I don't know whether to laugh or cry....

[tatt2monster]

Everytime I think I've got things figured out, I run into another brick wall; I need drinks, I need Valium, I need Kumbaya time......

Have you all felt this way?

[frustrated7]

Oh God, yes! It seems like just when things are finally going to work out for us, something else goes wrong. We just can't seem to get on our feet at all. I have been seriously considering going to the doctor and asking for some anti-anxiety meds of some sort because the stress was so bad a couple of weeks ago I thought I was having a nervous breakdown. I'm feeling better this week, though our situation hasn't changed at all. I keep telling myself that things will get better soon, things will get better soon, things will get better soon...

[Fresh]

Absolutely. I think the hardest part is the peaks/valleys. Somehow, when it's really rough, you know you just have to keep going. It seems like when several rays of light hit, the darker ones just crop up.

The hardest for me is when other people are involved in something over which I have little control. It's hard to jump off the cliff just to see what will happen.

I'm glad this place is here

[tatt2monster]

OMG, I love the name Anita!

I'm seriously so ready to just say @#$% it, I jump every time the doorbell rings, thinkin it might be a process server. If I get sued by somebody before I file in October, so be it. Not much they can get outta me. Got nothing in my bank accounts and no job. Judge away!

[LuciluS]

tatt2monster:

I replied to your post in the Chapter 7 Section.

I don't believe you have any worries about waiting until October to file.
I started keeping receipts for Everything whether it was paid by cash, check or debit card.

Hubby buys a lot of food that he takes with him while he is working as an OTR Truck Driver. As he buys the groceries because I'm disabled & you can only put so much between my scooter and the handle bars LOL!,, I don't ask him to get seperate receipts. I go over the grocery receipt & mark what he takes with him in the truck.

I had the hardest time getting him to keep receipts while he was out on the road as at tax time I always used the IRS per diem allowed for transportation workers. Finally, the middle of January he got the gest of it. Attorney said 6 mths worth of his receipt will suffice.

Please go read my response in the Chapter 7 section to your post.

Wishing you Much Luck!

Luci

[coolgurka]

Are you all saving receipts to prove expenses?? If the Ch 7 filer falls below his state's median income for the last 6 mths before filing, does he still have to save receipts to prove expenses? I am new to this, so bear with me .

[LuciluS]

Are you all saving receipts to prove expenses?? If the Ch 7 filer falls below his state's median income for the last 6 mths before filing, does he still have to save receipts to prove expenses? I am new to this, so bear with me .

Cool: Most likely receipts will not be required except for expenses that are over the 'Allowable amount' in your district. For example, I believe in AR medical expenses are something around $75 per person. Hubby and my prescriptions, with insurance, are $500 a month. Our out of pockets expenses, co-pays, dental bills, etc. have always been around $10,000 to $15,000 since 2003.

Trustee will question these expenses and I will have to provide documentation. It's no problem for me, as I take the Bill, staple the EOB from our medical insurance to the bill and either make a photo-copy of a check or the specific bank statement page if I used my debit card. I then do an Excel Spreadsheet summarizing it all. I also spend a lot more in gasoline for various medical reasons.

I know our house payment is more than the allowable amount, so will provide documentation for that also. We just moved to the first city we've ever lived in that had Cable TV. But since we already had our boxes, we went with Satellite. I think our Utilities such as Satellite, Telephone etc. are over the allowable amount also.

I think I read where 1 out of 250 Bankruptcies are selected by the US Trustee for audit which entails a very detailed accounting of your income and expenses.

I was an Accountant before a car wreck in 3/05 which left me disabled. I guess you could say I'm 'anal' as I have Bank Statements for a least 10 yrs., Closing Statements on every home bought/sold & yadda, yadda

Soo, I guess I would say it's better to be 'Safe' than to be disallowed an expense item. People have posted they've been able to use their Bank Statement to derive at their monthly expenses and then there are others (jessegirl, specifically) who've had to prove every expense. Some (like me, at one time) have used "paperless statements' & would receive an email where you could go and print a statement. I did that with Wal-Mart & Sam's and usually, never printed the Statements. Thank Goodness, I went online and downloaded the Statements I needed.

In 2008, hubby would buy groceries & other stuff at Wal-Mart. Sometimes he'd take out the extra money he needed to 'run on' while driving OTR and I would throw the receipt away. Wee, Gee, I didn't know how much money hubby took, or how much groceries he bought to go in his big truck or what cleaning supplies, hygiene products (different line item than groceries) he bought.

I just think it is a Good Idea if you have at least 6 mths. worth of Expense Receipts, BUT don't think it is expected of most filers.

Luci

[tatt2monster]

tatt2monster:

I replied to your post in the Chapter 7 Section.

I don't believe you have any worries about waiting until October to file.
I started keeping receipts for Everything whether it was paid by cash, check or debit card.

