When you have many bills to catch up on plus a heavy mortgage payment every month, it is hard to see any nice prospects for the future. You might be looking in the direction of bankruptcy. If anything, this should be a last resort. There are many consequences to this procedure that you will have to live with for at least seven years. This includes losing all of your credit, being unable to sign for anything to do with finances, and having to build up your credit again from zero.