Hey all-I've been kind of lurking around here for a while as there hasn't been much to report. We defaulted back in January and haven't used cards since-no big purchases for a long period of time before that-we had been using the cards for a couple of years just to buy food, gas, and other basic needs. My wife was finally laid off and is now on unemployment so by September/October our six month lookback will have fallen below the median. GV kept the calls under control pretty well but one collector did contact my parents yesterday, prompting us to retain the attorney we had consulted with shortly after defaulting. We got into this mess on our own and will get out of it on our own and I won't have my family harassed (or be pressured by said harassment) by the collectors. I can't thank the many members of this site enough for all of the advice and information that allowed me to get to this point. Before finding this place I looked at BK as "the end." Now I look forward to it as a new beginning. It won't be easy, but we have a few things going for us. Our home is underwater, which takes away the worry of losing it in the BK, but luckily it's not underwater by much (tens of thousands as opposed to hundreds), so we'll "stay and pay" and wait out the bad real estate market. We have no reason to move really. I have a steady job with good benefits, and my wife has gone back to school to get a certification which will hopefully help her find a new job. We will still have student loans, a mortgage, and a (reasonable) car payment to pay but it will be doable. I look at it this way-once we have our discharge in hand, we'll still be in a hole. The difference will be that there will be no one standing at the top throwing dirt on us anymore-we'll be able to slowly climb out. Thank you all and I will keep you posted once our 341 is scheduled, etc... I'm mailing the retainer tomorrow-can't wait to pick up the first collection call I get after that to give them the news 
sammie
Discharged 11/04/2014 
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