"Should I Take A Lower Paying Job While On Unemployment" Discussion
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763 Members Online · 5,543+ PostsProfessional Q&As for "Should I Take A Lower Paying Job While On Unemployment"
Upsolve Community Member
2021-12-27
Hey, my husband and I have officially decided on filing bankruptcy. At what point starting now do we stop paying our creditors?
Upsolve Community Member
2021-12-18
I am trying to get utilities on and owe a.good back amount on them. I am off work on medical and have been for 3yrs now and my husband is on SSI so the family income is very low. How long does it typically take before the power company can't deny us service
Community Replies:
Upsolve Community Member
It will depend on your state and the power company. Be sure to apply for LIHEAP (heating assistance) if you haven't already! The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a https://liheapch.acf.hhs.gov/Disconnect/disconnect.htm. Let us know if you have more questions.
Upsolve Community Member
Jacqueline shared an amazing resource- hope that helps you! You might also find it helpful to learn more about debt and finances generally, too
Upsolve Community Member
For example, this is a helpful article! https://upsolve.org/learn/illegal-debt-collection-practices/
Upsolve Community Member
2022-01-11
Here’s a post of encouragement for everyone. I finally had my 341 Meeting today. Its taken me 8 months from when I first admitted to myself this might be my only hope. The first four months I was ashamed to share and felt guilty. Shortly after I realized I’d be more ashamed if I held my new family back because of my past. Then I procrastinated. Power through the emotions. Feel them, acknowledge them then take another step in the right direction. Be sure to check your physical mail and don’t wait to get things in order. I paid a hefty shipping fee at usps to deliver my trustee packet the week before my meeting. You made it here, thats the hardest part. Now be truthful, trust your gut and file.
Community Replies:
Upsolve Community Member
I'm happy to read your post, Mateo! Yep. The first obstacles are ourselves and our pride. Denial can be a real problem so give yourself a high five for persevering and getting to this point. Thanks for the encouragement to your fellow Upsolvers! Good luck to you the rest of the way! :-)
Upsolve Community Member
Thanks so so much for sharing this, Mateo <3
Upsolve Community Member
So much powerful advice in your post Mateo! I'm sure your encouragement will help others! Bankruptcy is a form of help, and so many people find it hard to ask for help. Asking for help takes a LOT more strength than not asking for help. I'm glad you found the strength to file bankruptcy and persevere through the process to create a fresh start for you and your family. Keep us posted when you get your discharge notice! You might want to browse through the Upsolve guide https://upsolve.org/learn/to-do-after-341-meeting/ to see what your next steps are while you wait for your https://upsolve.org/learn/what-is-a-bankruptcy-discharge/. (After a well-deserved breather of course!) Congrats on getting this far and thank you for sharing!
Upsolve Community Member
Did you dress up for the meeting? Like business attire? And how did you call in? Zoom?
Upsolve Community Member
congrats!! Thanks for sharing Mateo
Upsolve Community Member
Congratulations! Thank you for sharing your experience. Your post will help others move through this process.
Upsolve Community Member
2022-01-25
I filed my paperwork today at the court house. I had worked my anxiety through the roof. I was so nervous doing this myself. The clerk was soo nice and helpful. He made sure I had everything in order. I had WAY more paperwork than I needed.. but that’s ok. lol... I could not have done this without Upsolve and the team helping me along the way. Ready to take my next class and prepare for my 341 meeting. Thank you Upsolve!!
Community Replies:
Upsolve Community Member
Congratulations!!!
Upsolve Community Member
Ditto! Congrats Faith! I was nervous too! Human nature. Thanks to Upsolve's Learning Center, I was able to file and am enjoying my FRESH START! I can see the light at the end of your tunnel too! :-)
Upsolve Community Member
Faith, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you! Everything else will seem easy after filing all that paperwork! Congratulations and thank you for sharing your experience!
Upsolve Community Member
Definately use the clerks as the office, they are so much help.
Upsolve Community Member
congrats ! 👏
Upsolve Community Member
Congrats 🎈
Upsolve Community Member
2022-01-19
I had my 341 meeting this morning and I am glad it is finally over with. To begin with they started with a role call, then the trustee said he would do all parties represented by lawyers first and then pro se. The first case took about 15 minutes worth of questioning, and the second and third parties never joined the meeting. I ended up going second instead of 4th which meant I didn't have to stay on the phone as long. He asked me if I filled out the forms myself, if I paid for Upsolve to help with the paperwork, he asked if I owned any real estate, then he opened it up for my creditors to ask questions, which only one creditor was on there to ask questions regarding the condition of the truck I was letting the bank take back. Once the creditor was done asking his questions the trustee took over again but this time to tell me what a great job i have done representing myself. My meeting itself only lasted about 8 minutes. I can not thank Upsolve enough for all the questions I've had being answered, the ease of the checklist to follow, and the support from so many people I don't even know who are going through the same thing. I feel more at ease than i did on December 8th when I filed. One other thing I wanted to mention. If someone does not qualify for Upsolve, check with your local college to see if they have a law program. Sometimes they do cases for the experience while going through school. Obviously the instructors are a huge part of it, but just know that is another option. I received a call yesterday from our University that they would help me file and answer any questions that I had. The only problem with that was I filed a month ago, but they still said to call if I needed help.
Community Replies:
Upsolve Community Member
That’s awesome! So pleased for you and I agree Upsolve and the community has been so great! Next step, discharge!!!
Upsolve Community Member
Thank you for sharing all of this Samantha! (Great to know about the college program! I'll be sure to point that option out to others!) I'm sure your story is going to help a lot of people feel better about the bankruptcy process! Shared experiences are invaluable, and your time is truly appreciated. So happy things went well!! Can't wait to hear about the discharge!
Upsolve Community Member
Congrats on wrapping up, and thanks for sharing as my meeting is tomorrow. I am really ready to get this done and put this behind me too.
Upsolve Community Member
Good luck tomorrow, Latoyia! :-)
Upsolve Community Member
👍 Good job like the trustee said !
Community Replies:
Upsolve Community Member
Hello Amanda, It depends on which bills you're asking about- this article can help describe what to do about different types of bills you might have: https://upsolve.org/learn/bills-to-pay-after-bankruptcy/ Here is an additional article on credit cards to give you some guidance: https://upsolve.org/learn/should-i-keep-paying-my-credit-cards-if-i-am-going-to-file-bankruptcy/
Upsolve Community Member
Hi Amanda! Erin pointed you to great info on this subject. After exhausting every avenue with the banks and arranging payment plans with lower monthly payments and, in some cases, lower interest rates, it STILL wasn't going to be enough to allow me any breathing room to live life, and that is when I decided to file Chapter 7. For me, I was perfect at paying on time (credit cards only) while I was trying to keep my head above water. It turns out I had one late payment with Cap 1 and I disputed that with the 3 credit bureaus. My reasoning was to have clean credit reports other than the Public Record of Chapter 7 bankruptcy. To answer your question, I filed on a day where the majority of my credit balances were coming due in the billing cycle. This isn't advice, but it is telling you my experience that perhaps will help you. :-)
Upsolve Community Member
Keep in mind you'll need to take a credit counseling course before you file. I recommend reviewing Upsolve's guide https://upsolve.org/learn/how-to-file-bankruptcy/ to get a better idea of the timeline.