and unplug everything when I leave the flat and now it has become that somethings never get plugged back in.

My latest adventure has been cutting food expenses. I'm getting down to $45 a week for dinners and breakfast...

As far as taking some clothes off, some folks will say that it will be a regret a person lives with for the rest of their lives. I don't judge in that way. Everyone does what they have to do to survive.

When I was in my late 20s I was homeless and hitch-hiking around the country. A guy gave me a ride in Utah and told me he was an artist. He wanted to paint me nude. I asked him how much money he'd give me. He said none, he would give me a meal and a place to sleep for a night and a shower.

I turned him down... If he offered me money, I would have been his model... I was broke and needed money to survive... just to eat. If that happened it would have been nothing to be proud about but it also wouldn't have been something to be ashamed of...

I'm only on the same journey now. My Gran was demanding I take her here there and everywhere and buy s**t for her because of her mindset that she has 'nothing' even though she's sitting on a small fortune with our Farmland. It was a toxic environment and I needed an opportunity to escape it.

Now, after just 5 days on my own, she is more accepting of me and is beginning to respect me as an Adult. I was speaking to a Sister of a Fella I went to Primary School with yesterday at the local Surgery and she said her Mum still thinks he's a kid. (must be an Irish thing to have a control-freak Mum)

My spending is the elephant in the room. I have already benefited from individualising my unerearning, now I have to do the same with my compulsive spending.