First I’d get rid of that car. Yikes that’s expensive as all heck it’s okay not having a fancy car with all the bells and whistles. That’s a huge expenditure. Call all your creditors and get on a reasonable payment plan. Don’t overextend yourself so if you make $6k then minus living expenses first, a small fun fund and then the leftover can go straight to paying off creditors. I lived in my car for 7 months it was mainly gruesome (summers and nearly dying anytime I’d take an afternoon nap) and really quite depressing when I couldn’t leave the city at all due to work. I’d live in my car again to travel and camp across America but to save money? Never again. $36,000 is a lot and the amount can feel crushing but if you think about it you can knock this out in less than two years at your salaries level.