Wednesday, November 08, 2006
When I Was First In Debt
In 1993, I was injured in an accident and had received a settlement check for my injuries. Since I was one of the types of who could keep a dollar, I assumed that the $16,000 would always be there. I brought a car, pay off my credit card bill and since I got the money at Christmas, brought everybody Christmas gifts. By the fall of the following year, I was drowning in a sea of debt.
Phone calls began occuring because I wasn't paying on my bills. I was harassed by phone and by mail. At the age of 19, I was already in debt well over $10,000. Plus, I was in college at the time and I was only getting student loan and pell grant. I was living at home but still was struggling. Add to that I was struggling alone. No one in my family knew of my suffering and my struggles. I was depressed most of the time, angry a lot of the time and alone.
When I was finally able to get a job, it was 1999 and I was drowning further. I would pray, ask God to send me more money to pay off this debt. I was gaining weight, crying constantly and forced to keep this dreaded secret from family and friends. No one knew of my suffering. I didn't ask for help, like I should have. I just thought that I could handle the problem myself. Pretending and living a lie.
Smiling at Christmas. Crying Christmas night. For five years, I didn't have any peace in my life and in my heart. I asked God to be released from my debt.
That's when I decided to file for bankruptcy. March 22, 2000 was the beginning of my independence.
Phone calls began occuring because I wasn't paying on my bills. I was harassed by phone and by mail. At the age of 19, I was already in debt well over $10,000. Plus, I was in college at the time and I was only getting student loan and pell grant. I was living at home but still was struggling. Add to that I was struggling alone. No one in my family knew of my suffering and my struggles. I was depressed most of the time, angry a lot of the time and alone.
When I was finally able to get a job, it was 1999 and I was drowning further. I would pray, ask God to send me more money to pay off this debt. I was gaining weight, crying constantly and forced to keep this dreaded secret from family and friends. No one knew of my suffering. I didn't ask for help, like I should have. I just thought that I could handle the problem myself. Pretending and living a lie.
Smiling at Christmas. Crying Christmas night. For five years, I didn't have any peace in my life and in my heart. I asked God to be released from my debt.
That's when I decided to file for bankruptcy. March 22, 2000 was the beginning of my independence.
# posted by Alexandra @ 7:00 PM 
