After we moved out of our home, our in-laws were gracious in housing us for a handful of weeks as we attempted to find an apartment. Filing for bankruptcy deeply impacts one's credit score....and yall ours was trashed. We had no money or savings...this also included no furniture. I had no idea how it was all going to come together but in the end, it did. Here's how....
Here's 4 things we did to rebuild after experiencing bankruptcy:
Invited our faith community in
My husband I had started visiting a new home church during our financial crisis. They had a commitment to the Acts 2 church. I felt a deep conviction that prompted me to invite our pastors into what we were experiening. You see this was scary because culturally you don't tell anyone outside of your home what's going on. Plus there was some deep shame and fear tied to it too. But we did it, we met at their house over dinner and shared our entire story with them. Even though it's been 15 years later, I can remember the release I felt finally telling someone what was going on. In doing this our faith community borrowed us money for a deposit and first months rent, they helped us move and buy furniture off of Craigslist, wrote us a letter of support and more.
Started attending financial literacy workshops
To be truly honest, I didn't start attending financial literacy workshops until 2014. Between 2010 and 2014 we were still just winging it. I figured as long as we spent less than the cash in our bank account we were good. But we weren't saving or investing. If I'm honest, I didn't know much about investing for retirement, I was focused on just surviving. At this time we started attending a new church community and they were offering some financial workshops. This is where I learned financial terms like: how to track, create a budget, and how to save.
Started a healing journey
Now that I had been practicing my budgeting skills for a few years now, we found ourselves still struggling financially. While I knew how to budget and save, I felt there was a disconnect between my brain and my money management skills. In April of 2017 is when I decided to finally go to therapy. It was here where I began learning and gaining language for the trauma I had experienced as a kid and in my young adult life. As I was diving more deeply into my story and learning how to reconnect with self, is when I got plugged in with a financial coach. While we only met a few times, our hard conversations led me down a path of limitless dreaming, reading financial litaracy books, and found a whole new perspective and hope with my own story and my relationship with self, others and money.
Gathered a group of women together
I knew I couldn't do this deep intentional work alone. I had noticed a few of my FB friends were sharing their money goals. I reached out to each of them to see if they would be interested in joining a FB group where we could share our wins and celebrate one another. Over the 2years of being an active group with about 10 of us, many of us became student loan debt-free, bought homes, built a home, saved, started businesses, and so much more! Having a community with other women walking through achieving their financial goals made me feel like I could do it too. And I did!!!
Well friends, this is just a sliver of how we rebuilt. I'm forever grateful for the friends and community who walked with us during a very challenging season of our lives, but now 15 years later I am here to be a resource as I share my money healig story. I long to pass along the tools and strategies I've learned about mental well-being and money to my mutli-ethnic/racial/class and generational community.
What questions do you have for me in regards to our rebuilding journey?
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Until next time,
xoxo-
@yourfriend.jasmine
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