By:  LINDSEY O’NEILL, ESQ.

If you’re like a lot of Americans, you’re finding it more difficult to pay your bills lately.  Everything is more expensive, from gas to groceries to gold, you name it.  A few hundred extra dollars per month in expenses may be making it harder for you to pay that $200 credit card payment.  Other Americans are hit with adjustable rate mortgages and finding their monthly payments skyrocketing out of control.  What do you do when you can’t pay your bills? 

For starters, you can educate yourself.  There is a lot of great information out there to help you deal with this difficult situation.  At LawInfo’s Legal Resource Center – you can find what you need, and it’s free.  You can also learn specifically about debt relief, collections, and credit repair, among others.

Take a minute to look over the FTC’s Knee Deep in Debt brochure.  It provides valuable information about debt management options, including realistic budgeting, credit counseling, debt consolidation, and bankruptcy.

You may ultimately be best off hiring an attorney to negotiate on your behalf.  Attorneys are skilled at negotiating and can help you to formulate a workable plan to reduce or eliminate your debt.  They also know the laws and can make sure your creditors are following them and treating you fairly.  If you hire an attorney, you may even be able to just turn certain debt items over to them to handle and not even have to deal with the creditors yourself.  Get out from under the weight now!  If you feel like you are loosing your mind in the debt spiral, reach out for help today. 

And remember -I know being “knee deep in debt” is an extremely stressful situation.  But… it’s just bills. It’s not your health, it’s not your family, it’s not your happiness.  A creditor can try to take your money, but they can’t eat you.  They can’t take away your loved ones.  They can’t take away your hope for a better future.   So don’t let them by falling victim to the stress too much.  You’re a good person who’s found themselves in a tough situation – and you can get through it!  Believe me, I know!