Three months, one week, one day....It is all Over...

[sbluesc]

After three months, one week and one day.....My Ch. 7 is officially all done.

I am discharged as of 1/27/10. My case is now close as of today, 2/4/10. As a result of my BK, I have lowered my car payment through redemption.

I am not a man who easily gets excited but I am very excited about being debt free. I know this is not the preferred way to become debt free. In fact I was in a DMP since Feb 08 until late Aug 08, when I decided to file (not all debts were included). I had filed on 10/27/09 and had my 341 meeting on 11/25/09.

Believe me, I had every intention to down pay my debts the regular way. However, I would have been struggling for the next five years or more. At 39 years old (as of May) I had decided it was not worth it and didn't want to carry my heavy debt load into my 40s.

I have one question for those of you who had experienced it. I am single, no kids. None of my family and friends are aware that I had filed for BK. None of them knew I had a tough time financial. I didn't want them to feel sorry for my or obligated to help out. I didn't want them involve. My question...Do you think I should informed them of my BK???? If so, at what point.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Those of you who had been discharged congratulations. Those of you awaiting discharge, hang in there and congratulations for getting this far.

[LimpDisc]

Congrats!!!

[hopefullori]

Congrats - to answer your question, no one in my family knows - I think personally it is one of those things you just keep to yourself - and in the end, you should be proud that you handled things with dignity.

Believe me, 6 years ago I had perfect credit and then my life turned upside down with a premature baby and then husband had stroke. Debt can happen to anyone and you should use this experience to start fresh -

That is why these boards are so wonderful, you can converse with people who know exactly what you are going through - and support you all the way!

[Violet]

Congratulations! I should get there by mid-May myself.

I guess telling other people is a personal call. Several of my relatives and friends have filed BK, and I asked for advice. They were very helpful and I hope to be helpful for others who are contemplating it. I probably would only mention it if someone seemed to be casting around for advice. I'm in the Detroit area, so it's sort of the common financial cold around here lately.

[silly50]

I know how you feel.....

I got my discharge today, & I fell on my knees & burst into tears. I'm a single woman, no kids. Just my sister & one close friend. They knew from the beginning cause I couldn't have gone thru it all by myself. The support they all gave me was beyond belief. Congrats to you!! Telling family & friends is a personal decision & you should go with your gut feelings.

[blackomega]

Congratulations!!!!

[meateater]

My situation is similar in that I'm about your age, single, no kids, filed without telling anyone (I didn't put much thought into not telling friends and family, I tend not to share things about myself, and certainly don't volunteer negative things).

Its been a few years, and I struggle with whether to tell folks about my BK before they find out on their own. For example, if a family member told me of a job opening where they worked, I'd be torn about applying for fear that my BK would come out, or would need to make excuses to my family member for not applying.

If you're in a position where letting family know is possible, think about doing it now so its not an issue in the future. I think about what I'm going to say when this comes out and wonder whether I'm making a mistake by waiting (I worry about being judged, and suffer from fear, posting on this board has been a start for me to think about how to address this issue). But if BK wasn't a public record, I'd be keeping it to myself.

Congrats on the discharge!

[BobMango]

I discussed filing with most of my family before actually making the decision. Most understood (18 months of unemployment will make a dent in anyone's savings), some didn't. Overall I prefer the direct and honest approach in most situations.

That being said it's really up to you what to disclose. Since I approached it from a pragmatic business decision, I didn't feel any shame, regrets? yes, I have a few.

Bottom line is that I'm the one living in my skin and I resolved early on not to let others get inside my head and mess me up. Tell or don't, but let it be because you are comfortable with the decision.

[sbluesc]

Thanks for all of your replies to my post. You all have very good points. Eventually, I would like to tell my family and close friends. I don't think I'm ready to do that just yet.

I have a family member who is also having financial difficulties. Unlike me, he has let our family know about it. I think he should file for BK also. I would like to share my experience with him because I think it could help. Of course, he would have to file Ch 13 because he makes slightly more money and he is just over the Ch 7 limit but that is another story.

I really do appreciate all of your replies and hope I can be a resource of information to you and others as well.

[liz417]

WhooooHoooo!!! Congrats on your fresh start!!!!