<prompt> Human: Im so sorry if this gets asked a lot. Ive combed through previous posts and FAQs and Im either not finding what I need or apparently too dense to understand.Alright. Late 20s. Married. Kids. 6,100 in debt. My credit is very poor, my husband has none.Monthly bills are less than 300. No rent or mortgage payments, no car payments.I have about 1,100 per month extra. I had originally figured I would put half of that in savings and the other half to pay off debt. Figured I would have it paid off by the end of this year. All of my debt is in collections and Im recently hearing they will often settle for less than the whole debt? In that case I could possibly have it paid off by summer.1,800 of the debt is from a credit card loan. I had good intentions to build credit when I was 18 and had my first stable job, then I had a nervous break down and it all went to shit. The rest of the debt is medical bills.My main purpose is to get out of debt and build credit so that we qualify for a home loan. Maybe a bit optimistic, but after debt is paid off I think that in 24 months we can save close to 30k for a down payment.My main questions are - What should I expect with the collection agencies? Through my searches I found that often I need to get a letter from the collection agency to send to a credit bureau. Is there anything else I should expect?Second, whats the best way to start improving my credit score? A relative told me I should get a secured loan and secured credit card, should I start that now or after the debt is paid off? Is there a better way to build credit? My score is around 543. Also, how does my husbands score affect getting a home loan andor vice versa?Also curious about anyones experience or knowledge of IDAs?Thanks in advance! If you need any more information I would be glad to provide it.  <response>: You will have a very hard time getting a home loan at this point, but honestly that might not be the best idea for you anyways - The collection agencies might work with you on the debt, I personally dont have great advice for that, but this might help - A credit card that you use and pay off, OR DONT USE AT ALL will help your credit a lot. Age and consistant on time payments are the biggest parts of your credit score. Credit karma could help you a lot with finding out what is hurting your credit and how to fix it.Savings are a great idea for you. A safety net will help mitigate problems like medical bills in the future.Keep your head up, you have a good head on your shoulders and you are on the right track. 