After you receive your discharge you will want to take certain steps:
1) Keep a copy of your schedules. Later on you will wonder whether you remembered to list a creditor and your schedules are the best source of that information.
2) Keep a copy of your discharge letter. If this is the only thing you do after discharge-do this one! You will find that you will be asked over the years for bankruptcy information about your case and the discharge letter is great for this purpose.
3) Buy a file cabinet-even if it is a small one. I used a two-drawer file cabinet for a number of years as a bedside table next to my bed. I use one drawer for financial matters. Then I make one file for each creditor or expense, one for each tax year (for a tax return), another for general receipts for purchases, and one for warranties and manuals. The OTHER drawer I use for personal stuff like recipes, kids' report cards, valentines and letters I want to keep from friends and relatives.
4) Pay any reaffirmed debts on time.
5) Take steps to rebuild your credit. Don't make the mistake of saying "I will never use credit again." You will want to reestablish good credit to help you the rest of your life. See our section on building credit.
6) Live your life, save money for a vacation, have kids-they are a lot of fun. If you have kids cherish them, they grow up fast.
