Looking for advice/questions about filing bankruptcy (Ohio)
Hello everyone, I am looking for some advice for my current situation (please no judgement as I already feel enough shame about my spending habits/situation).
I am 24 years old and have racked up roughly $50k in debt over the past few years. It started with the BNPL services (Klarna, Afterpay, etc.) and as I got approved for more cards and loans, I have snowballed into debt I can no longer handle.
I never missed a payment on any of my debt until recently (past 2 months). Between what I owe on BNPL, credit cards, loans, and cash advance apps, I am struggling.
I have 7 credit cards - I am current on all cards besides Chase which I had to skip my last payment not having enough to pay the amount.
I have 7 loans through high interest online installment companies (not sure how else to describe them) biweekly payments that became too much to handle and am currently behind on all besides 1. These loans were eating up almost my entire paycheck every other week. I have 1 loan through my credit union that I am current on.
I have a car loan that I am current on and have had since 2022. The past year I have accumulated all 7 high interest loans, 3/7 credit cards, debt on all BNPL services (am current on) and cash advance apps (some apps have closed my account due to nonpayment). I accumulated the majority of this debt from moving twice in the past year, switching jobs and taking a major pay cut (relying on credit to survive almost), and impulse shopping.
I feel a lot of shame about my situation and have been doing everything I can to pay on what I owe. I am just extremely overwhelmed with all of the payments currently and trying to figure out what to do. I am currently in between jobs again and my monthly income once I start my new job will be slightly lower than what i’ve been making the past 8 months at my previous job. Leaving less room to pay on everything. I know that I accepted this debt but mostly in fear of my situation now, not being able to pay the bills.
As for filing bankruptcy, i’m not entirely sure how it works. The majority of my debt has been accumulated over the past year. I have kept everything current until recently I had to stop paying some of my loans just so I had enough left for rent and keeping my car. Any advice is welcome. I am currently looking into therapy to help with my impulsive spending habits and better financial management.
Posted Dec 1, 2025, 4:01 AM UTC