How to deal with debt??

[Lownslowlsc]

How do you guys deal with it. Bills coming in non stop..ect..I went to the hosp (er/icu) last june and racked up close to 4k in bills that i actually have to pay. It could've been much higher..
Anyways, I've never had people bug me for money owed. Up until i lost my job i had over 28k in savings ect. Not bad for being 25 at the time. Now nothing..Cant find a job for the life of me. (i'll admit i was lazy for awhile).

Alot of thing happened in my life in a very short time frame and i made some bad health decisions..Partying way to much and buying things i wanted when i shouldn't have. That money didn't last long. Never thought i'd be unemployed this long.

It's just an overall bad feeling./rant

 

[mistermaclincoln]

My Daddy always said that you just have to hold on. I am sure that a lot of us on this site has had life touch us. If you live long enough you will be touched and tested even more. Have faith and you will pull through.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

There are a few options open to you for handeling debt.
First and foremost is to get back to work as fast as you can.
Take any job, as long as it keeps you employed.
Remember, SOME money is better than NO money.
Next thing you want to do before your credit goes in the toilet, contact your creditors, and make arraingements to pay something on your accounts.
You don't have to pay everything all at once, but let them know you do want to pay them something.
Creditors get real ancey when you ignore them altogether.
Explain your situation to them, and more than likely they will be happy to work with you.
Remember, you are not alone in this situation, there are millions of people in the same boat as you because of this stinking economy,and your creditors are well aware of this.
Even your utility bills don't have to be paid in full each month.
You can arrainge to pay half the amount one month, and then half the next month until you get back on your feet.
The worse thing you can do as far as your health is concerned, is to worry how you are going to pay your bills.
Nothing ruins health quicker than stress.
Take one day at a time, and be open to any job that comes along, as long as you are physically able to do it.
Come up with a plan of action, and put that plan in motion.
If you want it bad enough, you will get yourself up and out of the financial mess you find yourself in presently.
It's easy to blame the economy for financial loss, but whatever the cause, the only way it is going to change is for you to do something about it.
Good luck to you my friend.
Bob.

 

[Lownslowlsc]

Thanks alot guys..That really helps..

 

[dollman0]

I am in the same situation, I have been out of work since I was attacked on the street in AZ. I could barely work for the next 5-years and I finally got on disability. Since getting on public assistance, I have gone to college and have a 2-year degree in heavy truck repair and a 1-year diploma in Business Administration. I am ASE Master Certified and still can't get a job doing anything for "The Man."

Because I have no recent work history, I have no Job, period!
I am considered to be a liability because I am disabled by government standards. Today's employers want to hire the cheapest workers they can get and do not want anyone who has been exposed to "Bad Influences" from previous experience. In general, employers want someone they can train who does not understand anything about what is right or wrong but expects you to follow their lead even if it is unethical.

I certainly wish you the best of luck finding some work!

You may consider taking some classes at a junior college part time to fill in the gap in your employment record, it may help you get a decent job.

 

[SoonerLS]

Bob has some good advice, and one of dollman's points is critical--get back to work as soon as possible. It's best if you're working in your career field, but any work at all between "real jobs" will help fill in the gap. If you can't even find part-time work, go do volunteer work--if nothing else, volunteering will help get you in touch with people who're hiring for "real" jobs.

As someone who does hiring periodically (sorry, but, I don't have any openings), I can tell you that gaps in your employment record are a red flag, but it's not insurmountable. F'rinstance, the lady I just recently hired had a fairly large gap in her resume (IIRC, it was ~5 years) because she took off a few years to have a couple of kids. What helped dramatically was the fact that she had been working part-time and volunteering in the local school system; some of it was in our field (IT) and some wasn't, but it all helped complete the picture.

One other thing--if you're not regularly attending church, and not completely adverse to the idea, start going. There are people there who want to help, both spiritually and otherwise, and you're increasing the likelihood of coming into contact with people who can help you find employment.