Yes BK does count your debts as an income and you have to 1099 it on your taxes the following yr...And yes companies are getting more and more into your personal life, to me I find it appropriate..because look at it as though you were in their shoes do you want this person who has everything in order in their life or do you want this person who cant get their crap in order on the homefront...I think sometimes it is an envasion of your personal life but in the same breath if I were them I wouldnt want someone handling my money if they cant handle their own....Sorry ppl dont look at it that way but if they were handling things well then they really shouldnt have a problem with these companies seeing how you handle your own financial affairs...
Now that that is out of the way...You said you made some bad choices with money and now you want to consider Bk...sorry you dont have my approval to do the such and you really should be honoring your name as well , hold your head high and figure a way to resolve this debt...Take responsibility...take charge of your paycheck even if your SO is in disagreement about it..It is your credit, your job on the line and your debts to resolve...You may have to even split the bills to make everyone pull their own weight for a while to you get this under control...May have to have seperate accounts in order to also achieve such a goal....Set your goal, try to settle what you can and then go from there...Make payments on what you need to ...write a letter to your employer telling them you have taken such steps to clear your financial situation...and tell them you take the responsibility and thank you for bring this part of your life to an awareness....leave it at that...
Make a budget, work with what you have and use cash jars..to keep the balance in budgetyou can only spend this much for groceries, or extras, make your gas stretch by taking less trips to the stores....Make every dime count..write a goal post it for everyone to see and tell them to get on board with you....heres a debt how much are you willing to help with this debt??? Nothing is not the answer, you helped me get into this debt help me out sorta post for everyone to see...then maybe they too will be on board...
Wishing you the best..time to get it done , no more talking just do it...
It certainly is not easy to stay debt free...I know I have also posted here lately as soon as I am debt free here comes another bill...and it is surely hard to stay debt free and budget...But little steps at a time...You will surely see the light at the end of the tunnel...

yeah its time for me to get on track. I will start by getting my credit report and go from there, I have two collections agencies, trying to contact me right now, I have 3 car repossessions, and a bunch of debts between $1000-1,200. all together it adds up to about $40,000.
I have a minimum paying job. I know there is several ways to go about this. I was going to a group online that talked about paying debts off and becoming debt free and doing emer funds, and saving different areas. I hope I can get back on track. It's very embarrassing to have this on my record, but I know ignoring it won't make it go away. At my work I am just about eligible for the 401k and I signed up for life ins. and will soon be eligible for health benefits, eye, dental, and pharm. So there are some positives going on. thank you for your input, and I will post in a week and tell you all what progress I made. This is a goal. I will give myself a time limit to reach a certain milestone. and go from there.
The casino gave me a year. i can break that into 26 sections since I get paid by weekly. If I think about it in a lump sum I will get overwhelmed. That is where I usually get myself is when I think about it. It seems like a mountain right now. Thankfully there are places like this where I can come and share and recieve support.

have you heard of DA? Debtors Anonymous? It is a program that works around 12 step recovery and is all about financial affairs...google Debtors Anonymous or go to their website DA.org I think...I used to go there but got out of it...but they taught me tons and I continue some of the things I learned like keeping track of my money in record keeping...I happen to use Quickbooks and I have an app that was free on my Iphone but I added to it with $4.99 to allow me to use more accounts on it...it is called pocketmoney....

I track every cent in quickbooks and in pocket money....two places...and I have lived without bounced checks for a long time but just made a bad decision while ago and had another two....anyway DA is a great thing as is www.daveramsey.com he is a financial guru on getting out of debt....and is on radio his show is online too...you can even call into it....I like his style of money skills...but my income is poor...I need much more income...

hugs bill

Hey you have made a giant step in progress, by realizing the importance of having a job with great benes...That is not something lightly achieved, Be proud...and I commend you for taking the steps to start with looking at your credit scores, and owning up to your debt...You will get through this...Little steps at a time, work on one thing at a time and if it cant be fixed right away through a settlement give them a while, tell them your hardships so that you can get the best settlements and if they dont want to settle right away let them sit on it for a while...Car repos , depends on how long ago they were and how much they auctioned for if youd like to work with them or just stop paying totally let these things ride off the credit in 7 yrs...But I surely would not go to a debt consolidation place, they charge you alot and dont do anything you cant do yourself with patience and sometimes you neeed to give them crap, and sometimes you need to play the pity me game with them but you can get what you want majority of the time with these creditors...
Dont throw in the towel with a bk sooo soon...Do some praying , have a little faith, only a mustard seeds worth will do at times, and you will get threw this just fine...
Its great that your employer is also giving you a yr.. But Id bet you will have met your goals in a yr if you stick to it...we all have to hunker down and live on beans and rice or ramon noodles for a while...Just every now and then dont forget to eat a juicy steak and reward yourself after your two mos goal or what mos goal you plan on...we here will love to see you get through this and I will keep you in my prayers...I too am rooting for you to do this...
It will not be easy and there will be times, I know you can do it...I left Hi in Jan with 18,000 in debt, came here enrolled my kids in a private school which added 4 grand to the bill...and have had several older children to help along to getr on their feet which is not an easy task...As soon as I got most of that debt resolved I got a bill for 3 grand in the mail for doctors visits from various memeber being sick as myself...I am too taking small steps and paying what I can, doing the best we can on one income...My mother is elderly and will also be coming to live with me...These are alot of burdens to carry but Im just taking it one day at a time and doing it our best...If your an honest person which I feel you are then you too will do your best and it will be good enough....I really want you to keep in touch in the group so we can share support and success along this journey....Huggs to you..You can do it!! NO BK Ok???

thank you sol4j2, that is a lot of help, It sounds like you are a person of faith. Keep me in your prayers, I am going through a lot of loss in my family, I am going around and raising funds to go across state to be with my family. I just lost an uncle 3 days ago. I know this is off this subject but it does have a lot to do with my financial situation. And now I lost a sister. all within a few days of each other. it is a real strain on me and my family. So keep us in your prayers, any one who is a believer. I need all the prayer I can get, I need the riches of heavan to be poured down on me right now. And the provision of Jesus right now. I know this is a touchy subject with some people, but this is how I choose to believe, and I am pulling down miracles from heavan, and having faith that he will take care of me during my time of stress, and will not allow me to go past my amt. in the bank, and keep it at a positive balance.