Bankruptcy Attorney: Beginning Of Financial Recovery

You may think that hiring a bankruptcy attorney is the first step to clearing your debts and enjoying your income again. However, there is a long road to financial recovery that will take many years for you to overcome. Your bankruptcy attorney can help set you on the proper path, but it is up to you to learn how to handle your finances more responsibly. There are many things you can do to ensure a more secure future.

Stop Charging

This might be one of the hardest things to do, but you should destroy all of your credit cards. Many people try to tell themselves that they need at least one for emergencies. If you can’t bear to be without them, keep one and have the limit lowered to something very small that you could easily pay off in a few weeks of saving. There simply is nothing that you need at this point if you can’t afford to pay for it with cash. Any bankruptcy attorney will tell you that it is important to rebuild your credit score, so having a debit card that works like a credit card can be useful as long as you carefully log your expenditures so you don’t go overboard. Initially, it is best to use cash for everything to help you really connect with your new budget and understand the value of money.

Pay Off Your Existing Debts

Your bankruptcy attorney won’t be able to dismiss every penny you owe, and to do so might destroy your credit even further. It is important to make a payment plan and come up with solutions rather than just ignoring outstanding debts and spiraling into the same problems again. Make becoming debt-free your priority again. This means you might have to make some sacrifices and delay some forms of gratification. It doesn’t mean that you can’t reward yourself. Look for free or inexpensive ways to give yourself motivation as you stick to your budget. Whether it be taking a few hours to yourself to do whatever it is you like (cash-free, of course) or cooking yourself your favorite meal. Rewarding yourself can help the process move along faster.

Make Extra Cash

Perhaps someone in the family can start working a few extra hours a week. There are freelancing opportunities that can be done at home in your spare time. Or maybe you can just have a garage sale and clear out some items you no longer need or use anymore. It might seem like chump change, but these little drops will quickly fill up your bucket and soon you’ll have a small savings fund again.

Listen to your bankruptcy attorney, they have more experience. They have witnessed the rich fall into poverty and families lose everything. A skilled bankruptcy attorney will not only try to dismiss debts for you and protect your assets, but will help you reorganize your financial priorities so you can start your life over.