submitting budget for bk13

[busbis]

I am preparing my budget to submit to my attorney but he is asking me to list things such as gas, utilities, entertainment,groceries, etc...

In reading some of the post I want to leave myself some wiggle room in case of emergency such as kids getting sick, dentist or even braces that I know will be a factor in the next few months or within a year. Can anyone give any feedback as to how strick the courts will be. We have 2 SUV's (1 paid for, the other is 4 months away) but in figuring what I have spent on gas, it is roughly around $800 per month. My husband works in sales and is on the road all day long and we get no reimbursement for any of it. As far as entertainment, I can really do without but I have 2 teenagers that would lilke a movie now and then.

Please help...I just don't know what to

[SinkingFast]

Our paralegal told us about another set of clients they were representing. Both spouses work in a distant town an hour's drive away. Different parts of a big city so they both had to drive separate.

That couple's gasoline expense was way higher than normal for our area. The paralegal said they were gonna have to show receipts for that. So be prepared to document what you spend on gasoline. Generally speaking, Trustees will allow higher than average expenses when people can document real numbers.

Entertainment is pretty much an expense allowed in most Courts. You might check some cases from your area on PACER. The average allowed for Entertainment here is $100/mo.

If your kids are involved in school activities, list those fees and costs separate. Our daughters swam on the High School team. We had a school activity fee, team suits and caps, etc. Our attny put that in a lump $$$ amount on Line 17 of Sched J and itemized those expenses out on a separate page.

Be sure to include monies for "work lunches" and "school lunches". Don't forget hair care, school books and supplies, and such. Those $$$'s were also included on Line 17 of Sched J.

Call your utilities and see what your budget amount would be for gas and electric. Then round up. If it comes out to $110/mo,....... maybe say $125/mo to allow for increased fuel costs, hotter or colder weather in the future.

If you own a home,............ Don't forget to allow for home maintenance. Those monies you're supposed to set back to take care of repairs as they arise.

If you're not gonna file for a month or so,........... Save receipts so you'll know what you spend on groceries and such. It's really a good way to get a handle on your budget and to know where your money is going.

[busbis]

I signed up for pacer, but where do I look for sample budgets or what they normally allow for. This site is very confusing.

[SinkingFast]

You'll have to look at the actual filings of different people.

Maybe query your attny and pull up cases he/she has filed. Then look at a few. Check History/Documents. Look at the filing Schedules. Info on Schedule J may give you an idea of what your attny feels comfortable putting thru.

Don't look at too many cases tho. You can run up quite a bill rather quickly.

Here's a link for you:

http://www.bkforum.com/showthread.php?t=1011

There's some basic instructions in this thread to jump start you using PACER.