when it rains it pours...truly!

[CityGirl]

why didnt you re-finance to pay off credit card debts down? You would then have no equity in the home. How much over the median are you?

[wooisme]

it doesn't matter, i'm not interested in filing chapter 7.........i'm fine with the way things are and no i would never refinance to pay off credit cards.......that makes it a secured loan. I do not have an issue paying my trustee or making those payments.....my bankruptcy isn't what i am questioning, i'm questioning trying to come up with money to pay for repairs.

it would not matter if i didn't file bankruptcy or not, before the bankruptcy i had no money like this for this kind of repair and i still don't

[rrockinggramma]

do you have a friend of a friend that knows how to fix cars? or a relative that could loan you one to use for a minute? Those might be options too. Try not to get too discouraged but you are right, when things are tough it only seems to get tougher to deal with.

[wooisme]

well, i have my car.........it's really his SUV, the thing that really gets me mad is that this suspension (rear) has been fixed THREE times since 2000 when we bought it new. something is not right here.

My friend told me to talk to them at the dealership because she told me this sounds like some kind of malfunction in the SUV design altogether, that no one should have to put in FOUR rear suspension systems.

[CityGirl]

I'm so confused as to what you mean by "that makes it a secure loan". My point being, you wouldn't of had such a high payment if you would of gotten rid of 1/2 of those credit cards by paying it with the equity in your home, giving you more income to pay for emergencies. OR, you could of taken a home equity loan and socked some of it away for emergencies with a friend or family member.

it doesn't matter, i'm not interested in filing chapter 7.........i'm fine with the way things are and no i would never refinance to pay off credit cards.......that makes it a secured loan. I do not have an issue paying my trustee or making those payments.....my bankruptcy isn't what i am questioning, i'm questioning trying to come up with money to pay for repairs.

it would not matter if i didn't file bankruptcy or not, before the bankruptcy i had no money like this for this kind of repair and i still don't

[SinkingFast]

I'm so confused as to what you mean by "that makes it a secure loan". My point being, you wouldn't of had such a high payment if you would of gotten rid of 1/2 of those credit cards by paying it with the equity in your home, giving you more income to pay for emergencies. OR, you could of taken a home equity loan and socked some of it away for emergencies with a friend or family member.

NEVER take a loan against a Secured Asset,......... Especially your home,.......... To pay Unsecured Debts.

City Girl,...............

You need to stop and think about what you're saying to people on the Forum and how you say the things you do say.

We're all broke here. At least most of us are. Yet you keep pointing fingers at people about how they managed their financial affairs.

If you were such a Wiz with money, you wouldn't be considering filing a Ch 13.

That's if you're really even gonna file. And not just posting here to pick at people.

Either run with the Dawgs or sit on the porch!

[CindyLou]

CityGirl,
What they are trying to explain is that the credit card debt as it stands in the chapter 13 is unsecured debt and is not secured by the home. Depending on the state, the equity in the home could even be considered exempt. If you refinance the home and pay off your credit card debt you are then basically signing your home over to secure your credit card debt and that equity is gone and so is any future exemption in case you need to file chapter 7! Bad bad bad financial move.

And if wooisme would takes out any type of home equity loan then his/her mortgage would increase so they would not be any better off by doing that. The would be paying a second mortgage with more interest. They are in a 13 and can not take on more debt anyway in a 13 without the permission of the trustee.

As far as socking away money with a family or friend, well that is just plain ole fraud!
Sinkingfast, I honestly do not think that CG is here to pick on anyone but I will say to her that she should realize that people do come here and take this advice VERY SERIOUSLY so we should all be as sure as we can be that we are giving as accurate information as without any type of predudice or judgement! We are all learning as we go and all make mistakes, but we have to make sure that we do not give advice if we are unsure of the subject or we at least say that we are unsure???? This is almost like a family that we have formed and we always welcome newbies with open arms and always want to be protective of everyone.

[CityGirl]

Thanks Cindy~
I owned a home and took out a home equity and paid off my credit card debt several years ago. It saved me from paying high interest and I got to write off the interest on my taxes ( mortgage interest ). It consolidated and lowered my interest rates. Not only that, but my credit score went through the roof when I did that because my unsecureds were paid. I'm only in this position now (8 years later ) because I overspend and want to again consolidate into one payment. If i had a home, I'd refinance and pay off credit cards. That's what I did before and it was great. My home increased in value over the years anyway to make up the equity. This is why I'm confused and in no way was my post meant to insult!!! I honestly don't believe I deserved a point deduction ( that you gave me which I don't understand how it works )

"signing your home over to secure your credit card debt and that equity is gone and so is any future exemption in case you need to file chapter 7! Bad bad bad financial move. "

I didn't do it planning on going bankrupt though. I did it for convenience, and not in case I needed an exemption. It's not fraud if you give home equity money to a friend or family member to put away for you for the future. ( emergencies ) It's your money. You can do what you wish with it. ( This was meant if you're not already in BK ) I wasn't planning then on going bankrupt so I'm very confused at this right now. I know wooisme is in a 13, and I wasn't talking about doing that NOW ( taking out equity ). I was talking about before the 13 was filed to get out of the mess to avoid the 13. The mortgage payments for me were much lower then the individual credit card payments I was making AND the interest was deductable. The payments for me were more manageable and easier to make.

