Is there certain items that I can continue to take care of myself and file bankrupcy for the rest?

That depends on which bankruptcy chapter you are filing.  If you're talking about a Chapter 7 case, you can voluntarily repay any debts you want.   The debt will be discharged in the bankruptcy, but you can still repay it.  Nobody in the history of mankind has stopped someone from repaying a debt.   In a Chapter 13 it's a bit problematic since you are by definition paying all your disposable income into the Plan so you shouldn't have additional funds to pay more to one creditor than another during the pendency of the case.  However, after your case is over, you are free to pay anyone you want. Mark J. Markus, Attorney at LawCertified Bankruptcy Law Specialist--State Bar of CaliforniaHandling exclusively bankruptcy law cases in California since 1991.http://www.bklaw.com/bankruptcy blog: http://www.bklaw.com/bankruptcy-blog/Follow Me on Twitter:  @bklawr