Rose76 has some great advice there. Food and shelter come first above everything else, then begin chipping away at the overall debt while forgetting about your credit score Dave Ramsey says is really just an indicator of one's love affair with debt anyway! *Never* answer any questions asking you to verify your identify on the phone -- address, DOB, etc. -- since those are *always* bill collectors who care about nothing other than trying to extract more money from you. Just send a letter to each creditor to let them know what you intend to try to pay whenever...then say "I have already sent you a letter" and hang up (gently) whenever anyone on the phone asks you to verify your identity.