Got a raise

[notavictim]

Hi - I've had a lawyer on retainer for a while now. Most all docs are filled out and data collected. What a pita. And the procrasitination...my gosh. I just had a review and my possibly next check will reflect a 3% raise. Do I rapidly rush to file? Like ASAP???

[FilingOnMyOwn]

A 3% raise is really not that significant. If it pushes you over the limits of disposable income, you'll just have to pad your expenses a bit. Which realistically is not very hard todo, when many many things these days are reaching all time highs like energy (gas & utilities), insurance, food, you name it, a 3% raise this year over last year guarantees less buying power, not more.

[notavictim]

Cool - well here's the thing. Since seperation 2 years ago and final divorce in March my account has not been over drafted ever. The ex overdrafted all the time. Proves she screwed me and I let her. So my living expenses have been on the practical side. If 6 months of checking acct. records does not show I had cable and phone and then I all of a sudden get cable and phone - won't that be suspicious - even if it is allowable expense?

note - have not been paying CC's as advised by BK lawyer. So yes that would show a higher disposable income.

I guess what I am saying is I live very lightly. company car, gas , insurance, cell phone. But since most all of the debt was the ex trying to screw me I really need chap 7 protection.

[FilingOnMyOwn]

Well it sounds like your problem was your ex and not bk. If you can solve everything just by getting rid of her, I would certainly do so.

There should be no worries over the cable and/or phone. Its only 50-100 a month, no trustee would even bat an eye over that.

[notavictim]

As an Update my lawyer worked the numbers and is filing it as a chap 7. The wages are averaged over 6 months for the ave income. And if you got a raise you need to disclose that. blah blah blah.

[alh]

Also the I and J expenses are post bankruptcy. I had an issue in that I was out of work before I filed and so did not have much money to spend on expenses. So the actual was very low (as was my income) I started a new job righ before I filed and a couple of crackpot lawyers tried to tell me that I would have to use the new income numbers (with a job) and the old expense number (when I was unemployed and had very little I could spend) That made it look like I had a huge amount of leftover money and they tried to tell me that I would have to file a 13.

I finally meet with a BK attorney who was a trustee and he had me enter the expenses that I would have in a normal situation and not when I was unemployed. It was never an issue at all during the BK. Glad I meet with several lawyers and had done my homework.

[Minnymouth]

Glad to hear you consulted a attorney that was also a Trustee.........

Sounds like he has everything under control for you....

Keep us posted.