If you can get approved for the personal unsecured loan for the amount that you need, definitely go for it. But, make sure you payoff the credit cards and auto loans and be really careful not to rack up any more debt.

You are wise in staying away from the HELOC. Nobody can predict what's going to happen with this housing market so safeguard your equity for now. Once the market stabilizes you can maybe then go for a home equity loan or a cash out refi and pay back the personal loan.

If you consolidate your loans they will charge you a fee to do so. I would not consolidate if I could help it. You do not want to incure more debt. Follow the following steps.

First prioritize your bills

1)Shelter, food, utilities, transportation are your first priority pay these bills first.
2)Eliminate non essentials –cell phones, cable TV, internet ect.
3)Negotiate with creditors
4)Sell stuff to get cash
5)List bills with total payoffs from least amount to greatest amount and pay the minimum on everything except the first bill where you apply as much as possible until its paid off then move to the next bill.

Reseach the snowball payoff schedule online

Also, some lenders look poorly upon it later on. Some institutions believe that it really is a black mark. It will depend upon the types of deals that your particular company or lender work out, and of course, your own individual circumstance. For some with absolutely NO way out, debt consolidation is a welcome option.

Take a good hard look at all the options and plans offered, and don't let a single company pressure you into something you just can't do. Make sure that you're comfortable with the plan offered before you commit to it.

In any case, it doesn't hurt to investigate debt consolidation as an option. It doesn't cost you anything to find out more information about it.

If you want a place to start your investigating, there's information and listings for debt consolidation providers on the page listed below. You'll probably find something of use there:

http://axalda.info/debt-consolidation.html

Filing for bankruptcy over $13,000 would be, in my opinion, an unwise move.

You would be best to figure out how to pay off the debt the cheapest and fastest way possible while doing as little damage to your credit score as possible.

You mentioned debt consolidation as an option. The term debt consolidation can be a confusing one. Many people think it is a loan to pay off your existing debts. This is not the case. When you hire a debt consolidation company they will in turn try and negotiate lower interest rates with your creditors and act as a buffer between you and those same creditors. You make one "consolidated" payment to this company each month and the make the payments to your creditors on your behalf.

Another option, (and if you are considering bankruptcy this option may work for you), is debt negotiation. Debt negotiation or debt settlement as it is also known, differs from debt consolidation in that the actual amount of debt that you owe is reduced, not just the interest rate.

You can find a more in depth discussion of these options along with some recommended resources here… http://www.debt-elimination-guide.com/debt-elimination-options.html

Best of luck Confused

2.First get current on all of you debts and make no more late payments. Stop using your credit cards immediately. Do not take on any more debt. Credit cards are like quicksand only the death is much slower. Make a list of all of your debts in order of highest interest rate to lowest interest. Use cash only for your spending from now on.

3.Pay the minimum due on all of your debts and then put your extra money towards paying off the highest interest one first. After you get that one paid off, you put the money you were paying on debt #1 (the minimum payment and the extra payment) towards debt #2. That will pay debt #2 off faster. When that is paid off, you put all three payments towards card #3 and that one will be paid off pretty quickly. As an example:

To start :
Debt #1 (highest interest): minimum payment+ extra payment
Debt #2 (middle interest): minimum payment
Debt #3(lowest interest): minimum payment

Debt #1: paid off
Debt #2: minimum payment from Debt #1+ Minimum payment from Debt #2 +extra payment
Debt #3: minimum payment

Debt #1: paid off
Debt #2: paid off
Debt #3:Mimimum payment from card #1+ minimum payment from Debt #2+ minimum payment from Debt #3+ extra payment.

That way, you will get them all paid off, on time, and pay the least interest. It will also help towards rebuilding your credit since you will no longer have any late payments. This works no matter how many different debts you may have.

4. After you get all of your debts paid off, add to your emergency fund until you have 6-12 months of income saved up. Put that emergency fund money into a liquid money market fund or into a Bank of America no-risk CD so that if you need the money you can take it out without penalty.

5a. When you have your emergency fund in place, add a category for "fun" to your budget. Save for a holiday, a vacation, a big screen, or dinners out, whatever goal you want. Remember to enjoy your life.

5b. When you have your emergency fund in place, start saving for your retirement. Join the 401(k) plan at work and contribute the maximum. Your employer probably matches at least part of your contribution so why give up free money? Open a Roth IRA and contribute the maximum on a monthly basis. If you start saving for your retirement now, you will probably retire a millionaire.

5c. When you have your emergency fund in place, start saving for your next car. Only buy cars, or other things that depreciate, with cash. Save up for a nicer car. That way you get the interest instead of paying the interest.