We are now a couple of months into our third year of paying off our debts through a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. With all honesty, I have to say that things seem a tiny bit easier now. I am not sure if I have just become accustomed to living life on the brink of falling off a cliff with nothing to catch me, or if things have truly become more of a way of life for us. For so many things, we have just had to let go. We don't go on vacations--not even day trips or family visits. We are no longer able to purchase the healthiest, natural foods at the grocery store, we conserve and do without a lot of stuff we used to take for granted. I am now working full time and my husband has taken on a second job, so we have a little more money to work with, but we still have to be extremely careful with how we spend our money each week. We also still worry that at anytime, something could go wrong with our house, or our cars or our health and then we don't really know how we would handle it. We have no savings at all anymore. Every penny we make that doesn't get paid to the trustee goes to our monthly living expenses. One other rather disturbing development has been that I have been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Not just high blood pressure, but DANGEROUSLY high high blood pressure. 198/110 was high enough to make the doctor not allow me to leave her office until it came down a little and she prescribed medication for blood pressure and an antidepressant. Living on the edge of financial ruin everyday for the last three years has taken its toll. Our marriage has been rough, our relationships with friends and family have changed, and our health has certainly changed. These are all things that no one tells you about when you meet with lawyers and credit counselors. These are the things that you must find a way to shore up before you take the plunge into a Chapter 13. Good luck!