I understand she needs a resource for the money she needs currently. I'm fortunate I have family and friends that would give me emergency money in a heartbeat, but I wouldn't ask. I just work 3 jobs and I always find a way to pay for things if I have to. I search the internet all the time. Some mystery shopping jobs ( depending on where you live ) pay very well.

I took an extended warranty when I bought my car in 2006 so I'm good to go as far as keeping it another 5 years if I have to. I'm so glad I did that and maybe that's some advice to give to someone who is thinking BK. Roll that warranty into your payments. It'll be worth it if something happens to the car during the Chapter 13.

[wooisme]

honey i work three jobs and my husband ONE, I don't have time to get another job.....my family has NO money........I have a mother who is on a fixed income who lost her huband in 2006 who had NO insurance. She's 67 and cleaning houses to make ends meet. she has no money to give to me. I do feel like Im being picked on here. well you should have.......taken out an extended warranty........easy to say if you have money to do it.

the thing is when you are in 13, they budget down to the penny, anything extra, they take!

I think what the others are saying is that for one, my originial question had nothing to do with all this talk about changing to chapter 7 ..............I have no interest in doing all this........I just wanted to know what others do when they are in a situation like this while in a chapter 13 plan

are you actually IN any kind of bankruptcy. are you in a 7 or a 13.............

if not then you need to understand that people are BROKE in a 7 or a 13.........esp a 13

[$$only4ever]

Hi Wooisme,

I am so sorry that you are having troubles. Chapter 13 is really hard and I really understand what you are going through.

You said in your post that you had to replace the rear suspension 4 times. I would get all of your documentation and go to the dealership. If they are not receptive, then tell them that you want to meet with the factory representative to correct this problem once and for all. Advise them that they are paying for this repair...I hope that everything works out for you. Just remember all of us 13'ers are in this together!!!

[DOA]

FIX it myself.............GEE, I'll just hoist it up on my shoulders and snap that thing right into place!!! yeah right, im not an auto mechanic.

While you may not be a mechanic, a rear compressor isn't that hard to replace. If you have a range rover here is a link that I found in 30 seconds, which covers complete instructions for replacement. http://www.rangerovers.net/repairdet...ompressor.html

You may not be a mechanic, but I bet you can read. And for the record, since we have never corresponded, yes, I am in a BK, Ch13. 16 months into a 36 month plan. You have to become more self reliant when you don't have the means to have it done.

[wooisme]

I am a 46 year old female with Lupus and other auto-immune disorders. how would you suggest i repair this? it's not a range rover! It's a big a** SUV!

I'm not physically WELL to do this. LOL...........what a joke!

[DOA]

I am a 46 year old female with Lupus and other auto-immune disorders. how would you suggest i repair this? it's not a range rover! It's a big a** SUV!

I'm not physically WELL to do this. LOL...........what a joke!

Gee, the same way that I, a 41 year old male with congestive heart failure AND auto-immune disease would. Very carefully. Your not the only one in the world who is sick. It's what put me in 13, lousy insurance, and 10's of thousands of dollars for all my medical bills over a year because of the crappy insurance. And my mother died from Lupus, so I full well understand the disease. Or better yet, have your husband do it. If you name the SUV I could probably even help you find the instructions on how to replace it.

[Minnymouth]

Check with a local repair shop about some type of payment plan to fix the auto and then run it by the Trustee for approval......

Many reasons why people don't work on their own vehicle...the main one is they dont know how.. some aren't physically able too.

Lol, if I got down on the ground working on a car I wouldn't be able to get back up without help.....

[wooisme]

My husband is in worse shape than I am in. He wears a back brace and has nerve damage, he is not able to lay on the ground. I'm not asking for a lesson in CAR repair.....hell if i could do that I would apply for yet another job to do and could clean up under the table with everyone else's car issues........

I decided to take the advice of $$Onlyforever and go that route........and then get a hold of my lawyer........other than that it will sit in my driveway until i can save enough to repair it ...perhaps i can get it discounted..........i had all the work on the vehicle done by the dealership and have excellent records.............i might as well see what they can do for me first and then work my way up ....after all it's only going to sit there in the driveway and feel i don't have anything to lose in seeing what can be done.

Thanks all who gave good advice.......I just wish though that some would really think before posting responses!