I am sooo poor

[inpain66]

I filed 3/2009

341 4/6/09

waiting on my discharge still. I hope it will occur in 6/2009

Even with the chapter 7 I am soo sad and poor. I REALLY am one of those people with less than 150.00 in disposable income.

I got paid today and after bills n food I only have 20.00 until next pay in 2 weeks.

Anyone else hurting like I am. Would love to chat cuz it is really really depressing and I need to know it will be okay and things will get better

[georgiamommy]

this sounds exactly like me! I filed on 4/8/2009, my 341 hearing is Wednesday. In my checking account right now I have $-1.05 until I get paid on Monday. After I get my check, I will have about $80 left after bills until next pay day and I have to buy gas and groceries and I'm a single Mom of a 4 year old little boy. It is extremely tough and I feel your pain!!!! Then my attorney hits me with a bomb yesterday and says my mortgage company is asking for a reaffirmation fee of $180 and I need to bring this with me on Wednesday to the 341. Where in the world I am going to come up with this I have no idea!!! I am so broke it is not funny, it's sad... really. I FEEL YOUR PAIN. Broke In Georgia

[StartingOver08]

Inpain....just a little secret for you: There is a difference between poor and broke.

Broke is a temporary condition that can be overcome - poor is a permanent condition.

Stop telling yourself you are poor...you may be broke right now, but you took the right steps to get on the path to overcome the temporary condition. When you change your state of mind to a more positive one, you will see the difference in your bank account.

I know you might think this is hokey, but it works. What you think will happen, does happen. You might want to change your thinking - you will be amazed at the power of the mind.

[inpain66]

this sounds exactly like me! I filed on 4/8/2009, my 341 hearing is Wednesday. In my checking account right now I have $-1.05 until I get paid on Monday. After I get my check, I will have about $80 left after bills until next pay day and I have to buy gas and groceries and I'm a single Mom of a 4 year old little boy. It is extremely tough and I feel your pain!!!! Then my attorney hits me with a bomb yesterday and says my mortgage company is asking for a reaffirmation fee of $180 and I need to bring this with me on Wednesday to the 341. Where in the world I am going to come up with this I have no idea!!! I am so broke it is not funny, it's sad... really. I FEEL YOUR PAIN. Broke In Georgia

Wow. We are pretty similar in filing dates. I am sure your 341 will go fine. I have to find the 50.00 to pay for the budget counseling or my case will be thrown out. I do not have kids so I feel for you.

My main problem is my student loans. my student loan debt is more than my yearly salary. I was living on CCds for yrs just to get by. There are no good jobs. I just hope to find a second job soon. It is terrible.

Last year I even had to cocktail at night at a STRIP club just to pay bills. It was humiliating. This is not the american dream!

[WillinVT]

I can't say that I am poor or even in the same boat as you, but it sucks not having the money for stuff you actually need.

I am trying to work out a budget from me and my family, but it's so hard to do. With the rising price of food and gas, it is hard.

Here in Vermont, gas rose 16 cents in the past 5 days. I have a certain budget for gas on both my vehicles and if gas continues to rise (which will probably happen), there goes my gas budget.

Just the other day, I had to take a few hundred dollars that I was saving for my attorney fee's to buy groceries. It sucked to use it, but I am glad I have tucked away because I don't get paid until the 15th of the month and there is no way that we would have made it until then.

[jojo]

this sounds exactly like me! I filed on 4/8/2009, my 341 hearing is Wednesday. In my checking account right now I have $-1.05 until I get paid on Monday. After I get my check, I will have about $80 left after bills until next pay day and I have to buy gas and groceries and I'm a single Mom of a 4 year old little boy. It is extremely tough and I feel your pain!!!! Then my attorney hits me with a bomb yesterday and says my mortgage company is asking for a reaffirmation fee of $180 and I need to bring this with me on Wednesday to the 341. Where in the world I am going to come up with this I have no idea!!! I am so broke it is not funny, it's sad... really. I FEEL YOUR PAIN. Broke In Georgia

Question - my attorney said not to reaffirm. (I am going to anyway), but if you continue with payments they won't take the house - why reaffirm?

