* Start bringing in more money. You might need to get a second job, or search for a better paying one. There are also some ways you can make extra money from home, such as babysitting or doing direct sales. If it comes to this, putting as much of the additional funds as possible toward paying down your debt will help you get it down to a manageable level quickly.

* Attempt to negotiate with your creditors. If you talk to your creditors, some of them may be willing to give you more time to pay, drop late fees, or reduce your interest and your minimum payment. It’s possible that they might even settle for a lower amount than you actually owe, although it’s rare to achieve this without a lawyer.

* Consolidate your debt. Home equity loans, or second mortgages, are often used by people who are in an unmanageable amount of debt to consolidate the debt and reduce interest charges and monthly payments. The trouble is that by doing this, you put your house on the line.

Also don’t get too excited about that low interest rate for your debt consolidation. Remember this loan will have a longer term so you may end up paying more interest in the long run. Try paying more than the required amount to pay it out as quickly as possible.

It’s also possible to get a credit card with a high credit limit and lower interest to transfer existing balances to. Your minimum monthly payment should also be lower. This is less risky than putting your house on the line, but you will pay more interest.

If you choose either of these methods, don’t fall into the trap of using your cards again. That would defeat the purpose of consolidating and get you in even more trouble.

*As a last resort Bankruptcy is an option. If you file Chapter 7 you will be completely debt free. However, you may have to sacrifice some of your belongings. If you file Chapter 13 you will have a payment plan structured by the courts to pay your debts off. Either way this will forever show on your public record and you will have a blemish on your credit report for the next 7 years. That is why this should be your last resort.

There are specialized debt consolidation loans for people who have fallen into a bad credit situation. As your financial situation deteriorated, most likely you defaulted or were late on several of your loan payments, and each problem payment has a detrimental effect on your credit score. After enough of these problems, you would not be able to qualify for a regular debt consolidation loan, due to your poor credit rating. This can leave you between a rock and hard place, financially speaking.

These debt consolidation loans for bad credit would accept your application even with a low credit score, pay your bills on time every month, and in the process, increase your credit rating a little bit with each payment. In a year or less, you would regain not only your credit rating, but your financial reputation and self-respect.

The companies that offer debt reduction programs would negotiate with each of your creditors to get your credit terms revised to the best possible interest rate and repayment schedule. They can often negotiate down any late payment fees or penalties that are due on the account. This creates a win-win situation for everyone. The creditor gets paid, and you end up with a lower monthly payments and a restored credit rating. Each month, you would pay the consolidation company one payment that is lower than the sum of all the payments that were due before. This allows you to get out of debt as fast as possible while at the same time giving you more available cash to spend living rather than paying to credit card late fees and interest.

So, don’t let the depression related to over-indebtedness keep you from getting a consolidation loan today to begin improving your financial situation, stress level, and mental health.