There are over 1,400 consumer credit counseling centers around this country that are endorsed by the National Federation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), making them some of the most reliable and affordable services to use when you are in financial trouble. They offer two primary services. The first is budget analysis and consultation, helping you cut wasteful spending and establishing a plan to live within your means. The other is a consumer credit debt consolidation service by which they represent you to your creditors, asking them to lower their interest rates and payments, and even to waive some of their customary fees. Once they have negotiated all your debts to a level that you can pay each month, you give one payment to your credit counselor each month, who will then pay all your creditors from it. This is much more popular with creditors than bankruptcy, since creditors recover more of their loan balances this way. However, there are scams that can damage your finances and your credit score further, so be sure to check out a service before you sign anything.