Hi all so pleased to have found this place! After years of burying our heads in the sand me and my husband have finally realized something has to give! We owe £40k of unsecured debt and have been trying to keep the wolves from our doors for over 6 years... We have just been handed a notice requiring possession from our landlord due to £2500 arrears!! Every time a bailiff turns up they leave with money and rent has got into arrears... I've looked into an IVA with Baines & Ernst and also bankruptcy with them, however their fees seem quite high and I did wonder if we could manage to do it ourselves?? Anyway we are up sh@t creek & going to be homeless shortly and I ask: 1: would i be able to do the bankruptcy paperwork myself or is it really hard? 2: The IVA calculations B&E did stated I had about £75 pm towards an IVA but that didn't include when the daughter at uni or son at college needs a tenner etc... I really feel it was unrealistic especially as my husband is employed as a temp HGV and can never guarantee work.. Several people say it's better than bankruptcy but is it in my case I wonder? or ill the courts say I dodn't need to go bankrupt as have £75 pm 3. I need to act really quickly as have a Ross & Roberts bailiff after me for a new ccj for council tax and know I shouldn't let him in.. I have nothing to take anyway! 4.We haven't the money to both go bankrupt on same day will this alert creditors to pursue other partner quickly? B&E appealed to me as said they would write to creditors immediately and keep them away etc.. (BTW i am not worried about credit file etc it's been blown to bits for years since our business failed) 5. I haven't even begun to think about where we are going to live and who will ever take us after this! we have four children: 18, 17, 12 & 10 years. Thank you for any advice in advance x