My Expenses List - What do you all think (2 with baby) HELP!!!

[Xar77]

I'm nervous about doing our First (and hopefully only Ever) Ch 7. On the expenses list... just by looking around at other peoples recommendations and lists... this is what I've come up with... do you think this is reasonable (I live in Denver, CO). This is for Me, My Wife, and a 14 month old child, (with possible 2nd child on the way, not sure yet, but these estimates don't include that child anyhow)

Rent - $750.00
Electricity - $75
Gas - $60
Water / Gas / Sewer - $40
Cell Phone - $60
DirecTV - $50
Internet - $55
Home Maintenance (Light bulbs etc) - 15
Food - $500 (remember, for 2 adults and 1 toddler) (roughly based on IRS allowable food tables)
Household Items - 75 (includes diapers and wipes for the little one)
Hygiene - 50
Clothing - 100 (for 3 people)
Dry Cleaning - 15
Laundry, Detergent - 35
Average Medical Expenses - 60 (with little one and wife and I, about 60 a month)
Prescriptions and over the counter - 35
Magazines, periodicals, newspapers, etc - 20
Recreation and Entertainment - 75
PResents for Holidays - 25
Charitible Contributions - $25-50 a month
Auto Insurance Currently - $270, probably after bankruptcy, $190
Gasoline - $250+ (figured at about 1000 miles per month per vehicle with about 17mpg (truck and small suv) at 2.20 a gallon (rough average))
Auto Repairs - 50
Vehicle Maintanence - 40 (2 vehicles oil changes and such)
Tolls - 35 (live next to toll road use for work often)
Vehicle Installments - $250.00 (plan to reaffirm one of our vehicles)
Child Care - 400 (day care)
Cosmetics - 30 (baby lotion and such as well as our own)
Haircuts - 15
Work lunches - 50
Bank Charges - 10
Postage - 5
Pet Food / Supplies - 75 (1 Dog and 2 cats that need special food for all 3)

Let me know what you all think.... And quick question... I know that all of these expenses are not listed out like this on the bankruptcy forms are they? and if not, where do they get listed?. Thank you everyone for your hopeful feedback!!! THANK YOU!!!

Shaun

[HHM]

Is it what you actually spend or not?

If it is, then your expenses are what they are.

[Xar77]

The only one that's not an expense YET, is the Child Care... We don't have our son in a day care facility yet but will need to soon due to our jobs and unability to make our 2 jobs work around him anymore. All the others are what we actually spend... Food might be a tad high, but I'm not sure... I don't keep track of it per month and again I based that on allowances and roughly what I think we spend as a family.

(I'm more concerned with what the Trustee will think might be excessive though I'm pretty sure everything I have there is what I believe we spend)

[InDebtInMD]

We also included childcare expenses for both of our kids on our petition, even though we arenot paying them yet. We WILL be paying them come fall and school starts for our oldest (going to Kindergarten). We explained this during our 341 and provided the trustee with a price sheet from the day care place.

We helped our cause I think was the fact that we found out child #3 way on the way 2 days before our 341. While we were waiting I informed my lawyer and he actually brought it up while the trustees were questioning us on our expenses, saying they will be going up next year.

ps - baby due 2/1, everything going great!

[Xar77]

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate the comment!!!! So typically a trustee will take a possible additional child into consideration even if you've already listed your expenses...

Thanks

[InDebtInMD]

Well, the way I looked at it was this:

I felt obligated to let the trustee know about real, unavoidable expenses that would be coming my way in the near future.

For instance, my wife and I both work and will be needing the daycare in the fall as once the oldest starts school. Our current sitter (grandma) lives nowhere near his school, and can not drop off / pick up.

Also, regarding the new baby - my expenses are definitely going to be increasing somewhat with the new one, mainly groceries at first.

So, say they do not allow the daycare expense (since I actually do not pay it now) and put me in a 13. What happens in a few months when I'm having to pay the daycare and feed/clothe the new baby?? convert to 7? I was just trying to give the trustee as much to go on as possible.

We were honest in our petition and there was really nothing out of the ordinary about our case other than the very high amount of unsecured debt.