You can have a do-over starting today. But you have to get over the feeling that it's too late

Save for your goals. Take note of what's coming your way - vacations, the holidays, what ever is going to cost you money - and start saving ahead of time so that you have a stash when the time comes.

Rolling all of your debts into a single loan is a good idea - in theory. In fact, it can be a great idea.

Debt settlement companies work as a middleman between you and your creditor. If all goes well (and that's a big if), you should be able to settle your debts for cents on the dollar. You'll also pay a fee to the debt settlement company, usually either a percentage of the total debt you have or a percentage of the total amount forgiven.

The interest rate you receive, however, is contingent on your credit score.

You really don't need to hire a debt settlement company to negotiate with your creditors.

If you're filing bankruptcy, you will likely want to hire an attorney. But for debt settlement, a company is sufficient, or as I said, you can often do the legwork on your own.