I think I'm having second thoughts already.

[AidanK]

I have already retained an attorney and I will have my 2nd major meeting with her on Thursday to complete and go over my portion of the paperwork and turn in tax forms, bank statements, etc. I KNOW that I need to file and I really don't anticipate any major snags as I am below the mean and have no assets to speak of except for a 1999 car that I bought for cash a couple of years ago but I can't shake my doubts.

Did any of you have a feeling of dread going into the process of filing? I know it's not an easy process and it will leave me in a far better position going forward.

[discouraged]

Of course! It's a major step. I wonder and worry and second-think myself daily. THEN I read the comments on this forum from folks who have been discharged and I know I am doing the right thing. I want to be there - I want this nightmare I am living to be over and I want to be free of this underwater house and get on with life.

Keep reading and you will get encouraged.

[AidanK]

Thanks discouraged! I am reading a LOT here and I'm so glad that I found this forum. I'll try to keep everyone updated as I move through the process.

[discombob1]

I felt the same way. I actually filed much later than I should have since I kept hoping something would save me. I finally filed when I had absolutely no other options and a frozen bank account. Now, looking back I realize it was the best thing for me. I now have my fresh start and can honestly say I should have done it sooner. The process wasn't easy but I got through it with the help of others on this board. Yes, it was a business decision but it gave me the ability to move on with my life. In many ways it was a gift and I suspect will be for you too.

[helpme2010]

My biggest fears were having the bk on my record when trying to get a job (thinking that would really hurt my job hunting process) and losing my house in the chapter 7. Once I came to grips with a chapter 7 being a smart business decision and necessary to get out of this mess and move forward, it was 100% forward with no doubts or regrets. Once you decide, go 100% forward and don't look back.

[Jacey]

If you're sure you need to file, then just get it over with and try to put the worrying behind you. I agonized over the decision for a few months, and the answer was obvious given my financial state. If you aren't sure you need to file, then you need to figure that out. Good luck, and I feel your pain!

[daylate]

Ditto what everyone else said. Take the emotion out of it and look at it as a business decision. Once you do that you feel like Morgan Stanley defaulting on a 650 million loan because the property didn't quite live up to expectations. Read through everyone's stories on here and you'll know you aren't alone. Good luck.

[Panacea]

I was petrified before and during!! After the 341, I felt a little better but still scared and unsure. Many times I thought the feeling of being in debt and buried with bills I couldn't pay was the "better" feeling then the feeling of being in bankruptcy. I don't really mean "better" feeling, just a feeling of dread I was used to, as opposed to this new feeling of dread of the bankruptcy (if that makes sense!). The crushing debt feeling was the norm over the past few years so I was used to it, but the bankrupt feeling was a new "awful" feeling and I didn't know how to process it.

Now, discharged less than a month ago, I can tell you that it was the best thing I ever did for myself, and I too, as others, only have one regret about the BK.....I wish I would've done it sooner. Fear of the unknown and hoping for a miracle kept me waiting alot longer then I should've.

[AidanK]

Thanks!!

I can totally understand about the feelings. I know and understand the terrible feeling of being in debt and of dreading phone calls and the mail -- BUT is is a familiar feeling. Bankruptcy is another story, a new fear to face but I'm ready for my paperwork meeting with my lawyer on Thursday morning. Thanks for all of the encouragement!!

[oregonpilot]

Ohhhh AK....i wouldn't even know where to start. LOL
I had every doubt, fear, feeling of failure, my life is over, ALL that stuff.
I'm 3 months past Discharge & close and i can breath and life is sooooo much better. Not a "FUN" thing to go thru but i have not regretted it for a moment....in the last 4 months.

Good luck and it's going to be OK ----cuz this gramma said so!!

[JvilleGarden]

This is a decision that I still second (and third, and forth) guess myself on. The truth is, we really had no choice, but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow. We have filed, and gone through the 341 meeting, and now are just waiting for everything to be settled (cars to be collected, and the foreclosure to be done on our house). We are now starting to transition our thoughts into a rebuilding technology, and to use credit as a tool and not a crutch. We are saving as much money as we can, and preparing to save for our down payment for our next house, and preparing on living in a rental until the time is right. It has been an adjustment, but I'm glad we're almost done.

[Clabbergirl]

Very helpful words, discombob1. I was deep in denial and hoping for a miracle.

[discouraged]

Me too Clabbergirl. I kept hoping I would win the lottery on the $1 a week I spent LOL. But, alas, it never happened.

[mom2crazies]

I have second guessed many times. But, the fact of the matter is that we also do not have a choice. We were sued for 53K by our second mortgage, they won the default judgment and if we didn't file, we would begin to be garnished, etc.

It has been very frustrating for me to file. I have had a lot of questions and hate all of the issues that can come up, but our case is A LOT more complicated. However, the good thing about bankruptcy is that eventually it does come to an end. Even in a chapter 13, you know what you will be committed to on a payment plan. When you are dealing with creditors, you are constantly looking over your shoulder, etc. At least you know that you are now protected by the courts.

I still feel guilty, but we did avoid it for 2 years and still paid our creditors up until this last month when we filed. I think once it is all over, it will be a relief.

I am using it as a very good learning experience, and plan on using it as a tool in order to make our financial future happier for all of us.

[BrokeinMD]

Terrified to file? Me? Uh....Yep! I sat out in the parking lot for an hour before my consult, shaking in my boots.

I filed 3 days post op after some laproscopic surgery, so I had some good meds on signing day (which I don't recommend if you're looking at numbers, but, thank goodness for Amendments).

But then, the calls stopped....the angry letters stopped....I began to need happy pills less....then, discharge, and the Happy Hampsters Dance!

If you have to do it, then hold your nose, and jump in....we'll be here with the life raft!