Skippy and Nacho were looking at a new living room suite in the furniture store.
Nacho says to the salesman, “We really like it, but I don’t think we can afford it.”
The salesman says, “You just make a small down payment… then you don’t make another payment for six months.”
Skippy wheels around, hands on her hips, and says, “Who told you about us?”
Most people I meet with for the first time about their financial difficulty are so embarrassed it seems like they are walking on eggshells into my office. Part of my job is to set aside fears that a bankruptcy is the end of their world. On the contrary, coming to see me about a bankruptcy filing is a proactive step in making a positive change financially.
There is comfort in knowing what to say when creditors call (and stopping the calls altogether), knowing that you have a plan in place to get rid of old debts, and finally having money left over after bills are paid each month.
Sure, bankruptcy is just a start. After the bankruptcy is over, the hard work continues on maintaining a balanced budget for the household and making tough decisions on how the family’s money is spent (and NO, the bankruptcy court will not be watching you do this).
One key in achieving a fresh start is looking back on mistakes which got you in financial trouble. In my life, I’ve made some decisions which I am not proud of. If I had a time machine I would go back and do things differently. All I can do is laugh to keep from crying. Laughing about it helps me to remember the lessons I have learned. It helps to laugh – even when we are talking about bankruptcy.
