I know that a big part of your problem is the cut in income, and that needs to be addressed ASAP. Tell the attorney your hours have been cut permanently and you need to adjust your schedules I&J right away.
However, I'm also wondering how much of your struggle is just the learning curve of learning to live within your budget. We all went through it. Ch.13 is a HUGE budgeting teacher. Once your income schedule is updated, that will obviously help, but it sounds like you need to learn to cut back and save too. The first clue to this is that you mentioned the kids karate at $390/mo. That's an extravagant expense for someone in bankruptcy. I have to wonder how many other areas you are splurging in without realizing it. A close evaluation is in order.
Clothing is another big one. Like a pp mentioned, shop clearance, buy in off season, combine with coupon savings and "cash back" offers. Old Navy just sent me a 30% off coupon and they are doing their supercash promotion right now too, where you get $10 back for every $25 you spend. You can get around $100 worth of clothes for $30 after all the discounts. These are the types of deals you need to start looking in to. Also, if you have friends who have slightly older kids, ask what they do with their old clothes. Hand-me-downs are awesome! Some of my daughters nicest clothes have been passed down from friends.
I don't know if you've looked at the IRS standards yet, but here they are: http://www.justice.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa...anstesting.htm
Most people who have been counting pennies for years find the standards to be quite generous. If you don't, again, an evaluation is in order. Look at what you need to live and what you're buying, depending on which categories you're over/under. And if you find you're spending under in one category, you can use that overage to buffer another category. However, on paper, it should closely follow the IRS standards. The tt isn't going to follow your bank account monthly to determine where you're actually spending your money, you just need to maintain your overall budget.
This leads to another issue. Occasional or annual expenses. Clothing, medical, car maintenance, etc. are not something that occur every month. However, there will be (should be) a line-item in your budget for each of them. You need to learn to set this money aside each month as if it were an actual expense so that when it comes due, the money is waiting there for it. For example, your medical expense for a family of 5 is $300 a month (this is IRS standard), however, unless you have extreme medical issues, this shouldn't come up each month. Set it aside, because the moment someone breaks a bone, or the whole family ends up sick and you're having to pay for 5 doc visits, prescriptions, or braces, then you will need that stockpile of money. Same with car tags, christmas, car repairs. These are not "emergencies." They happen to everyone, they will happen to you. They need to be budgeted for and planned for. If you cannot learn to save for them, then your plan is doomed to fail no matter how well it is set up.
I suggest you sign up for PACER so you can view the budget that your husband and lawyer set up, and you can compare to the national standards to see what needs to be tweaked. How can you stick to a budget when you don't know what that budget is? I would insist on being included in the loop if I were you, especially because you're probably the one in charge of shopping for food/household supplies/clothing, etc. You need to know what your limit is, or you will always go over. It's human nature.
However, I'm also wondering how much of your struggle is just the learning curve of learning to live within your budget. We all went through it. Ch.13 is a HUGE budgeting teacher. Once your income schedule is updated, that will obviously help, but it sounds like you need to learn to cut back and save too. The first clue to this is that you mentioned the kids karate at $390/mo. That's an extravagant expense for someone in bankruptcy. I have to wonder how many other areas you are splurging in without realizing it. A close evaluation is in order.
Clothing is another big one. Like a pp mentioned, shop clearance, buy in off season, combine with coupon savings and "cash back" offers. Old Navy just sent me a 30% off coupon and they are doing their supercash promotion right now too, where you get $10 back for every $25 you spend. You can get around $100 worth of clothes for $30 after all the discounts. These are the types of deals you need to start looking in to. Also, if you have friends who have slightly older kids, ask what they do with their old clothes. Hand-me-downs are awesome! Some of my daughters nicest clothes have been passed down from friends.
I don't know if you've looked at the IRS standards yet, but here they are: http://www.justice.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa...anstesting.htm
Most people who have been counting pennies for years find the standards to be quite generous. If you don't, again, an evaluation is in order. Look at what you need to live and what you're buying, depending on which categories you're over/under. And if you find you're spending under in one category, you can use that overage to buffer another category. However, on paper, it should closely follow the IRS standards. The tt isn't going to follow your bank account monthly to determine where you're actually spending your money, you just need to maintain your overall budget.
This leads to another issue. Occasional or annual expenses. Clothing, medical, car maintenance, etc. are not something that occur every month. However, there will be (should be) a line-item in your budget for each of them. You need to learn to set this money aside each month as if it were an actual expense so that when it comes due, the money is waiting there for it. For example, your medical expense for a family of 5 is $300 a month (this is IRS standard), however, unless you have extreme medical issues, this shouldn't come up each month. Set it aside, because the moment someone breaks a bone, or the whole family ends up sick and you're having to pay for 5 doc visits, prescriptions, or braces, then you will need that stockpile of money. Same with car tags, christmas, car repairs. These are not "emergencies." They happen to everyone, they will happen to you. They need to be budgeted for and planned for. If you cannot learn to save for them, then your plan is doomed to fail no matter how well it is set up.
I suggest you sign up for PACER so you can view the budget that your husband and lawyer set up, and you can compare to the national standards to see what needs to be tweaked. How can you stick to a budget when you don't know what that budget is? I would insist on being included in the loop if I were you, especially because you're probably the one in charge of shopping for food/household supplies/clothing, etc. You need to know what your limit is, or you will always go over. It's human nature.
You GO!!!
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