First, no need to come and hammer me over our debt, as I know we’ve been stupid. And over the last few months we have taken measurements to correct it. And we are working on it.

With that being said, most of our money goes to bills right now. We are pretty close to paying some off, but we’ve only got about $1000 left each month after bills for groceries, gas, etc (family or 5).

I’m doing some extra work for extra money, as is my wife. We really are trying to avoid bankruptcy. Are there any alternatives that would help? Counseling? Negotiating on our own? Any suggestions?

As I’ve said, we’ve stopped using credit cards. We’ve learned (unfortunately, the hard way). But I’m open to suggestions that could help offer some relief.

Thanks.