"Life after bankruptcy" resources?

[wednesday]

I was looking around at books and such with financial advice...it seems they are targeted either to people with lots of $$ to invest, or they are targeted to people getting out of debt. Our debt will be discharged through BK 7 but we will not suddenly be making investments, you know? We will still be on a very tight, frugal budget...we still will be going paycheck to paycheck. I just wondered if there is a resource on how we should approach our finances after the BK. Some days it seems as simple as "don't spend money"...and other days, well, you need new tires for the car, and your kid doesn't have a coat that fits, etc...so it seems harder.

[J Armstr]

I heard that "Credit after Bankruptcy" and "Do you make these 38 Mistakes with your credit..." by Stephan Snyder are good books.

[shygal]

Both of these books are excellent !!

[Kim21]

Another Stephen Snyder...

I bought both of those books, plus his new manual " Improve your credit scores, improve your lifestyle.) It was pretty pricey- $150 but I found it very helpful and straightforward, plus up-to-date.

Another thing I have found helpful is reconciling my budget with what I actually spend, much like balancing a checkbook. For example, my budget says I spent $60/month on gas....but until I actually totalled up the receipts in Excel, I didn't honestly know. Monthly reconciling keeps you honest with yourself...just like living in a small space and having guests over

There are other money problems out there, but Excel works for me.

[GoingUnderInNV]

There are other money problems out there, but Excel works for me.

Quicken is a great option for examining your expenses and creating a budget, however, actually taking the time to create a comprehensive spreadsheet with all the monthly numbers plugged in (I use high expenses rather than an average or most recent, for example my gas bill during winter vs summer) is a great tool.

[Minnymouth]

Check in the "After Discharge" section of the Forum and you will find helpfull hints on how to prevent bankruptcy again and how to adjust to the changes in your lifestyle.....