MASSIVE Payment Increase, is it worth it to continue?

[OVERIT365247]

Congrats on the two kittens. I have two dogs and two cats pre-petition as well. I added them to my initial J and spoiled them rotten on food, toys, training, and vet so creditors like Amex, Chase, Citibank, and Discover would pay for the furbabies with a decreased dividend. It's impossible to increase pet expenses once the 13 starts. I ended up getting a 3rd dog but I knew the creditor ain't paying for her. Knowing that, I kept everything the same for my plan modification on mortgage refi and the trustee still challenged me on pet expenses but I have my receipts Mr. Trustee, so no soup for you. Sadly, one of my dogs died from old age and now I'm back down to two dogs.

I'm really sorry to hear about your dog . My cat was put to sleep the year before I filed d/t unexpected kidney issues and it was devastating so it took me quite a while to adopt again. And yeah I definitely wish they would allow for pet expenses because they are not cheap, especially those first rounds of vaccinations and vet visits, but I'll just have to find somewhere else to pull it from.

[Carmella]

It sounds like you made the right choice and after the 17 months you will be in a much better position with current job than if you hadn't taken it.

BK 13 is not any fun that's for sure and I understand how it feels when you make more money, but your lifestyle is like you do not. Sometimes I think to myself it's like I am working part time money wise when I see the paycheck.

But I know in the end we will be in a better place than we were 60 months prior and there was no way we could have otherwise got out from under our debt. We are in 100% payback which huge monthly payments. I never like to say what they are, but they are higher than most people I see post! It's definitely a struggle especially when you have personal obligations that are not considered necessary like when we were still helping to support our young adult daughter and even now we help her out to a lesser extent, but it's not like we do not help her financially at all. It's our values that we want to help and she's a responsible person, but we all know, as stated elsewhere in this thread, rent ain't cheap. So if I can help with a few of her work related internet subscriptions and sometimes picking up a few groceries (staples like plastic wrap, baggies, etc at Aldi's) it's what I like to do.

We will be out of this soon...but not soon enough (we are in this until March/April 2023)

[Barbisi]

Hey, Carmella, I agree with you 100% (it's never soon enough!)
@OVERIT365247, I'm sorry about the loss of your kitty before you filed -We lost our beautiful 20 year and a half Maine Coon fur daughter to advanced kidney disease in Oct. 1916, six months after my beloved Mama died in April 2016 and four months before we filed in Feb.2017.
Luckily for us, we went ahead and adopted our three rescues around Thanksgiving 2016 or otherwise we wouldn't have been allowed to (under the stringent bk13 plan).
They are a very bonded threesome, a tuxedo Norwegian Forest mix, a black Turkish Angora mix and a little Ragdoll/Persian mix. They are very different in size, build, color and personality, but they are a real family and adore each other and us unconditionally.
Additionally, we kept my mother's former feral cat aged 18 years and a half, until March of 2021, when she suddenly passed away after suffering a seizure a week prior. Fortunately, we had enough funds saved up to pay for two vet visits and for another very kind vet to perform euthanasia on our front porch. We were able to get a little urn for her as well.
Though she disliked us for most of her life, she came to love us for about the last year and a half and we grieved for her loss. She was my last living link to my mother besides myself, so her death was very difficult to process.
@flashoflight, sorry about your doggie - you are just never ready to lose your fur babies even in BK13!