Start of the end..

[ClingingToHope]

I'm the anti-Antlers. There are no real assets. W ran up $15k in credit card debt the past three years. She tried to shop her way out of depression and I was worried about making things worse and didn't stand up and stop it.

We had a flood in 2007 and had to refinance everything and gut my retirement to fix the house. So we are mortgaged to the hilt and now the house's value has dropped $15k because of the real estate bubble.

So my attorney and I discussed bankruptcy briefly because even if W ends having to give me a chunk on the debt, the only real assets I'll get are from her retirement and it likely won't be enough to get me out of debt.

So he's taking a low-key approach to this case because he knows there's not much to grab.

I've been preparing myself for the worst-case scenario -- foreclosure, bankruptcy -- so anything better than that is a bonus.

W? I'm not sure. We don't talk about it. The girls give hints here and there. They want a puppy but she told them she doesn't have $100 to spare. Stuff like that.

I've really wondered how she got the $1,000 for the retainer to file in the first place. I'm guessing her mom. But that's not much help. W's little sister has drained about $25k from their mom through CC bills, DUIs and now going back to college at 35.

So if this gets ugly, her mom doesn't have much left to help. And as far as I can tell, there's no sugar daddy out there.

What your prospects for improving your situation?

W makes more than me and I'm still not looking at a promotion for a while. I reached out to friends and co-workers and found a weekend job in the summer where I'll make $2,500 to $3,500 depending on how much I work. Over the winter, I was the official scorekeeper at a high school where a friend of mine is the head boys basketball coach. I worked at 25 events and made more than $1,000 and it kept me from laying on the couch and watching TV.