vicious cycle

Hi Suzanne - welcome to the forums! :-)

If you signed up for the phone consultation when you registered, you will receive a phone call from a debt consolidation or settlement company soon that will offer you some programs to handle your debt load. Please understand you are under no obligation to use their services - you may choose another agency to consolidate or settle your debt, or you may view the information in our DYI section on how to reduce your debt: http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/diy/

Either way, it's a good idea to pull current copies of your credit reports, if you haven't done so already. They are available for free, once per year (or when you have been denied credit) at annualcreditreport.com. There is no fee or program to sign up for to obtain the reports. You can print them out, review them, and go back to them to dispute any inaccurate items online.

You've come to the right place for helpful info on your situation - we've all been there! Please feel free to post any questions you may have - we'll be glad to help any way we can.

Just remember - you didn't get into this situation overnight - and it won't reverse itself overnight. It will take time and effort to get it back to rights again - but you've taken the first important step! :D