Need help getting started

Well for starters, pull a copy of your credit report...
https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

That should help you with your credit cards.
Questions...what state do you live in and when was your last payment??

Student loans...federal or private??

I live in texas My last payment was back in 2007 and it's a Perkins loan so federal? Thank you do much for helping me out. Reilly lost in all this. Any guidance would be appreciated

If you havent made a credit card payment since 2007, your debts are all out of SOL. You still owe it...however if they attempt to sue you, you can use the defense that the debt is time barred. Quite frankly, it will not help your credit if you pay it...personally I would just wait out the reporting SOL for it to drop off.

Now..your Perkins. I would suggest calling the collection department of your school to see if they can give you any guidance...they may have the loan or it could be with the USDOE. Or you can log into NSLDS.ed.gov to locate it.

Just curious what would be the difference between a federal and private loan? Thank you so much for your help

There is a huge difference between federal and private loans. You have a lot more rights and priveleges with federal loans and the ability to rehab and consolidate with affordable payments. These options are not available with private loans.

I've read on the forum, a student has debt, $ 111,000. At first he let the debt, and many people advised him to file bankruptcy. But he rejected the advice. He finally determined to pay his debts. Until now he had six years to repay this debt and approximately $ 60,000. He was determined to pay off the debt entirely.
To pay the debt, he is tightening the budget. Do not watch movies, concerts, eating out, etc. The goal is that he could pay the bills as soon as possible. His way to resolve the debt is very responsible.

Student loans are non dischargable in bankruptcy.

That is how I paid my loans off. I graduated and moved home. Worked two jobs, bought nothing for myself except for the stuff I needed, ate in the employer subsidized lunch room, used public transportation, packed my own cans of pop. No eating out, no movies, rented DVD's and got the monkey off my back in about 3 years. It is a matter of setting your priorities. Only then did I relax...a bit. Took my first vacation post graduating, 3 weeks in Mexico. Even then I had trouble splurging. Financial discipline becomes part of you.

I am 50 now, and I live on a tight budget partly due to where I live. I am paying high rent for the best school district here. I have an 8th grader who wants to be a teacher or occupational therapist. She knows NOW that her education will be dependent on scholarships, awards and loans. She is doing 3 9th grade classes in 8th grade and will do as many AP classes as she can. She will be tutoring kids in math next year to pay for her viola lessons and to save for college. My sister was the same way with her kids. It all comes down to planning early and good parenting