Am I the only one ...

[chpxiii]

... to have had an "easy" chapter 13? I read many posts on here saying how much of a "tough time" it is to live life without credit.

I GLADLY gave it up. My chapter 13 was easy, even when I did lose my job and was subsequently laid off another time.

But all these posts I see how "tough" or how "hard" it is to live life without credit really do baffle me.

Am I just weird? Or is it that I've learned to live without lots of *stuff?*

[Minnymouth]

You can "pat yourself on the back" because you are one of THOSE that learned to accept, adapt, and change their lifestyle to fit the Chapter 13....... You have learned the difference between NEED and WANT.................

Some its very hard to live without the "plastic"..... they are so used to it being a part of their daily lives. Real money (the green stuff) slips thru their fingers and is gone before they realize it and they don't know where it went......

Some people "budget" means spending money..... not bill paying money.... Some don't even know what a "budget" is..........or even know how to do one.

What makes it really hard to a lot of people is THEY HAVE NEVER HAD TO LIVE ON A BUDGET BEFORE..... that is the "killer of it all"....... trying to adapt to doing without the things they like, enjoy, or are used to having and doing temporarily.

Don't get me wrong Chapter 7's are hard also, especially when you loose your home, etc...... it's earth shaking and devastating to the minds, soul, and emotions....

Bankruptcy can be a form of "great relief" and it can also be a "Killer of the soul"...... BUT NOBODY SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE EASY.....

[$$only4ever]

... to have had an "easy" chapter 13? I read many posts on here saying how much of a "tough time" it is to live life without credit.

I GLADLY gave it up. My chapter 13 was easy, even when I did lose my job and was subsequently laid off another time.

But all these posts I see how "tough" or how "hard" it is to live life without credit really do baffle me.

Am I just weird? Or is it that I've learned to live without lots of *stuff?*

I have thought the same thing. So far, I really have not had to struggle. However, with that being said. I have a budget that I stick to and I can't go out and buy anything I want when I want.

[Granny]

I wouldn't say it it's been a struggle, but there have been times it was a little tough. Just about everything that could have broken down in the past year has...all repairable but still expenses that I would have preferred to have been a little further down the Ch 13 road instead of in the first year. Hopefully, this won't continue.

I'll be glad when Christmas is over though because we always seem to have more expenses from Aug through December. In the past Jan-April meant reduced income, but since hubby gave up his trucking business and got a REAL job, our income won't drop so I anticipate for the first time in 20 something years to actually be able to pay the bills and maybe put some aside.

[qwertysue]

We're having an easy time so far. We rent, so the major oopsies that could happen would be auto and refrigerator. No major house expenses to worry about. We do have a rainy day fund set up for any major issues--including 2 months worth of trustee payments just in case. The rainy day fund is made up of budgeted car maintenance money and grocery funds that we ended up underbudget for with shopping.

We'd been at the limit of our cards prior to filing, so it's not like we lost access to potential money and had been doing cash only for about 10 months prior to filing. Once we realized we'd be filing we started the envelope system and made a budget that was stricter than what was approved.

The bills that we do pay are paid immediately upon receiving notification (cell phone gets paid the day we get the bill online, so does the electricity, cable and other bills).

Our wants and needs are clearly defined. If we *want*, well we *want* a little longer--we save and make cuts to buy what we want outright.

Life right now is soooooooooo much better than it was 12-18 months ago--and a ton of that credit goes to our attorney.

[buckaroo]

have lived with it for 20 months, its tough but managable but doe not leave any room for the unexpected for example need dental work done to the tune of over a grand and barely squeeze by monthly with nothing left at end of month, does not give any room for the unexpected expenses such as medical and dental

[FreshLikeADaisy]

I was pretty much a cash-only kinda girl prior to my finances going soth anyway, so I don't miss it one way or another.

The only thing I miss -- and I ***really*** miss it -- is a gas card. Paying cash for gas, going back out and pumping it, then going back in to get change, is a pain in the keister. I llike to fill my tank each time because I use the trip set (older vehicle and gas gauge is unreliable) so two trips in is somewhat unavoidable.

[nazstar]

I guess it's a personality thing. We haven't filed yet, but we've been living on cash for a few months now. It's not fun and there are plenty of times that I go without because when I think about it, it's a want and not a need. My husband has gotten a lot better but has a ways to go. For example, last night we went to SuperTarget to do our grocery shopping. I walked past the Starbucks in the front and he asked me why I wasn't stopping. I felt that $4.50 each for a cup of coffee was not needed and kept going. He went back and got us both one out of his spending money for the month. If that's the way he wants to spend it, then fine - but not me! I had to learn to keep my mouth shut about what he spends his free money on. We agreed to a budget and we agreed to an amount for pocket money. There's plenty to be stressed about without me criticizing him for spending his pocket cash. As long as he makes it last all month and doesn't come back to me for more - then I don't care if he wipes his butt with it.

[chpxiii]

I think that's it. Having a budget and keeping to it. I learned what my wants were vs. what my needs were. And in this time I have really pared down what my wants are. There isn't really anything that I want and I can easily pay for what I need. I grew up poor. Very poor. My mom had her only house foreclosed on and then we jumped from motel to shelter to motel and other varied and sundried places. So I guess I was just used to just not having anything.

