Just thought I would share my story.
I filed on 12/3/07.
Prior to this, we were receiving calls daily about things that we were behind on. We would get statements daily in the mail of things we either owed or were behind on. Family holidays (usually held at our house) were stressful because you didn't know if you would get that embarrasing call from a creditor.
We also had severe cash problems. We would not manage our money and payments correctly (that's how we get in this mess, right?) and would often be left with little or no money until payday. Often times we would have to "float" a check until payday that was 1 or 2 days away for groceries. Mostly this was due to the fact we could not afford to make our payments AND afford a reasonable standard of living. We felt extremely guilty that we couldn't make some payments and would, more often than not, sacrifice necessities to pay a bill. We were always tight and frugile with our money. We might have a dinner out as a family twice a month. 6 if you include fast food.
After filing, we put ourselves on a strict budget. Now we are doing much better with spending what we should on everything. We know exactly what we can spend and actually have more opportunities to spend extra.
We never get any phone calls now except from family. I don't even look at the caller ID anymore to see who is calling before I answer. The only time I don't answer the phone is when I can't get to it before it stops ringing.
The mailbox has also had a dramatic drop in quantity. We only receive junk most days. We still receive car, house and utility bills but that's it.
I have so little stress these days that I'm like a different person!
Now I just have to stick to my budget and get through the 5 years of payments and all will be golden. I know it's hard, and I know few are able to stick to it. I hope to be one of the few.
I filed on 12/3/07.
Prior to this, we were receiving calls daily about things that we were behind on. We would get statements daily in the mail of things we either owed or were behind on. Family holidays (usually held at our house) were stressful because you didn't know if you would get that embarrasing call from a creditor.
We also had severe cash problems. We would not manage our money and payments correctly (that's how we get in this mess, right?) and would often be left with little or no money until payday. Often times we would have to "float" a check until payday that was 1 or 2 days away for groceries. Mostly this was due to the fact we could not afford to make our payments AND afford a reasonable standard of living. We felt extremely guilty that we couldn't make some payments and would, more often than not, sacrifice necessities to pay a bill. We were always tight and frugile with our money. We might have a dinner out as a family twice a month. 6 if you include fast food.
After filing, we put ourselves on a strict budget. Now we are doing much better with spending what we should on everything. We know exactly what we can spend and actually have more opportunities to spend extra.
We never get any phone calls now except from family. I don't even look at the caller ID anymore to see who is calling before I answer. The only time I don't answer the phone is when I can't get to it before it stops ringing.
The mailbox has also had a dramatic drop in quantity. We only receive junk most days. We still receive car, house and utility bills but that's it.
I have so little stress these days that I'm like a different person!
Now I just have to stick to my budget and get through the 5 years of payments and all will be golden. I know it's hard, and I know few are able to stick to it. I hope to be one of the few.
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