I have friends who worked at the grocery store on the weekends to get over the hump. It is not glamorous - but it paid the bills.

I had to walk away from debt about a year and a half ago. Thought about bankruptcy, but so far just stopped paying. My life is so much less stressful. I know it's a shitty thing to do, but I had no choice. I lost a job, the engine went out in my car that I still owed money on, had to move to be closer to mass transit etc. It was an extraordinarily stressful time, but things are getting better. Was able to get a place to live in exchange for childcare, working now (though not consistent hours) and for the first time I am able to save a little. I completely understand where you're coming from, and can't imagine how much worse it must be for a person with kids and a mortgage. Good luck op. You're definitely not alone.

Anonymous wrote:How about walking dogs?

You probably should also get insurance for this too.

How about walking dogs?

Reading more of your post contact a bankruptcy atty. my ex used a good one. Don't Rae Strang kids into your house without proper insurance too much liability.

If you tried consumer credit counseling then hell yes walk / run away from it. You can give your kids a better life. Your credit scores will rebound immediately and if done right within 6 years yes not 7 you'll be better than most of us.
Word to the wise try to get your student loans if you have them discharged too ( too burdensome).
Life is too short and the stress of this debt is taking years off of our lives.

No we have 2 kids, 2 bedrooms, they share a room

Wait, a house with no spare bedroom? Are there only two or do you have many kids?

Put up an ad saying you're willing for $40 a night, say your house is child-proofed if it is, and that you're willing to provide references, and see who responds.

Anonymous wrote:What about providing overnight care for a child whose parent works the night shift?

I could definitely do this, but who would leave their kid with a stranger over night? I guess there is a need for it

No advice here (wish I had some) but try not to be too hard on yourself. You're doing the best you can in trying to meet your obligations. Plenty of people in the same boat. I hope something works out. Hang in.

What about providing overnight care for a child whose parent works the night shift?

We used to make more money, once the economy started going down we started making less and less. Neither of us have any talents that we can charge for (music lessons, tutoring, etc).
I am looking for a higher paying job and hope to find one soon, but in the meantime there is just no way to pay some of the bills we owe.
Our house is worth less than we owe, we bought it at the peak of the market, and there is no room for a roommate, no spare bedroom, no basement for an apt, etc.
If there were a legitimate job that I could do from home in the evenings I would definitely want to do that, but when I look at the job listings they all seem shady, do you know of any that are legit?

Can you get a higher paying job or a roommate? Or, is there a second job you could do from home? Translations or sewing or something?

How were you able to cover the basics before?

Feel like such a dead beat right, we are drowning in debt, we don't make enough to cover the basics, my pay is barely enough to cover daycare and aftercare. I was out of work for a while and we had to live off credit cards. Other than filing for bankruptcy I'm not sure what else to do...