Help! clueless in OK

[Anonymous]

I divorced my ex , Dec of 2014, after over 10 years of marriage. She put a lot of bad stuff on my credit, to include a car and credit card stuff, while I was in prison and unable to divorce her. I can prove the prison timing easily enough. I have student loan debt, 21k, on "hold" basically, due to an "income based payment" plan. I've got an old student loan, $1400, from the 70's, which went into default, and which I am rehabbing. At ,least, it's not gone into collections! I've got a charge off on the 28k car that she bought (re-possessed after 2 years) and I also had my name on her  2 properties (now repossessed and probably re-sold) and a biz (long since defunct). I have negatives on all those, and the credit card, none of it my doing.

I do have a collection that is my fault, an ATT cell phone, originally $200 and now some outfit wants $600 to pay it off.  I have to pay my COLLEGE  7k (18%) before I can again get loans/grants. They've got 7k waiting on me, but I withdrew before the 2 week period was up (ignorance on my part) before getting a W on my transcript. So the school paid the Feds and I can't get back in school, anywhere, without paying off the old student loan, $1400, and the 7k to my current school..  Sallie Mae won't touch me without a cosigner, which I can't get. I'm 62, on SS retirement $600 per month and VA disability (currently $130 per month but a new award is supposedly taking that to $600 per month).  I live in public housing on $200 per month rent.

So, I'd appreciate any advice as to what to do, where to start, etc, about cleaning up my credit and getting back the ability to get more school loans/grants. Thanks for any replies.

[IOBA]

If this was my situation, I would 

1.  Create a budget of known expenses.  That would include income, rent, utilities, food, transportation, and any medical expenses you might have.

2.  Put a freeze/fraud alert on your credit reports with the three credit bureaus.

3.  You mentioned two student loans.  You mentioned rehabbing the Federal loan.  Make sure your budget includes that pymt amount and never, ever miss making that payment!  The other student loan - AFTER you have a livable budget - contact the school and talk to them about making a payment plan that works for YOU.  Not them, but you.  Be prepared to explain that you have a very limited income and what your max payment is.  (Make sure you are not committing the all of your discretionary money after you pay everything else.)

4.  Save some money, every month, for emergencies.  Pay yourself FIRST.  Then pay your bills.

5.  Regarding the x's purchases - if you had absolutely NOTHING to do with them, and she forged your signature, then go to the police station and file a fraud/stolen identity report.  Be prepared to provide a copy of your current credit reports as well as proof of your time in prison.  After you have a copy of the police report, give a copy to the credit bureaus.  That should get her bad stuff off of your reports.

Let us know how each step goes.  If you want help with the budget, send me a message.

[Anonymous]

Tried the payment plan. My college won't accept anything but a total payment. I've spoken with the prez of the college himself and explained that it means that he's stopping my college forever. Not only that, but my fiance WAS going to go to the same school, but you can bet your butt THAT aint going to happen now! He claimed that it's "policy", the last refuge of scoundrels, of course. 

My budgeting aint the issue. I live on sales of my plasma and eat at the church, to save enough to get my fiance here from the Phills. I think that  I"m first going to try just disputing everything and SEE how many of the creditors keep up their paperwork.