Hubby buys a lot of food that he takes with him while he is working as an OTR Truck Driver. As he buys the groceries because I'm disabled & you can only put so much between my scooter and the handle bars LOL!,, I don't ask him to get seperate receipts. I go over the grocery receipt & mark what he takes with him in the truck.

I had the hardest time getting him to keep receipts while he was out on the road as at tax time I always used the IRS per diem allowed for transportation workers. Finally, the middle of January he got the gest of it. Attorney said 6 mths worth of his receipt will suffice.

Please go read my response in the Chapter 7 section to your post.

Wishing you Much Luck!

Luci

Thanks Luci, I'll go check it out right away. Sorry you had to post twice. I don't always get my needs met in that forum, and new threads get buried very quickly, so I come to this room when I need shoulders to cry on.

Coolgurka: the reason why I have receipt issues is because I was in a situation that required payments via cash, I have to be able to prove to the trustee where it all went and of course I can't, hence the postponed filing date.

Like Luci, I prefer to be extra careful, just because my attorney isn't asking these questions, doesn't mean I can't. I've got more to lose, I'm not going to risk a dismissal. What would my attorney lose? He'll simply move on to the next case.

[SCorpPain]

I have laughed -- hysterically (as in an almost insane laugh) -- have cried until I could barely see because my eyes were so swollen... cussed so bad that I would have embarassed the rougest character you can imagine.... have hit a few walls (literally) ... I have consumed too much wine (only two times) and eaten too many sweets (more than two times). It's a wild ride emotionally and I would rather be on a different one!!

[bk4sky]

omg yes! been battling it a long time. Ive always had bad anxiety and i finally found a decent dr. who prescribed me ativan. I been good lately but i was at work and started thinking about this whole BK thing and what if what if lol. so yes i def have my days.

oh and i actually emailed my atty and asked him if i should start saving my receipts for everything and he said they never had a case where the trustee ever asked for that, only bank statements, cause i was getting paranoid about them wanting me to prove every single expense as well.

[OregonMom]

tatt2monster don't worry about waiting until October to file, my hubby and I decided we were going to have to file bankruptcy in about Jan/Feb of '08. Talked to a credit counsuler who suggested we file and let house and car go. We quit paying credit cards in Feb '08, retained a lawyer in April of '08 tried to keep car and house but couldn't get enough money to pay lawyer, so we gave up car in July '08, then decided we couldn't swing house payment so we quit paying that in August of '08. Finally paid off lawyer in March '09 got paper work filed, had our 341 in April '09, now just waiting for our discharge. We moved out of our house in March. Only person to come to our door was for the foreclosure of the house. Just took the notices from the people and they left. I worried myself sick, I would just get sick at work and couldn't figure it out. After the doc's and an mri I figured out it was stress induced. Once i figured it out and realized that it couldn't get any worse I relaxed a little more. Don't worry about waiting un Oct to file, you should be fine. Once I paid my lawyer $50 I retained him referred all creditors to them and I usually never heard from them again.

[Vanda]

Absolutely, I have been a nervous wreck for close to a year now over this. As I wrote in a previous post, I now buy wine in boxes! I can't sleep, can't concentrate but at the same time I can NOT lose my job so I have to hold on to my sanity! This board helps a LOT. Hang in there!

[SweetGeorgia]

Vanda, I buy the boxes of wine, too! I figure it's economical AND environmentally-friendly. It's also a completely necessary expense and I hope no one gives me any lip over it when we finally file.

With all this stuff swirling around, the littlest things do strike me as hilarious (and probably anyone who saw me laughing would think I was crazy). One bill from a medical collector - for more than $1000 - said "don't let such a small bill ruin your credit." I read that and just laughed so hard I snorted.

You know, medical collection people, $1000 isn't a small bill. On the other hand, it's charming that you think I still have credit to ruin!

[LuciluS]

There's a lot to be said for wine in boxes!

That reminds me, I have to stop at the store after work. My box is empty...

2 2 Funny! Love your Log In Name.

I drank one bottle of Michelob Ultra Sat. afternoon as I didn't take my 2 morphine pills morning or lunch. I took one about 10 pm. O me severe headache. Worse when laying down. So got up and took a Tylenol. Hadn't opened mail in about 2 mths. as DH had been very ill and MIL visited for a week. Knew DH had to get up early & drive to Illinois.

So I took all the mail, a box & went into the garage & sorted out the mail. Why the garage? Too many bugs outside on the porch at nighttime

Luci

[mymare]

Thank you all for being here - just when I was desperately looking for work and experiencing job (age) discrimination, just after all we have worked for was lost in the crash...I tripped over my pet and have many "issues", neck & brain, and didn't go to the DR because I know they will want to do very expensive fusion surgery and now though our home is in my husbands name - I understand we may lose that since it's paid for. You work and finally have a home, boat and 2 cars that are paid for and then bam!! And you're too old to be hired!! I cry - want to drink a case of box wine and then melt away. You're not alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!