After you filed BK, did you notice

[dspii]

I posted this 4 years ago and after being reminded that BK is just a traumatizing and serious today as it was when I filed, I thought I would share once again, it's true and funny.........

After filing BK......

Going to the mailbox is fun again.

You can design awesome "Mobiles" out of all those useless credit cards as a reminder of what was.

Your not filling 2 garbage bags a week with all that junk mail and paying for the disposal.

Your wallet got much thinner and your back does hurt as much from carrying the plastic around.

The phone doesn't ring...unless it's someone you want to talk to.

Even though they shut off your online access to your accounts...they still fill your inbox with junk email...that includes the cute comment "To opt-out of these emails, just log on to your account...???

Although dirty and over 80% of it has traces of cocaine on it...paper money actually feels pretty good.

You now have time for the important things in life...you and your family...since doing bills now takes minutes and not days.

Aside from the fears of the BK process, you actually feel pretty good, life is beginning to be enjoyable.

You really don't need to argue about money...it's now obvious you don't have any, you need to strategize your budget (include savings), live by it, wait a few months and look at the rewards.

Did you ever notice that after you file BK.....the incredibly overbearing weight you carried around for years is finally lifted...you now have a chance for a "Fresh Start", use it wisely, remember we only get one life to live...how will you decide to live?


I just thought this forum could use some humor (and fact) from the BK process. It is a serious decision, as I read about all the tragic events and the stress that it puts on everyone close to us. It is important for all of us to realize we have been give the opportunity for a "Fresh Start"...use it

[LadyInTheRed]

Nice post!

For me, BK was not at all traumatizing. It was the stress of my financial house of cards being ready to collapse before discovering that BK was the solution that was traumatizing.

Right now I have lots of junk mail and when my phone rings, I probably don't want to talk to the caller. But, it's not bill collectors. It's campaigners! That won't be an issue in 4 days.

[avengers]

Dave Ramsey famously writes in his book that bankruptcy is stressful. He's wrong. It's being unable to pay bills that is stressful. The actual bankruptcy process itself is not that bad if you hire an attorney. An initial stress rush as you get documents to the attorney. Another one as the trustee requests documents. But after that, it's just waiting for the discharge.

[switch625]

Dave Ramsey famously writes in his book that bankruptcy is stressful. He's wrong. It's being unable to pay bills that is stressful. The actual bankruptcy process itself is not that bad if you hire an attorney. An initial stress rush as you get documents to the attorney. Another one as the trustee requests documents. But after that, it's just waiting for the discharge.

My life is much less stressful post-petition than pre-petition. The bankruptcy world could use it's own Dave Ramsey type of guru to tout it's benefits, dispel the myths and stigmas surrounding BK and develop some strategy to help people file effective 7 and especially 13 petitions. I was hoping that person would be Elizabeth Warren, but she seems focused on tackling student loan debt (and not in a way tied to the BK code, to my understanding) among other things.

[jmac]

I was really nervous in the start of the process, having someone control everything you do for 5 years with the chance of it ending at anytime sucks period, i got all the structure i needed when i was a child lol having someone tell me how much money i can live on sucks. I have been lucky with having a job that the pay can differ from time to time making things easier with a grown up child who is independent, but when i read about these families struggling just to eat or kids not having much its kind of sad and breaks my heart. Being able to sleep at night and knowing there is a end to all of it is a relief for sure, but your never out of the woods until its over.

[sophieanne]

I really enjoyed your post...it was so funny, yet so true..i'm going to get to work on making that credit card mobile..i have about 25 useless cards that will look good hanging from the ceiling.

[LadyInTheRed]

I was really nervous in the start of the process, having someone control everything you do for 5 years with the chance of it ending at anytime sucks period, i got all the structure i needed when i was a child lol having someone tell me how much money i can live on sucks.

But, jmac, didn't you find that in reality once your plan is confirmed there is nobody controlling your finances during a Chap 13 but you?

[jmac]

But, jmac, didn't you find that in reality once your plan is confirmed there is nobody controlling your finances during a Chap 13 but you?

Yes this is true, I have learned quite a few lessons from all this and hopefully will never go down this road again, to everyone just starting out it will all work out just fine and as dspii mentions try to find a little humor in all of it.

[dspii]

I'm 5 years post BK and I can assure everyone that financially....everything will work out just fine. The reality is......

Our credit scores will never be prominently displayed on our headstones.......so who cares......it doesn't define the person

Living life is a lesson learned

Being human is our job, being perfect at everything is impossible

Dave Ramsey makes money, lots of money, selling books, lectures and providing financial advice..........so do others, I'm fairly confident that even if I were a disciple of the financial advisors, I would still have filed..........

It's always about money, no matter what one says, the goal is to remove from the pockets of others to enrich thyself........