Need some advice

I forgot to add that I owe the IRS approximately $3500 plus interest and penalties and I have a judgement for $1500 against me from the State of AZ. I am beginning to make payment arrangements on those as well but don't know whether to deal with IRS before I file my taxes this year or wait until I file. If I get $ back, it will be applied to what I owe so there will be no loss there. Thank you for any input!

Welcome to the forums! We are glad you are here.
My advice to you is to make sure that your basic needs are met first, then proceed with other bills. What I do with my personal bills now is pay the basic bills first, like rent, lights, etc and then move on to others. Now you said this check is coming as a student grant. Have you paid tuition yet for this semester--and have you bought books? If you have, I would definately use this money to pay off rent, as you need a place to stay.
If not, this would change the equation, obviously. Let us know and we will do our best to help you, OK?

Welcome to the Commmunity :D ks is right, take care of your basice needs first, then move onto others. A far as the IRS, I would go ahead and contact them, I paid them for years, with no problem. Then if you get a refund, that will be appled, but if you don't talk to them, they can get nasty if they think you are ignoring them. Also, I would try to get the settlement arrangement in place too. If you have any more questions, please ask..Karen

ks and Bossy, thank you both for your input. My tuition and books are paid for this semester (I'm only half time) so that isn't a problem. Basic needs are a priority but I would really like to get that credit card down and the pdls taken care of. My landlord knows that my income is low and that I have to pick and choose which bill to pay each payday so that is a blessing in itself. However, I do not want to continue getting behind because it will take that much longer to pay. I'm attempting to do the get out of debt and credit repair stuff myself but when it comes to large sums of money, I have a tendency to spend before I think if you know what I mean. Money management has never been my forte and at my age (older than most here) I don't have time to mess around any more. With no retirement fund and no benefits to speak of, I'm scared that I will have to work until I'm 115 before I can retire! I'm a late bloomer but as with education...it's never too late!

Thanks again for your help!

I think we all have that tendency to spend first, ask questions later :evil:, and that is why we are all here! Great that books and tuition are paid for this semester--but I would certainly take care of business with the landlord and do as Bossy says by calling the IRS. They can get sticky and the last thing we would want is for you to be garnished. I would also send the other creditors what you can after your basic needs are taken care of.

You probably want to pay some on your phone bill too. I know that many places will disconnect you after 3 months past due. So if you need your phone (and who doesn't)for work, internet, etc., you probably want to keep on track with that.