Quote From: hammer44A couple of things....... 1). I would bring it up on the first date.......in fact, I wouldn't until the conversation turned to jobs, money, buying a house, and that sort of thing....There's no need to share your situation unless the relationship seems like it is very possibly getting serious.... 2). I would seriously consider Bankruptcy. Yes it sucks, but many times it situation like medical debt, where the price is so high, you'll never be able to pay it off, or maybe the credit card companies just kept pushing more credit on you, then when you missed a payment, or got near max, they socked you with high interest payments....in which case, the hell with them, they ultimately must bear some of the responsibility and loss.....I mean if you had to start over with no possessions and no credit, just your current job, and an apartment, would you be happier, and healthier/. If so then I would seriously look into it, but again....I have no idea where this debt came from. If it is simply overindulgence, then you need to start selling your stuff on ebay and applying it directly to your balances....I should know, that's about where I am right now....Hammer44
Hi Hammer,
Thank you for replying. I have looked at all of my options, consulted my attorney, and the best option just seems to be to continue as I am. I have a roommate to help pay off the debt, I drive an old car (no car payments for over 12 years now), I very rarely go out .... at all. I can't file bankruptcy because I own a home and the equity is too high. However, if I sell my home, I would not gain enough to pay off the debt. If I sold anyway and paid my debt down as far as I could, it would actually cost me more monthly to rent an apartment than I am currently paying on my mortgage.
Did I say that I am very embarrassed by this situation? I have been financially responsible all of my life. I have even helped friends with financial problems - with advice, not money. Then along comes the wrecking ball and just hit me dead center. I had a plan to be totally debt free and was working toward this end. And the plan was working very well! Then, I had to go on an extended sick leave. I had a back injury from many years ago that I could not live with any longer. I had to have surgery. I had good insurance, but still had costs involved. While I was out of work on disability, my job was eliminated. The other employees received a severance pay, but because this happened while I was on disability, I was not entitled to severance pay. So .... I went from disability to unemployment. I am no longer able to work a regular job. I can't sit all day and can't stand all day either. I must do a combination of the 2. I have been in the same field for 20 years now and cannot get anyone to seriously consider me for another field. I am currently working as an independent contractor from home. The company that I am working with is not sending enough leads to me for me to meet the quota, so my commision percentage just got cut. And .... did I mention that I got hit by lightning last year? Have to laugh. It is just absolutely ludicrous!
Thank you all for listening to me again. I am trying to keep a positive attitude. Very difficult! But being negative doesn't help. It just makes the bad seem worse!
Oh ... and this is just part of it. Friends, family .... just more problems. Gotta keep smiling though! Sometimes I feel like I must be insane. But if this is true, then I'm just ahead of the curve. They can't make you crazy if you already are!
Chace
