Getting up after you have fallen is relatively easy than getting back up after you have gone bankrupt. It is the accumulation of all your bad credit habits and mismanagement over the time that has finally come alive to eat you up – and it did. The only way out is to file for bankruptcy, which is not an easy way out. However, it is not a difficult situation to stay at, only if you understand the process and have enough patience to let it all pass. It may seem overwhelming and daunting to re-establish your credit profile all over again, to attain a good credit rating and to regain your lost confidence.
If you know how to see the wisdom behind all the happenings, you would see bankruptcy as a fresh start, a second chance to avoid repeating the same mistakes and to prove yourself in front of the credit world. Your second chance can be very rewarding if you plan and strategist what your next step would be. You do not want to go wrong now. Which is why there are 3 steps that you need to take after filing bankruptcy.
Stop letting your mistakes haunt you
This is the first and the most important step before you go any further. You cannot allow your mistakes, even blunders, to keep haunting you and mocking you back. It will only eat away your confidence and you will feel stuck in the place you have landed. It clouds the way ahead and does not let you see the opportunities that you seize. The right attitude here will as your armor. You need it.
A lifestyle change
The next step is obvious; you cannot keep living the way you did before. Your lifestyle must change to accommodate your current financial situation, a situation that will take time to get better. Cut down your unnecessary expenses. Identify your necessities and essential expenditures. Cut down on luxuries to save money in order to pay off your debts. If you have filed for chapter 13 bankruptcy, you will have to do this at all costs. The authorities will ask you to reorganize your expenses, and until you have paid all of your debt off, it will stay this way. If you have filed for chapter 7, then you will be asked to use your money carefully, No credit will be given to you at any circumstance until your case has been discharged.
Reestablish your credit rating
Once your case has been discharged, the next step is to build your credit profile. It is a misconception that you cannot get any credit, once you have gotten the word “bankrupt” on your credit report. What you need to do to improve your credit report. For this, start paying all your bills on time. If you have a house, then do not miss out on any of the mortgage payments.
After that, get a secured credit card. It is not as same as the regular credit cards, but it is the stepping-stone you need to cross. It allows you to deposit a certain amount and that amount becomes your limit. They will see how you are repaying your loans, and according to that, will up your limit whenever they feel you are finally learning from your mistakes.