SHould I stop?

[jessegirl]

I hair my hair highlited every probably 6-7 weeks. Will the trustee question that I get my hair done? I know please don't shake your head, i am just wondering if he/she will say why are you spending your money on that? Also, i had my nails done for my friends wedding in June and I had tips put on, Now i usually go every 3 weeks for nails and pedicure, should I have the nails taken off and stop the pedicures? Is that frowned upon by the trsutee? I never get a pedicure in the winter just in the summer cause my feet get really dry. Please don't jump on me for asking this question. Just want to know if the trustee will look me over and say, well she gets her hair done and her nails/pedicure, so lets give her a problem about that. I defiantely do not want to bring attention to myself. Also, whats the dress code for the 341?

[momof5]

I stopped getting my nails done while contemplating BK. It was a luxury that I charged while using credit cards.
I am sure if you have a male trustee that he isnt going to be 'checking you out' as they just seem way more professional than that. But I am not sure about your schedules. That is a monthly expense and if you should leave it off your schedules and get a female trustee who, in my opinion would notice something like nails & highlites, then you open a whole new can of worms, possibly.

As for dress code. Definately do not over dress. Nails may go unnoticed but dressing to the nines wont. Leave the bling at home

[MomIcantFindmy]

I would not worry about it. I have a friend who is a beautician and I get all that for free and no one asked a thing. I sure would not get anything like airbrush or fancy stuff on your nails. Maybe cut them down a bit so as not to attract attention. The hair, unless it is purple or something, the trustee probably won't even notice. They have about 2 min to ask you questions or they get behind (which they do anyway). Hopefully the trustee won't even see your feet...lol.....as far as the dress code I wore slacks and a blouse and close toes shoes. I looked like a Mom dressed to go to my child's parent teacher conference. Most everyone dressed like me. There were a few that came in their work clothes (scrubs, shirts with names on them) but other than that everyone looked like what you would see in a nice crowd of people. Oh, I would not wear any fancy jewelery unless you exempted it. Stud earrings and your wedding ring (if it is exempt) only!

[AngelinaCatHub]

Jessegirl; I would not worry about your hygiene and maintenance. It is part of being a proud woman. Being male, I appreciate (yes Mrs. C knows) a good looking woman who is obviously proud to look her best. Of course I do not know what all this costs, but you know, you got to have some fun in life and doesn’t it make you feel better? Yes and on your 341 just look neat and clean, but not like you are going to a prom or wedding. ‘Hub

[AngelinaCat]

General rule of thumb for dress is 'business casual' something like you would wear to a nice restaurant. When we had our 341, I wore dress slacks (black) and a nice solid color blouse. 'Hub wore dress grey pants, white shirt and tie and navy blue sports jacket. We also left our jewelry at home--though in FL our wedding rings are exempt--wasn't going to take ANY chances. We were the best dressed in the room. Some wore jeans and tee shirts.

Good luck to you, and make sure you have your DL and SS card. If you and your husband are filing jointly and you use different surnames, you might want to have a copy of the marriage license as well. Our Trustee required it of us--but this does not appear to be the norm....

[jessegirl]

Hey all, thanks so much for the answers.

Hey Mrs Angelinacat - Mr. appreciates you looking hotttt!!!!!! LOL.
I am glad that we can still have a sense of humor through this horrible ordeal....

[AngelinaCat]

Hey all, thanks so much for the answers.

Hey Mrs Angelinacat - Mr. appreciates you looking hotttt!!!!!! LOL.
I am glad that we can still have a sense of humor through this horrible ordeal....

Having a good sense of humor helps keep us sane through all this!

[kimba251]

I guess I am on the other side on this issue. I stopped all the excess I was used to when I realized I couldn't pay my bills. (and I lived large before)

If I were a trustee I would wonder if you were filing in good faith IMHO. To me it looks like this: debtor can't pay this bill for xxx but can spend xxx to get hair and nails done. It's not an issue that the trustee would look at you and wonder but if you are charging it or documenting it by debit/check etc then it doesn't look good at all, again in my personal opinion.

Yes you have to live but that is not a necessity. What you do after your bills are discharged and how you change your life to avoid bankruptcy in the future is your personal choice. To me though it just doesn't look good, especially if you document it. If you do it in a way that it is documented and plan to continue I would pay cash. If you have done it while you are filing then be prepared to answer to why you can afford that but not that same amount towards a bill.

GL

[justplaintired]

I guess I am on the other side on this issue. I stopped all the excess I was used to when I realized I couldn't pay my bills. (and I lived large before)

If I were a trustee I would wonder if you were filing in good faith IMHO. To me it looks like this: debtor can't pay this bill for xxx but can spend xxx to get hair and nails done. It's not an issue that the trustee would look at you and wonder but if you are charging it or documenting it by debit/check etc then it doesn't look good at all, again in my personal opinion.

Yes you have to live but that is not a necessity. What you do after your bills are discharged and how you change your life to avoid bankruptcy in the future is your personal choice. To me though it just doesn't look good, especially if you document it. If you do it in a way that it is documented and plan to continue I would pay cash. If you have done it while you are filing then be prepared to answer to why you can afford that but not that same amount towards a bill.

GL

I have to agree with this. With us would a luxury and if you are filing a C7 then this means you don't have extra income for luxuries. Haircuts are not a luxury, hair dyeing on the other hand could be. I gave all that up, I had to. Unfortunately for us that was money we needed for real necessities. Far as nails go, well that just might be something the trustee may notice. We actually had one attorney tell us not to even wear jewelery to our 341. So maybe this is not such a stupid question to ask your attorney. I would love have my hair done like I used to, but right now it's just not in our budget. I have taken to coloring it and I hate it! I do wish you luck and if you're worried call your attorney and ask. I am not sure your trustee will even notice you hair, but better to be safe then sorry.

[hnhlvr]

Trim your nails up! There is no guarantee the trustee, will overlook that, even if that individual is male. (not to be mean to long-nail lovers - but my DH hates long nails so if he had a trustee job, he'd notice the nails.)

Hair is an entirely different issue because there are a billion cheap box dye kits at the drug store, so just because you're getting your hair done, doesn't mean you're spending $50 a month. But, that aside, if you're working and need professional hair for that job, I'd say keep the highlighting up. If you're not working, just let it go until after your meeting.

[jessegirl]

Ok wil do. I tried to us the box dyes but they turn my hair brassy red all the time and then it cost money to have my hair corrected. Oh well, I will ask the attorney.

[hnhlvr]

Box dyes suck! lol Just SAY you're using those. Buy a couple of boxes and give that receipt to your attorney! Pay cash for your salon visits rather than use your debit.

[jessegirl]

Yeah they do suck... LOL I will take the advice and pay cash. thanks. I mean if i don't dye my hair until after the discharge I might scare the trustee...LOL

[Frogge]

I went to Sally's and bought a s**tload of stuff to do my highlighting on my own, and it looked like crap. So, back to the salon. <sigh>.. BUT-- what I do, I only pay for a 'partial' foil on top (i do the bottom part myself) and that saves me half the cost.. just an idea. & I get it trimmed once every few months.

[gymbo]

me too!

I went to Sally's and bought a s**tload of stuff to do my highlighting on my own, and it looked like crap. So, back to the salon. <sigh>.. BUT-- what I do, I only pay for a 'partial' foil on top (i do the bottom part myself) and that saves me half the cost.. just an idea. & I get it trimmed once every few months.

I did the exact same thing (sally's) and RUINED my hair. It was literally breaking off. It's been 2 years and I am still recovering. BIG mistake.