Hello all,
This is my first time posting, although I have been reading several times a day for at least the last year. I first want to say that this is the greatest source of wealth for anyone who has reached the end of their financial rope, and doesn't know where to turn for advice, since you are pretty much too ashamed to tell anyone about the mess you have gotten yourself into.
By the time I found this forum I had already tried everything I could think of to get myself out of debt, including borrowing money from a lifelong friend, and finally signing up with a debt settlement company. After paying them almost $1500.00, I still wound up getting sued by Discover, so I figured out that that could have happened without their help, and I told them I no longer needed their services (such as they were).
When I recieved the summons that I was being sued I knew I had to do something, so I printed off an answer to summons form, and went to the courthouse, and filed it requesting proof of the debt. I knew I owed it, but was trying to buy time. In the meantime I went to see an attorney, who informed me that I would have to file chapter 13. But since I had 9 other credit cards that I had not been paying on, and were probably going to sue me too, I figured cahpter 13 was a much better alternative. I probably would have filed right then, but the lawyer said I could just wait a while and see what happened. So. since my husband knew nothing about the extent of my credit card debt, I decided to wait.
The next summons from the court for a hearing on my answer to the original summons was received by my husband, while I was at work. That is when I had to come clean with him about everything, and things were really shaky for a while, but in a funny way, I'm glad it happened that way, as I don't know that I would have had the courage to tell him. I didn't know what I was going to do. Anyways since I didn't really have any defense to the discover bill, I printed off a petition for installment payments, and went back down to the courthouse, and filed it, thus buying myself more time. I went to the hearing by myself, and told the judge I could pay $200 a month, discover wanted me to pay $500 a month. The judge was very nice, and could tell I was very nervous, and set the payments at $250 a month, so I have been paying that since last August.
In the meantime Chase had taken one of my accounts to arbitration, and gotten a judgement, well I hadn't heard anything from them, and then I recieved another summons, that I was being sued by them, so I decided it was time to file. So I call the attorney I had talked to before, and he tells me, that the other attorney who was in his office is no longer working there, so he can not take any more cases at this time! GREAT!!! So I ask if he can recommend someone, and he gives me a name, that sounds familiar to me. I had seen this name when looking for an attorney, but had heard they were expensive so didn't go there. I call and get an appointment the next day.
I LOVE HIM!!!!! It turns out this attorney used to work with me probably close to 20 years ago at the place where I am still employed. I told him I wanted to file a chapter 13, he went over my paystubs and my husbands and said "why do you want to file a chapter 13?" I said well that is what the other attorney said I would have to file, and he says we were only a couple thousand over the medien income, and the amount we were over was about what I had made at my partime job bartending trying to make a little extra money. So I say "I can quit!" So now I am just waiting to drop below the medien, so I can file. I had an appointment today, and it looks like I will be able to file chapter 7 after July 1st! Also from reading this forum I found out about tenants by entireity, which since the debt is all mine, the creditors couldn't take any of the excess equity in our house. I asked my attorney about this, and he said it is true. That was the one thing I was really worried about because we have at least 20,000 more equity than the allowable exemptions on property. I know I have a long way to go, but I am feeling so much better, and much less suicidal.
I just wanted to post, and say THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO POST ON THIS EXCELLANT SITE FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO, OR WHAT TO DO! YOU ARE ALL ANGELS!!!!!!!!
Kathy
This is my first time posting, although I have been reading several times a day for at least the last year. I first want to say that this is the greatest source of wealth for anyone who has reached the end of their financial rope, and doesn't know where to turn for advice, since you are pretty much too ashamed to tell anyone about the mess you have gotten yourself into.
By the time I found this forum I had already tried everything I could think of to get myself out of debt, including borrowing money from a lifelong friend, and finally signing up with a debt settlement company. After paying them almost $1500.00, I still wound up getting sued by Discover, so I figured out that that could have happened without their help, and I told them I no longer needed their services (such as they were).
When I recieved the summons that I was being sued I knew I had to do something, so I printed off an answer to summons form, and went to the courthouse, and filed it requesting proof of the debt. I knew I owed it, but was trying to buy time. In the meantime I went to see an attorney, who informed me that I would have to file chapter 13. But since I had 9 other credit cards that I had not been paying on, and were probably going to sue me too, I figured cahpter 13 was a much better alternative. I probably would have filed right then, but the lawyer said I could just wait a while and see what happened. So. since my husband knew nothing about the extent of my credit card debt, I decided to wait.
The next summons from the court for a hearing on my answer to the original summons was received by my husband, while I was at work. That is when I had to come clean with him about everything, and things were really shaky for a while, but in a funny way, I'm glad it happened that way, as I don't know that I would have had the courage to tell him. I didn't know what I was going to do. Anyways since I didn't really have any defense to the discover bill, I printed off a petition for installment payments, and went back down to the courthouse, and filed it, thus buying myself more time. I went to the hearing by myself, and told the judge I could pay $200 a month, discover wanted me to pay $500 a month. The judge was very nice, and could tell I was very nervous, and set the payments at $250 a month, so I have been paying that since last August.
In the meantime Chase had taken one of my accounts to arbitration, and gotten a judgement, well I hadn't heard anything from them, and then I recieved another summons, that I was being sued by them, so I decided it was time to file. So I call the attorney I had talked to before, and he tells me, that the other attorney who was in his office is no longer working there, so he can not take any more cases at this time! GREAT!!! So I ask if he can recommend someone, and he gives me a name, that sounds familiar to me. I had seen this name when looking for an attorney, but had heard they were expensive so didn't go there. I call and get an appointment the next day.
I LOVE HIM!!!!! It turns out this attorney used to work with me probably close to 20 years ago at the place where I am still employed. I told him I wanted to file a chapter 13, he went over my paystubs and my husbands and said "why do you want to file a chapter 13?" I said well that is what the other attorney said I would have to file, and he says we were only a couple thousand over the medien income, and the amount we were over was about what I had made at my partime job bartending trying to make a little extra money. So I say "I can quit!" So now I am just waiting to drop below the medien, so I can file. I had an appointment today, and it looks like I will be able to file chapter 7 after July 1st! Also from reading this forum I found out about tenants by entireity, which since the debt is all mine, the creditors couldn't take any of the excess equity in our house. I asked my attorney about this, and he said it is true. That was the one thing I was really worried about because we have at least 20,000 more equity than the allowable exemptions on property. I know I have a long way to go, but I am feeling so much better, and much less suicidal.
I just wanted to post, and say THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO POST ON THIS EXCELLANT SITE FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO, OR WHAT TO DO! YOU ARE ALL ANGELS!!!!!!!!
Kathy
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