Daniel Montville knew a debt consolidation loan wouldn't solve his financial problems, but the hospice nurse hoped it would give him some breathing room. Montville took out the loan in 2015, but within a year he had fallen behind on its payments and on the payday loans he got to help his daughter, a single mother with four children. The payday lenders all but cleaned out his checking account each time a paycheck landed, leaving little money for necessities. The five-year, $17,000 loan Montville got from his credit union, for example, paid off 10 high-rate credit card bills, lowered the interest rate on the debt from double digits to about 8 percent and offered a fixed monthly payment of $375, less than what he was paying combined on the cards. [...] that he can no longer borrow - his credit card accounts are closed, and he would need the bankruptcy court's permission to replace his car - Montville finally is thinking about what he actually needs to buy versus what he wants to buy. Some of his clients consolidated their debt using a 401(k) loan or a home equity line of credit. Most importantly, their debt must be manageable and payable in the three- to five-year term of the typical debt consolidation loan. If it would take longer than five years to pay off the debt on their own, borrowers should consult a credit counselor or bankruptcy attorney. Liz Weston is a certified financial planner and columnist at NerdWallet, a personal finance website, and author of "Your Credit Score."