What is your best advice for a successful 13?

[qwertysue]

Still chugging along, a year and a half to go.

Husband remains unemployed (he was laid off last winter). Fortunately we've been very diligent about saving every spare penny we have. And keeping to our budget. We haven't led a deprived lifestyle, but then again, excessive spending wasn't the main contributor to our filing (medical bills and disability payments that never got approved).

Chapter 13 isn't the end of the world. It's the begining of a new one.

Hang in there!

[wystanfi]

I think the best way to success your chapter 13 bankruptcy; you should go with a good lawyer. He can suggest you that what is right for you.

Thank You...

[wystanfi]

I think the best way to success your chapter 13 bankruptcy; you should go with a good lawyer. He can suggest you that what is right for you.

Thank You...

[pychk2pychk]

We are 3 months into our 13, our plan is doable but leaves really nothing at the end of the month. The big killer for us is gas and groceries. I plan my routes carefully when I drive, no doubling back, and shop multiple stores using coupons but still can't get our family of 4's food bill below 175 a week. Still trying to figure out how child care is going to get paid for when summer rolls around. Being we don't pay it throughout the year, it didn't get counted when we filed. We paid over 2k last summer. Ugh, no more credit cards, no way. If we survive this, at least we will be budget conscious, no more dependence on overtime and creditcards. We finally get it, just a painful lesson.

[RJR2]

I am at the tail end of my Chapter 13 after a little over 4 years. My best advice to anyone is to make your payments and if you cannot make your payments, call your lawyer immediately and attempt to get a deferment or work out a plan to get caught up. I had several instances where I couldnt make my payment because emergencies would arise. I was always able to get a deferment or work out a plan to just pay more for the subsequent months to get caught up.

Outside of the BK, learn to save and pay for things with cash. Pay your utilities, car insurance, and other bills on time so that when you are out, you have alternate tradelines that can be verified that could help you re-establish credit.

[TrackDog]

My wife and I are getting ready to file a chapter 13 and are starting to feel the stress. We have about $220,000 in unsecured debt and are looking at a pretty hefty monthly payment. I"m currious if anyone that has gone through this could tell me if I'm allowed to keep my business credit card? Its only used to book tickets for travel and other expenses related to work. Not sure how I can get around this at work since my job has me traveling about once a month. Would appreciate any advice. Thanks.

[lrprn]

TrackDog, I suggest you post your questions outside this sticky thread in its own new thread in the Ch 13 forum. You'll get more and better responses that way. (And by the way, a question about keeping a corporate cc in Ch 13 was just asked by another forum member and there's an answer to this question posted at http://www.bkforum.com/showthread.ph...and-Chapter-13.)

[mortgage2day]

I am nubie on this and that's all are very good post.

[rpg1977]

Best advice to survive a 13....live by your plan, keep your head down and lay low, and DON'T TRY TO PLAY THE SYSTEM. No matter what your situation was that got you into a 13, the simple fact is that you needed the 13 for a reason and need to commit to it. Its a blessing to have to help you out of a dire situation, don't ruin it by trying to find loopholes and doing things that you hope the trustee won't find out. The system has rules and you are nothing special to get to bend the rules. Live by your budget, pay your monthly payment and start marking off days on the calendar. Soon the days will be weeks..then months..and before you know it, years. You will learn discipline, budgeting, want vs. need, and how to live within your means.

[TrainWreak]

Like the others I can't stress enough about getting an attorney with experience in the chapter that you are filing with a good working knowledge of your district and trustee requirements.
Remember you are hiring someone to do a good job so interview several "applicants" just like you would do with a roofing contractor. By the way during my chapter 13 we needed a new roof and first I did research so I would know what to expect and the one with knowledge and an honest bid won the "job".
It wasn't that much different with an attorney.
If you have the time take the time to find a good one.

Then stick to the plan unless circumstances warrant a change. Keep your wonderful attorney apprised of anything that would come up that would keep you from completing your plan so adjustments can be made.
Treat it like your baby and stay on top of things and you can succeed in this life changing event.

[dmc-2008]

There have been a lot of new successful discharges lately, any new advice???

[dyrstr8s]

I never posted here much, but read a lot. Hard to believe it's been 5 years, but made our last payment in October. Datacenter 13 shows that our plan is paid in full. Our discharge hearing is scheduled for December 18th.

Over the years we just kept a low profile. Made our trustee, mortgage, insurance, and utility payments as close to on-time as possible. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't the hardest thing we've ever done either. Sometimes we ate mac and cheese or soup for dinner so we could fix the furnace or keep a car on the road. There weren't any vacations, extravagant Christmas gifts, or any home improvements. We just kept our heads low and plugged ahead.

My advice is to expect it to hurt. Don't get discouraged. If you have a little extra cash one month, don't blow it, stick it away because you will need it. Be completely honest with your trustee and attorney, don't be tempted to try something sneaky.

In the end, it is worth the sacrifice to get some semblance of a fresh start.

[makeupho]

remind yourself that "this too shall pass". yes, it IS difficult, but you can get through it. pare down everything and accept that you won't be taking expensive vacations or buying your dream car for a few years. i kept a spreadsheet throughout our whole plan that detailed what bills we would pay from week to week, prioritizing around the trustee payment that had to be done before the 20th.
keep communication open between yourself and your attorney. we had a couple of emergency home repairs that came up during our plan. we called him and he arranged for us to skip that month's payment, extending our plan by a month.

[dmc-2008]

Thank you for coming back and helping us out with your advice. Congrats!

[okteacher]

I completed my Chap 13, May 2012. I think the #1 thing that helped me was having payroll deduction! I paid nearly $1500 a month and am paid twice monthly. My payments were split and deducted before I even had my paycheck, it helped me tremendously.