Bankruptcy can be stressful. It takes up time, energy, and drains you emotionally. Once it is done, you will certainly feel a great relief knowing that it is finally over. Before you get too comfortable though, it is important to start taking steps to rebuild your credit and reestablish some financial stability. Here is a brief list of helpful tips to help you do that:
- Create a feasible budget and stick to it. This budget should include monthly bills as well as household expenses, food, utilities, entertainment costs, etc
- Create an emergency fund to handle any unexpected expenses, so you do not have to use credit cards, pay day loans, or anything else like that.
- If there are any remaining debts after the bankruptcy, like a home mortgage, a reaffirmed vehicle, or a debt that was not dischargeable like taxes or child support, make a plan to get them each paid on time every month. This is a great way to reestablish your credit and create financial security.
- Save the contact information of your attorney and all of your bankruptcy documents. Occasionally, minor issues with creditors can arise following a bankruptcy filing. Your bankruptcy attorney can typically resolve these issues very quickly.
- A few months after the bankruptcy discharge, you will want to review your credit report to make sure everything that should be a zero balance is showing as such. If anything is listed incorrectly, you will want to contact the credit bureaus to alert them of this issue.