Today was a momentous day. It was the day hubby and I went to the bankruptcy attorney and finalized our paperwork. We signed the Big B papers to be submitted to the court. Last night we did the pre-bankruptcy credit counselling online and went ahead and paid for the post-bankruptcy class we have to take after we are notified by the attorney that the paperwork is filed. He said to look for the letter in about a week.
We woke up to snow and ice, with snow falling with big flakes. We had to be at the attorney's at 9am so hubby shoveled the walk and scraped the car while I made sure we have all the necessary documents they needed. The drive was a little scary, even though the plows and sand trucks have been through, the continuation of snow coming down didn't help the roads any. Hubby doesn't leave the same amount of space between us and other cars that I do and when it comes to weather like this, I drive like a little old lady from Pasadena!
The good news at the attorney's was we over paid them and they gave us $40 back. Yeah! My plan was for hubby and I to go out to lunch to discuss the new changes in our budget and, not celebrate, but to reflect on how we got to the Big B and how to make sure we don't ever end back up in this place. We want to live debt free and we still have a loan for $10,000 to my parents. So we are going to figure out a payment plan and figure out how long it will take us to get there. In the mean time we are going to figure out some things we need to do, like save up for another car in 3 or 4 years, save up for a fun vacation, and save up to buy paint for the inside of the house.
Talked to the dentist today and found out that that they haven't gotten the crown pre-approved yet but said they would get right on that. I told them I would be able to make a payment the first part of February and she told me that was fine. After I make the payment then I can come in for my crown. They will allow me to keep making payments and get my crown without having to pay for it in full before it is installed.
Even though hubby's diverticulitis was still acting up, he didn't take his antibiotic on an empty stomach after doing it yesterday. It really tore his tummy up. So today I got him to eat a natural peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It helped. The pills still bothered him but didn't take him down like it did the day before. We watched the news updates on the tv but his school he works at was still open and not likely to close early. He had taken half a day off because we had the attorney appointment and because he still wasn't up to working. He went into work at 3pm and worked until 930pm.
I stayed home and crocheted a little, played on the computer and read my Living on a Dime newsletter. I took the dogs out so they could play in the snow for a little while and I stayed inside nice and cosy.
I am not overjoyed about filling the Big B, but I am relieved. It does feel like (quite literally) a huge weight/debt is lifted off of us. I want to run through the streets and jump for joy, crying "I'm FREE!". We have worked so hard for the last several years to try and meet all our financial obligations but made mistakes and over extended ourselves. Believe it or not, credit cards were only about half of our debt, but there was medical bills, a consolidation loan, a balance on a re-poed vehicle, and other little bills. It just got to be so much. By the time we went to Consumer Credit Counseling, it was too late and we had to make too much more a month. They are the ones who told us that bankruptcy was our only option. That's hard to hear. After this is over, I am looking forward to starting a savings account.
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