Are you having difficulty paying your bills each month?  Before you consider bankruptcy, you need to look at all your options.  Bankruptcy, while  an option will ruin your credit for up to 7 years and beyond.  Chapter 7 is when you have little property except for basic necessities and you have little money left over after paying your bills or are not even able to meet your bills.  It will eliminate all unsecured debts and this process is fairly quick.  Chapter 13 is when you have significant equity in your home or other property and have a regular income but still cannot keep up with your bills.  You should be able to keep most of your property and your bills a spread out over a 3-5 year repayment.  It is highly recommended you search for other options before contacting a bankruptcy lawyer. Avoid bankruptcy!
So, what are your other options? First, you need to total all of your debts.  Gather all your bills, statements, and include your daily expenses down to the last penny.  What are your assets?  How much equity do you have in your house, car, savings, or other property?  Now divide and conquer.

• What is your good debt?  These are your home loan or student loan or bills with no interest.
• Your bad debts are:  Credit cards, Personal loans, High interest bills and medical bills.
• Total up all your bills and expenses.  Include everything like food & gas, down to the last piece of bubble gum.
• Divide your expenses into 2 categories: Necessities and Non-Necessities.  Necessities are what are needed for you to survive.  A roof over your head and food in your stomach.
• Add up your minimum payments on your debts and the total of your necessities.  This is what has to be paid each month.

Now, how much income do you have each month?  Take that figure and subtract what has to be paid. Are you in the negative or very close? If this is the case, then you need to look at alternatives to avoid bankruptcy.  Where can you save?  Sometimes you can only cut back so much.  Take a look at your debt.  Do you have a lot of small bills or bills with high interest rates?  Debt consolidation may be your answer.  What this does is combine all your bills into one monthly payment.  In most cases, the interest rate will be lower and so will your monthly payment.  Find a reputable debt consolidation lender such as Loanstore.com.  They can give you advice and hopefully come up with a low rate debt repayment plan.  Know that there are fees associated with these repayment plans.  Ask about these costs.
If you decide to take this path, remember you do not want to wind up in the same situation in the future.