Jay'S consumer tips - never file bankruptcy twice

I am developing a new blog to help clients and other site visitors avoid bankruptcy.  This is obviously against my economic self interest as a bankruptcy lawyer, but is the right thing to do and something I feel very passionate about.  Having filed hundreds of bankruptcy cases, I have been in a position to review my clients' household budgets, tax situations, family finances, and work situations.  I also assist them with obtaining new car and home refinance.  Unfortunately, I see many avoidable mistakes prior to the clients coming in my office the first time.  More unfortunately, I see these same mistakes being made twice!  While it is nice for my clients to keep in touch, I want to hear how they are doing better and that they feel more at peace since we met, and not have them asking whether they qualify for another Chapter 13 or 7 discharge yet!

Additionally, when it comes to my own finances, I have always really liked getting good deals, and have also tried hard to avoid bad deals.  The bad deals make me feel bad about my finances, and worse about my own judgement. There is a temptation to mentally "write off" small economic errors that cumulatively add up to very large amounts of money.   These mistakes may not be the primary cause of bankruptcy.  However, when the bankruptcy is over or while it is in progress, making changes to the household budget could mean the difference between eventual economic security (including a rainy day fund), a more comfortable retirement, and self-empowerment, versus being "played" by multinational financial institutions.  These "players" are all around us!  

I try to be vigilant, but I had some experience with this fairly recently.  As my practice quickly expanded in the early 10s, I took on many software subscriptions, probably bought a few too many computers and Iphones, and generally overlooked small insults to my finances on the basis that I was trying to "focus on the big picture" - making my practice successful and busy.   Once I took a step back from that "big picture" and cut my expenses, I found that the benefits far exceeded the financial benefits.  I felt better about myself when I had fewer financial commitments, was getting better deals, and had less equipment and vendor relationships to manage.  There is a recent, very popular book by Marie Kondo about de-cluttering our homes to reduce stress.  One big-picture purpose of this blog is to advocate for financial de-cluttering.  Whether or not you have any interest or reason to file bankruptcy, I want to help you save money, save stress, and generally feel like a more prudent consumer.  

We walk out of our houses every day, and so-called reputable corporations have their hands in our pocket - almost from the beginning.  So I want to point out these pocket-pickings so my clients benefit financially, and feel more in control of their financial destiny.   I come across good deals, bad deals, and flat-out ripoffs almost daily, so I will use this blog to point those out - along with other consumer tips.