losing sleep over my mistakes

[allalone22]

Great! Keep it up!!
Not sure why you have to pay MORE than the judgment? maybe I missed something....
Do you have receipts to show how you spent all the money you won? If you go it alone, you may need some kind of proof so they don't think you are hiding your winnings.

Well, I bought a car (got receipt), I am sure my bank account will show numerous stupid fast food/restaurant/etc purchases, and a lot I just gambled away.

The reason I have to pay more for my judgment is because when I first got the judgment against me, it was for 3713. I was being charged 22% per annum as interest which turned that 3713 original judgment into a 13k dollar bill. As of now, I have paid close to 5500 with 7500 left remaining (plus, whatever interest is tacked on this year)

[DeadManCrawling]

APologies for not reading all the posts, but I wanted to say:

We ALL got to BK one way or another, and for many it was choices we would change, with hindsight.

I have been a member of this forum for years, and one of my best online friends was a fellow BK forum member who lost everything to a gambling addiction. He lost a well paying job with a solid career path, his entire family (divorce and custody), his home, cars, and his future (it seemed at the time).

I kept in touch with him for a couple years after his crash, and he not only recovered but became stronger than ever and rebuilt a BETTER life than the one he let his addiction destroy.

And his is one of many, many BK stories on these forums that were brought on by compulsive or impulsive behavior. Search for gambling, in the search box, and you will see that a large number of gamblers have been down this road, and have been members of the BK Forum. Their stories might help you in some fashion. Gambling, as an addiction, is recognized medically as significantly as other major addictions, like cocaine, heroin, and so on. You have a long road ahead, but you CAN do this, and you WILL do this. What other choices are there, really?

You are using BK as it was intended, to gain a fresh start, and I truly wish you the best as you work through this part of your life.

[allalone22]

thanks for the kind words. everyday is a step forward and I feel proud that I am able to control my urges and it also helps I am seeing the results of improvement.
I will keep researching bk, I don't want to file too early and ruin my chances, but at the same time I don't want to file too late and pay even more than I have to.

Are there any risk to filing early? or should I just wait until January like the one attorney said he would if I paid him 1500

[JessMN]

I waited a year to file because of some money paid to my mother - we didn't want the trustee to go after her for "insider payments". During that time I ended up with a judgment and a million phone calls a day and numerous threats to sue BUT I also was able to enroll in my work's legal insurance (15 bucks a month), and they covered the bk (I still had to pay the filing fee, but not the lawyers fee). I filed right before the judgment started garnishment, so it worked out.
I guess you just need to weigh your options and see if waiting a year is doable. your risks would have been different from mine. Definitely consult some lawyers and ask!

[sore looser]

We also had to wait to file BK...your lawyer will know what time frame and I would follow his advise..Our Trustee went back 6 months. I am sure your lawyer wants you too wait till your winnings fall off the radar.

[lorelei]

Just chiming in on the timing thing. I first talked about a possible bankruptcy with an attorney back in June 2010 (and, to be honest, a part of my problem was gambling). I figured I needed to wait to age out some income and try to get a more favorable Ch. 13 case. So I waited. And waited. And waited some more. And then in June 2011 I lost my job and waited six more months to get the most advantageous Ch. 7 filing possible.

I finally filed Monday, April 16, 2012.

That's 1 year and 10 months, give or take, from the day I rushed into an attorney's office thinking "I have to file RIGHT NOW."

I don't know your entire situation, so I can't say for sure, but I do know that the urgency that made me feel I had to file right away was something I created. I found it was entirely possible to delay and delay and delay for going on two years.

I know from where you're at, January seems like an eternity away, and I know you have complications like garnishments to contend with. I just wanted to say, whenever it is you get there, you are going to get there. It's OK.

[allalone22]

Hey everyone,

I am back and still on track with my recovery. Haven't had a negative month since my last post. Still hanging on barely, but making due and never been happier. I am in the finishing weeks of a real estate class to try and improve my ability to get a better paying job as my current job leaves me around 20 dollars a month savings from my bills i'm trying to keep up on. I have one credit card almost paid off and I am down to about 625 for both of them as a balance.

Still paying around 150 month in a garnishment for that outrageous bill (albeit my fault) for my repo'd car. After this year, I will have paid 7500 for a 3900 dollar bill and I am still ~6k away from the "judgement balance" Still planning for a January BK filing, but not sure if I should try to not file now. I am getting my credit reports in August to start planning and such. I am not sure exactly what is on them at this point.