If you're like a lot of people, you may owe thousands in credit card debt. Perhaps you lost your job and had no choice but to take out cash advances to pay for gas and other basic necessities, or perhaps you had an emergency come up, such as your car needed to be fixed, or you had to pay for a funeral.

Perhaps now you owe $10,000, $20,000, or even more in credit card debt. Between your credit card bills and all of your other debt, you see no other solution but to file bankruptcy.

Now you're thinking that after the bankruptcy is over, you'll never get another credit card again. After all, credit cards are partially what got you into this mess. Not so fast.

Why You Need Credit Cards

A lot of debtors mistakenly believe that after they file bankruptcy, they need to swear off credit cards forever. This mindset is not conducive to rebuilding credit.

In today's society, good credit makes buying a car, getting a mortgage, renting an apartment, and sometimes applying for a job much easier. There is no way to get around that.

Reestablishing credit following a bankruptcy is much easier than you might think, and understand that after a bankruptcy, credit cards are not the root of all evil, they are your best friend. Why? Because, they help you rebuild your credit and establish confidence among lenders.

People are surprised at the number of credit card applications that come flooding in the mail after a bankruptcy discharge. Our recommendation is to compare cards online and get a card with no annual fee.

The initial credit lines will be low and the interest rates high, so ensure that you only charge around 10% of the credit line and pay off the balance in full each month.

With discipline, having two or three credit cards and paying them off each month will help tremendously in rebuilding your credit score.

For more bankruptcy advice, reach out to a bankruptcy lawyer in our directory!