Can we charge groceries when....

[hada76]

I have 2 questions. My DH is going to file CH 13 really soon. I just had to scrap up every dollar to pay 2 months mortgage plus late fees. Now I cannot pay my monthly CC expenses off (short $1600) that I usually religiously do. He is filing alone (I'm not) and hasn't used his CC in a couple months. Problem is we need groceries and need to go to the doctor (ins. sucks). Do I pay when I don't have the $ or does he knowing he's filing soon and hasn't had activity in 2 months? I've read it's ok to buy food and medical but I didn't know if the non-activity makes any difference in their eyes. We honestly need to eat. It would probably take me 6 months to get caught up if I paid.


Next question is, typically from the day you file to the day your start to payback, how long is that?

TIA!

[momofthree]

You make your first payment within 30 days of filing.

Yes, you can charge groceries (it won't be objected to) but you really need to learn to live on cash. The mortgage arrears could have been paid into your ch.13 plan.

[hada76]

Thanks. Usually, I can cover food and not carry over a balance but the cat got out of the bag that we were behind on everything and I thought we needed to pay the house. It's really tough but if I can see some relief in around 30 days, I know it'll be ok. It's due again next week, maybe we won't pay so we can pay the lawyer. I didn't think about that. I posted a new thread to understand arrears. I haven't seen his lawyer, I probably should.

[KAKRN97]

In my district, Northern Ohio-Youngstown, my first CH 13 payment was due within 10 days of filing!! I think it would be ok to charge groceries but like another poster said, it's time to start learning to live on a budget.
I'm just two payments into my 36 month plan but my husband just got laid off again last week. So I may be modifying my payments, or converting to a Ch 7, or forbearing some payments while he is laid off. I meet with my lawyer on Wednesday. I'm still tweaking my budget