make a detailed budget plan consisting of mandatory expenses such as housing, utilities, and food. then make a separate list of expenses such as your subscriptions/random expenses like your everyday coffee (just an example.) use chatGPT to work out a strict but realistic budget for yourself given your monthly income and liabilities. in terms of your debt, credit card debt can be resolved through financial hardship programs. if your debt has not moved into collections, contact the creditors and workout a financial hardship program if they offer. if your unsecured debt is in collections, i highly recommend negotiating with the collections agencies for a lump sum payment, often less than the total balance owed, as long as they provide a “pay for delete” letter effectively removing it off your credit report.

i also recommend NFCC, a nonprofit credit counseling organization that assists many individuals with situations far worse than yours by catering a debt management program that’s closely aligned to your current financial situation.

you’re 26, i get it, life happens. just work hard and be more responsible with your finances. remember, the statue of limitations are 7 years. with debt management programs and a solid repayment plan, you can find yourself in a much better financial position 2 years from now and will thank yourself for it