How should I go about paying of the debt below?

This is all the debt I owe in life but because of collections late payments, its really lowered my score. I dont know what to attack first. The smaller items, the collection items, the credit card items? I want to do what will help improve the score the most and the fastest, eventually (soon) paying it all off. dentist$145Collection verizon$200Collection/ old phone cardiolo$225Collection/medical Macy$440Credit card/ active good standing nextel$450Collection Cap 1$520Credit card/ active good standing BOA$920Closed but I still get a statement Visa$2,135Collection/ so old from it's not top priority Taxes$5,500Don’t ask/on installment plan School$18,000On installment plan Total Debt$28,535

Public Comments

1. I think you're too far in the hole even for debt consolidation. Tackling all of that is going to be an issue. Talk to a bankruptcy lawyer. Your credit is going to be worthless by the time you pay all of this off anyway.
2. What scares me is that your main reason for paying off this debt is to improve your fica score. So that you can borrow more money. If this is true then you will have debt the rest of your life. Your biggest problem is not a lack of money its bad spending habbits. I suggest you read Dave Ramseys book , Financial Peace. The book will tell you how to attack these debts and change your habbits. I listen to his radio show and he speaks the hard core truth about life and money.
3. You can try to negotiate with the collection accounts and pay off smaller amounts in exchange for them agreeing to clear your record in writing. I wouldn't let the good standing accounts go south, though...especially the student loans. You need the regular, on time payments to build your credit up once you clear away the bad stuff. The back taxes aren't going anywhere and I would probably call and tell them I could pay a bit less that I had agreed. My husband owes 10,000.00 in back taxes and we pay a little here and there. You can count on paying the taxes off before you buy a house and they'll hit you with a lien if you take a while or quit paying for a while.
4. First thing is keep your currnet accounts current. You don't mention how old the collection accounts are except for the Visa @ $2135.00. The older the collection accounts become the easier it will be for you to cut a deal with the collection agency. Offer them .25 on the dollar and the intrest stops now. A lot of them will agree to that....but if you miss one payment or are even a day late you will be right back where you started, plus interset. On your smaller accounts offer them the same deal cash right now, but be prepared to pay with a money order or a bank check. Also do not send them the money until they send you a letter agreeing to these terms. They will probably say no the first couple of times, but will usually give in. Another and usually better approach is send them a letter, receipt requested or fax them your outlining the terms you are offering. This will give you some back up in the unlikely event you are taken to court. If Nextel was going to take you to court for $450.00 they would have already done it. Also if they are calling you at home you can request that they stop and they have to. You may have to write them a letter or fax your request to get your point across. If they keep calling you, believe it or not you can sue them for harrassement, threatening them will usually do the trick. However there is nothing you can do about them sending you bills, 10 a day if they feel like it. I wish you would have included what you are paying each creditor per month and the interest rate for each one. It would then be fairly easy to set up a repayment plan.
5. The negative things affecting your credit score is everything in collection. Keep the current accounts active and in good standing. If you fall behind on those, your score will go even lower. Tackle the smallest collection amounts first from oldest to newest. Check to see how old they, usually anything over 6 yrs doesn't have to be repaid since the statute of limitations has expired on collection. The only exception would be any credit cards. With your dental/medical bills, see if you can set up a payment plan with the actual doctor/practice you owe to. They would be willing to get $10/month vs. nothing. Then tackle the phone bills, you will need to have some availability to a phone plan. They will not set up another account with you until you clear your bad debt. If you have closed your BOA account continue to pay on it until it is zero. Just curious, why did you close it? If you've had it for awhile, reactivate it. This will help on building positive credit as long as you don't use it. Having older credit accounts on your report looks good to lenders. Now, pay of the taxes. Of course, the gov't is going to come after you for them one way or another. Since you have a plan already in place, keep it in good standing. Lastly, contact your student loan lender and see if you qualify for a deference or forbearance until you can pay off some debt to free up more income.
6. Consolidate your debt, that is the best option available. Learn more about debt consolidation at: http://freewebs.com/debcons/debtcons.html
7. This is what I would do... 1, the ones that are in good standing macy, cap, taxes, school 2. dentist, verizon, cardio, nextel 3. Boa, Visa vivide into equal payment for 5 months or whats doable 4. Get cracking on taxes and school You need to keep your installment plans and your current in good standing...