You might file bankruptcy, well, for sure, so you stop paying those annoying creditors, but when is the best time?

The answer is: it depends. (What did you expect? I am a lawyer.) If you intend to keep your house, it's important to keep paying the mortgage or mortgages, property taxes and insurance. Keep making the lease payments or loan payments only on the vehicles you are keeping. However, even that depends onwhich bankruptcy chapter you will be filing under Chapter 7 or Chapter 13.

In the some bankruptcy courts, you must make that payment through the Chapter 13trustee as part of your plan, if you are behind on a mortgage or other secured creditor payment like a vehicle.

So you need to consult with your attorney on the best use of your funds before you file, maybe yes, maybe no, maybe for awhile until you figure out for sure which way you want to go.

Things that you will keep using, and are current on, you keep paying, like water bills, gas, electric, phone, cable, and internet.

If you are behind on these, those have to be listed as debts on your bankruptcy schedules, like anything else.

The utilities get hundreds or thousands of bankruptcy notices every month, they know what to do when they get one.

They will send you a new bill from the bankruptcy filing date forward, that is, for what you use after filing.

Gas and electric utilities are also governed by state regulatory agencies which restrict what they can do.

Not so much with phone, cable and internet, though this varies by location.

You should see if you can get a better deal somewhere else, check the other service providers. You can cancel most contracts through bankruptcy with no real penalty.

You will need to cut corners and save money, you are filing bankruptcy.

And about credit cards?

Unless you pay it off every month like the electric bill, itneeds to be included in your bankruptcy, and it will be discharged, whether you owe $1000 or $900 when you file bankruptcy:

So, just stop!

Right away!

Now!
Do not pass go, do not collect $200!!!
You are just throwing that money away.

You are filing bankruptcy, you need the money more than they do!
When planning a bankruptcy, Stop Paying Credit Card Creditors.