When to file? Before or after paycheck?

[anonymuse]

I keep hearing that you should file after you've gotten your paycheck and paid all of your bills (use money order/certified check, etc.)

What if you get paid once a month? I could pay all my bills, but then there would still be money in my account. That money would be for food, gas, and parking--things I can't just buy at the beginning of the month for the whole month.

Do you suggest that I'd file about a week before the end of the month?

~K

[SinkingFast]

We're in the same situation, Anon. Trying to figure when to file. Hubby get's paid 2x/month.

Our problem with waiting closer to payday is the "Earned but unpaid wages" exemption. The Trustee would automatically get 10%, which is relatively little anyway, but I'd rather the Trustee get as little as possible.

A thought for you. If you want to file soon after getting paid, go buy Money Orders for your groceries, gasoline, and such, that you'd usually spend anyway. Then the money is gone out of the bank account and you can cash the MO's later as needed for your other expenses.

Also, someone else here, maybe Aa I think, said their attny addressed it a bit different on the petition. Aa gets paid 1x/month also and filed right after being paid. There was money in the bank, but the attny wrote down what Aa would have left in the bank at the end of the month. Then as a side note, wrote "Additional monies were to pay bills and routine living expenses". Don't know how that one is going to go yet since Aa hasn't had his/her 341 meeting yet.

[anonymuse]

I'm feeling incredibly dumb asking this question, but here goes. Do you mean making 5 money orders out for $30 each for the gas station to fill the gas tank (if I can even fill it for $30 now)? Or 1 money order to yourself instead of taking out cash to pay?

[SinkingFast]

I buy MO's at Wal-Mart. They're the cheapest around here. Like 40 cents each. And they are blank. You just pick a dollar amount for each one you purchase and they're good for a year.

You could really do it however you wanted. Buy several smaller ones if you don't trust yourself with the money. Like me, if I don't carry cash I don't spend cash. Or you could buy one bigger one, and cash it after you file. However you want to do it.

[anonymuse]

I'm more concerned with the "how much cash do you have?" question than managing cash for living expenses (gas, food, parking(cash only)).

[SinkingFast]

We already answered that one. The "How much cash do you have?" question.

The paralegal asked the day we gave all the info for our petition. Hubby pulled out his wallet and counted. I emptied my jeans pockets. We had $42 between the 2 of us. Plus some change each. So the paralegal wrote down $45.