u/tropicolonoscopy

TLDR ; Should I do bankruptcy and start over later or stick to a challenging repayment plan?

Hi all,

I'm at the end of a year long process of figuring out how to pay down about $23k in unsecured debt I accumulated. Most of it was personal spending to stay afloat while going to school full time + spending that got out of control after going through my father's passing, funeral and complications thereafter that affected my income at the moment and really set me back.

I initially believed that a service like FDR (Freedom Debt Relief) would help me. I put 3 accounts in, 2 Capital One accounts with small balances and one Chase account with large balance. Cap One settled, Chase SUED me and sought summary judgment (meaning they would pass judgement in court and get permission to collect, garnish wages, freeze funds etc...)

Since the situation with Chase was getting nowhere and the judgement loomed over me, I decided to seek pro bono legal advice (should've done this earlier). The lawyer convinced me to leave FDR since they are basically a for profit scam - adjacent company. I got my money back from the dedicated account, which was about 4000 accumulated ( but I had ended up paying about 3k+ in unnecessary "settlement fees" because this is how those companies make their money, since one is afraid to negotiate a settlement directly with creditors.

I set up a repayment plan directly with Capital One after getting the debt settled for about 3-4K less than the original amount.

As for the Chase account, I am currently looking at a settlement of $13k as opposed to the original $17k. The current deal on the table is I will make a 5k payment upfront and then pay $800/month for 10 months until the payment is complete.

My lawyer says I have two options. I can struggle through the repayment process, considering my income is very inconsistent and I have other obligations on top of that. OR I can file for bankruptcy, keep all my money, take the hit and start over financially.

I'm 36M, living in the east coast of the US, no intention of buying property any time soon.

Any advice? What would you do? I think I could make the repayment work but the thought of struggling for all that time and being so tight with money scares me. Bankruptcy seems like an "easy" way out, but from initial research it really may have some deep consequences.

I am conflicted. Help!

Hi all,

I never post but I’m seriously enjoying so much Lana this summer that I felt inspired to.

I started making a playlist the other day called Toxic Lana in honor of Lana’s more devotional, spirally songs about love and messy relationships. I started it off with “Terrence Loves You” and noticed that the next song i picked “White Mustang” crossfades so so well with it. One song flows right into the other so seamlessly that it was wonderful!

So, i’m wondering if any fans out there have found any pairing or groups of songs from across her discography that blend well together as well.

Maybe we can collectively form a naturally occurring Lana mix?

Ill start us off:

1. Terrence Loves You —-> White Mustang
2. White Mustang —-> ???

And so on…

Y'all, I need some advice or words of wisdom from more experienced folks.

I'm 36/M, living in the northeastern U.S.

I've had a somewhat non-linear path. I moved to NYC at 18, partied hard, and dabbled in a lot of things — photography, event planning, curation, writing — nothing to a deep professional extent, mostly within queer alt scenes and community, but all to some good valuation and moderate success. Through all that, filmmaking has been my real passion, and it's the reason I left home for the city in the first place.

Now I'm older, and I recently finished a BA I pursued thanks to a scholarship. With that behind me, I'm honestly at a loss about what comes next.

In my mid-20s, after a string of PA jobs, I decided I didn't want to climb the traditional production ladder. Instead, I found real joy in experimental filmmaking, and I was inspired by colleagues who'd found success doing the same.

Since then, I've been paying the bills as a freelance contractor doing social justice work — another passion of mine (won't get into specifics). The problem is the money isn't enough to build savings or chip away at debt, given my current expenses. I'd love a calmer life than the city offers, but I have so much community here that being away for too long makes me feel out of the loop.

I don't want to drag this out, so here's where I'm at:

Grad school seems like a logical next step, but I don't want to pursue another degree in some obscure, conceptual arts program that won't lead to real work opportunities. Lately I've been considering law school — a JD feels like it could open up more ways to work for myself. Has anyone made the jump from arts to law, or found a way to combine the two? Entertainment law sounds genuinely exciting to me, but I know law school is a gauntlet not to be taken lightly. Is this a smart pivot, or a bad idea?

I also have a small business built around my contract work, and it needs a REAL push to grow — but the field feels increasingly threatened by AI. I don't want all my eggs in that one basket.

I know how to play the grant seeking game, but there's only so much that can do to hold me down and just like freelance work it is not steady.

Ultimately, I'd like to turn all of this into something resembling a steady career, and I'm not sure how. I know we — gay folks, queer folks — are constantly building lives out of mismatched pieces, sometimes out of nothing at all. That's the kind of advice I'm looking for. If you've been here, I'd love to hear what worked for you.

Thanks for reading.