Whats the point of means test if i still have to come up with all these figures?

[stopthebleeding]

seems there tring to catch me upp and actually.I mean i pass based on income it sucks doing all this work figuring my expenses i am sure there are more but ,I can;t rember evry little time a dollar leaves my pocket . Sorry on a rant caus ethis apperwork stinksssssssssss!

[anonymuse]

The means test is a rough guideline based on local expenses. However, schedule I & J are more specific to your circumstances. Sometimes someone makes above the median income but has a lot of extra medical expenses or something else that justifies a chapter 7. On the other hand, someone could be making just under the median income could be living with someone without any expenses and just abusing the system. I guess its just the hoops we jump through for a fresh start on our financial lives.

[lrprn]

Sorry on a rant cause this paperwork stinksssssssssss!

This is one big advantage of retaining a laywer so he/she or the office paralegal takes this on as a part of representing you. So nice to not have to struggle with interpreting what goes where on the thrice-damned bk forms!

[spell]

Have you taken your pre-filing credit counseling yet?
When not doing BK counseling, that's their job.
Think of it as starting a good practice for to never have to repeat this process

[SinkingFast]

The Means Test is the "Bright Line" or "Acid Test" to see if you qualify for Ch 7 or Ch 13.

As Anon said, your real life expenses are for Schedule I compared to Schedule J. Specific to your particular case.

[stopthebleeding]

/I will pass means test but my attoprney gave me homework which is a list of evry fircen expense under the sun many of which i don't have 6 months of receuipts for like clothes , food and haircuts misc. things i have to guess hope thats ok.

[reallynervous]

I think coming up with your actual expenses is a really important part of the process as it relates to your further financial management. In our personal situation, when we were using our credit cards, we didn't really have a budget that outlined all our expenditures. In having to really look at all our expenses, I have a much better idea going forward of what we need to reduce our spending on, etc.

I am kind of glad that we have waited a little while to file as we have spent several months now on a cash only basis which is what we will need to do for the future. It has been somewhat painful but eye-opening. The killer is the extras you hadn't planned on. We have really got to get an emergency fund in place as soon as we can after we file.

I can see that this part of the process can really help some people who don't have an accounting of where all their money went to get a better handle on it all.

Maybe I am just trying to see the positives in an overall tough process.

reallynervous

[stopthebleeding]

thank you for the positive . I have realized I need to work more because I need more for the neccessitaies I don't spend to much I need to make more. LOLI see now that I will skim by on what I have with nothing extra. I just have trouble figuring out every thing I spend money on I am sure ther eis more tahn I can think of or find receipts for yeah know .I just wish they would use the norms good enough for me.

[SinkingFast]

We used CCCS of Atlanta for our post BK Debtor Education.

One of the things that course talked about was "Spending Leaks".

The pack of gum you grab and swipe and don't think about.

Breakfast with the gang before work every week on Thursday mornings. $7, once a week is $364/year.

Swing by Starbucks a couple of days a week for your Dulce de Leche Frappuccino fix. $4 a pop is $416/year.

Working on knowing where you've been spending your money is gonna be very important to your success post BK.