Yes, I realize that Real Life does happen. I've had to have dental work done and I've had to save for it. While I was in Chapter 13 was when I got my first pair of glasses. A couple of hundred bucks. I had to save for that too before I could get them. I realize too that sometimes we *need* something *now* and have an emergency. I'm very very fortunate that when I've had an emergency I've had a few bucks saved up. So yes, it is easy for me to say it was (relatively) easy to pay my chapter 13 payments. But it wasn't always that way. The first two and a half years I barely had money left over.

FLAD, what about a check card that works like a credit card, but it's not? I have had check cards with the VISA and Mastercard logo (my most recent one being the Mastercard) to use when I want to use "credit." I use it to pay for gas and I never have to go inside to pay. It's still cash - because it's debited directly from my checking account, but with some conveniences of paying by "plastic." Or is it that you're really doing the real cold hard cash thing where if it's not in your hand you don't have it?

nazstar, when I first put myself on a budget, I gave myself a $50 / wk "allowance" to do with what I want. I'd do things like pass up the starbucks, or decide not to eat out for lunch that day even though I was "allowed" to and it was within my budget. I found myself saving even some of my *allowance* for other things. And as for "his" money and "her" money, that's why my boyfriend and I keep our own money.

[One Half Full]

I'm a newbee here-- haven't filed yet. Thursday is my lawyers appointment. I am intrested in the idea of living without a credit card. My problem was never buying "stuff" with credit. It was when I had no more of my "normal" paycheck for necessary purchases (non-fun food, the heating bill). The bills that totally screwed me up were "yearly" or twice-Yearly bills like Trash, Auto license tax, dog licenses and shots. Every time I thought I'd saved a few hundred dollars all of a sudden something needed to be done to the car, or there was one of these Hidden "taxes" to pay. I never had the money, so I used my credit card. And of course unexpected dentist and doctor bills too. And repairs on stuff-- just normal wear and tear issues. I simply did not need enough to live.

I can suggest putting money in a credit union account possibly right out of your paycheck. Also pay bills using a bearer only instrument like money orders. Money orders can be "stored" for up to 3 years before service charges set in. They are actually good for saving if they are not destroyed. A safe deposit box only costs about 35 $ per year here. Gift cards may be good also if you intend to spend the full amount on the purchase (so if you want a computer from wal-mart, you can put 20$ per month on the card till you have the full amount.) Some grocery stores have value added gift cards. I also thought most of those gas pumps also took cash. Am I wrong?

[nazstar]

nazstar, when I first put myself on a budget, I gave myself a $50 / wk "allowance" to do with what I want. I'd do things like pass up the starbucks, or decide not to eat out for lunch that day even though I was "allowed" to and it was within my budget. I found myself saving even some of my *allowance* for other things. And as for "his" money and "her" money, that's why my boyfriend and I keep our own money.

EXACTLY! Like today I brought in my lunch even though I have the cash to buy lunch. Hubby is using his spending money to buy more Christmas gifts and I keep telling him, "you don't need to do that. I didn't get a bunch of stuff for you, so don't be disappointed...". I was going to pick up a few cheap stocking stuffers for him, but nothing more over what I already got him (a bottle of his favorite cologne that he's been out of for a month). I figure our 1 year wedding anniversary is coming up and I wanted to get him a little something for that so I'll save and be able to give him a gift then.

[FreshLikeADaisy]

FLAD, what about a check card that works like a credit card, but it's not? I have had check cards with the VISA and Mastercard logo (my most recent one being the Mastercard) to use when I want to use "credit." I use it to pay for gas and I never have to go inside to pay. It's still cash - because it's debited directly from my checking account, but with some conveniences of paying by "plastic." Or is it that you're really doing the real cold hard cash thing where if it's not in your hand you don't have it?

Yeah, for whatever reason when I first opened my bank account I declined on the check card, and now I find that if I want one they check your credit even if your account history is perfect. (This particular credit union pulled a hard bureau on me last year when I deposited a $100 check into a nearly empty account and discovered I had no regular (read: pay) deposits. These folks are *intense*.) So my thoughts were, because my credit is already so screwed, I would wait til after bk for that and just suck it up in the meantime.

It's not the "cold hard cash or I don't get it" thing, though I commend that heartily. For whatever reason, I have always been terrified of debt and so I absolutely avoided it as much as possible all along, even when I had perfect credit; I just paid it off every month. At payday I'd withdraw some cash and that would be my spending money. I've lived like that all of my adult life, so all in all the cash only thing doesn't bother me. But I heartily commend the people that are trying that now for the first time: it's a complete paradigm change, and it takes a lot of attention and effort for a while. It's a friggin money diet!

[nazstar]

About 10 years ago, I had no real credit to speak of and paid for everything in cash. Then my career took off, I got raises, bonus, lines of credit, fancier lifestyle, etc. With each promotion, I "needed" better clothes to meet with more senior people and it kinda spiraled out of control. I mean, I was spending over $1000 a month at Ann Taylor! Granted, at the time, that was all disposable income - no debt, had a cushy 401K and savings. Now, I laugh because I still have the same high level job but I am expecting a baby in June. My regular clothes aren't fitting anymore and I'm wearing the same 4 dresses each week with a different sweater! LOL! My, how times have changed.