Hi all!
I filed Ch7 in May of this year pro se (couldn't afford the lawyer, but everything was pretty straightforward and I utilized a lot of free legal help). I was told that my case would be eligible for discharge on 7/1, but probably would not be done until 7/8. I opened a chat yesterday with the online bk court rep who confirmed that it was eligible for discharge and that she would have someone look at it today and I could check back Wednesday to make sure that it's complete. Oh happy day!!
I've been reading posts on here for a week or so now to determine my next steps. I'm so glad that I did! You guys have been an unending fountain of helpful information and resources. I didn't realize that I would need to pull my credit reports and check to ensure that the bankruptcy falls off. It seems that the best option is to give it a month or so for creditors to report and then to begin that process. Is that a fair assessment?
So far I have gotten a new car (with a HIGH APR, but necessary due to transportation issue and little children) and I was approved for a Cap1 unsecured this weekend (only $300 but a start!). I applied for a secured card with my employer's credit union. They emailed me at the end of business yesterday to tell me that they've made a decision, but of course they were closed when I called. :-( So I guess I'll find out about that tomorrow.
Another thing I didn't know anything about was NFCU. Thanks so much to you guys for sharing such a wonderful secret! I have to admit that for the past few days I've been kind of bummed because I couldn't think of any family members that would help me qualify but (insert happy dance here) I finally remembered yesterday that my little sister's husband is active duty Army!! Woo-hoo!! She doesn't have an account yet, but I'm going to get her to get one, especially since she filed BK in 2010 and needs to rebuild her credit as well. She had no clue that NFCU was BK-friendly. Looks like her joining will be a win-win for the both of us!
So my plan now is to get the secured card from my employer's CU if I am approved. I'll let that, along with the Cap1 and my car loan, build for a few months before applying for an NFCU card (although I plan on signing up for the account as soon as my sister does). I'll put a small, recurring charge on each card, then PIF each month. I plan to put my cards up for safekeeping at home so that I'm not tempted to use them. Then I'd wait until I'm about a year out and apply for Barclay's. My check to see if I can get a retail card using the shopping cart trick in a few months to diversify the types of credit I'll have, or is this not really necessary?
If anyone has any other tips or suggestions, I would greatly appreciate them.
Thank you all for your help!! I think I'm on the right path now! :-)
