If you are deep in debt with credit card bills and you've had enough, perhaps the best thing for you to do right now is go bankrupt. After all, hundreds of thousands of people have done it before and have lived through it, right? WAIT! Perhaps there is something else that you could do that would maybe be a longer process, but it would definitely save your credit.

You have probably heard about all of the credit counseling services there are out there. They have services on the web, they have offices you can go to, and they have phone lines you can call to get help. Credit counselors are certainly not difficult to find, but finding the right one can be a little more tricky than you think.

First of all, you may not quite know what these credit repair services actually do to help you. How do credit counselors work, how much do they charge, can they help me get out of debt, and can they help me avoid debt in the future? Here are a few things to know about credit counselors and how they do their job.

1. Debt Management Advice Credit counselors will analyze your debt problems to see if there is any way they can save you money and help you pay your bills. One of their main goals is to work with your creditors and figure out a way for you to make the payments on time and in full so that you do not have to resort to bankruptcy, in which case neither you nor the creditor would win. Creditors are usually more than happy to work with your credit counselors in making negotiations because they would rather get some money out of you than nothing.

Credit counseling services will often have classes to help you manage your debt. These classes are meant to give you a little more information about credit, how it works, and how to use it. Then these classes will help you come up with a plan to get out of the credit debt that you are already in, therefore giving you the means to escape your debt and to stay out of it in the future.

2. Planning a Budget One thing that credit counselors do to help you pay your bills is help you plan a budget. They examine your income and help you figure out just how much you can afford to spend where, and how much you must have for food, clothes, and other essential items. Then they will help you see how much money you need to pay your bills, and balance your budget accordingly.

Your credit counselor will usually go over your budget with you first so they know how to negotiate with your creditors. They need to know how much income you have each month, how much of it you need for essentials, and then how much you can afford to use to pay your monthly bills. This way, they will know how to reorganize your debt so that it is manageable.