[jojo]

I am a single mom too - never any child support. I swear I have no idea how I was paying the cc's as long as I was. Can barely make it w/out paying them.

[georgiamommy]

I have lived on credit cards since my son was born.. .I get NO child support either. I have no idea how I made my min. payments . NOw I am not paying the cc's anymore and can barely make it still. I got my tax refund, $5,000+ and used half of that to pay the credit cards to try and get caught up... yep... got caught up for one month then was in the same boat as the month before. That's when I decided enough was enough. Everytime I get a little extra cash it went straight to the cc's. My attorney told me I had to reaffirm, I didn't think I needed to question him.. .maybe it's better to do that just in case the mortgage company tries to take your house? I don't know? But I'm starting to get real annoyed by my attorney. Who knew filling bk was so expensive anyway. $1,549 I had to give my attorney, then I have to bring $180 with me to my 341 on Wednesday for the reaffirmation. Luckily I still had some of my tax refund left but it's all gone now.

[jojo]

I have lived on credit cards since my son was born.. .I get NO child support either. I have no idea how I made my min. payments . NOw I am not paying the cc's anymore and can barely make it still. I got my tax refund, $5,000+ and used half of that to pay the credit cards to try and get caught up... yep... got caught up for one month then was in the same boat as the month before. That's when I decided enough was enough. Everytime I get a little extra cash it went straight to the cc's. My attorney told me I had to reaffirm, I didn't think I needed to question him.. .maybe it's better to do that just in case the mortgage company tries to take your house? I don't know? But I'm starting to get real annoyed by my attorney. Who knew filling bk was so expensive anyway. $1,549 I had to give my attorney, then I have to bring $180 with me to my 341 on Wednesday for the reaffirmation. Luckily I still had some of my tax refund left but it's all gone now.

My attorney told me not to reaffirm in case down the road I couldn't make the payments, then it would just be covered by the bankruptcy????

[georgiamommy]

I do remember my attorney saying that some people do not reaffirm and as long as they continue to make their payments it was not an issue but he advised me to reaffirm. Probably to make more money off of me. Now that makes me mad! My first mortgage is charging me a $180 fee to reaffirm (Have NEVER been late on a payment, always current) and my 2nd mortgage is not charging anything (never late on this one either, always current). I don't get it?

[DebtEnder]

Tell the mortgage company to piss off, they can take the monthly payment and be happy with it without a re-affirm.

If they try to kick you out it will take a few months at least, in that time stop paying and save the house payment for savings.

[hamburgervol]

Have tried applying for foodstamps? Especially with little mouths to feed.

[dingdong]

Wow. We are pretty similar in filing dates. I am sure your 341 will go fine. I have to find the 50.00 to pay for the budget counseling or my case will be thrown out. I do not have kids so I feel for you.

My main problem is my student loans. my student loan debt is more than my yearly salary. I was living on CCds for yrs just to get by. There are no good jobs. I just hope to find a second job soon. It is terrible.

Last year I even had to cocktail at night at a STRIP club just to pay bills. It was humiliating. This is not the american dream!

A lot of the credit counseling firms will waive the fee if you cannot afford it.

Do a Google search and find one that will waive the fee. It may mean you have to make a couple phone calls, but I know they are out there.

They are mostly, if not all non profit companies and I beleve they have to offer a fee waiver to participate.

A little expenditure in research time should get you a site with a fee waiver.

[dingdong]

Here ya go.

Contact them first before you start the counseling session.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre41.shtm

Pre-bankruptcy Counseling
A pre-bankruptcy counseling session with an approved credit counseling organization should include an evaluation of your personal financial situation, a discussion of alternatives to bankruptcy, and a personal budget plan. A typical counseling session should last about 60 to 90 minutes, and can take place in person, on the phone, or online. The counseling organization is required to provide the counseling free of charge for those consumers who cannot afford to pay. If you cannot afford to pay a fee for credit counseling, you should request a fee waiver from the counseling organization before the session begins.

[dingdong]

Ok, I just re-read your post and it looks like you need the debtor education course, but the same rule applies to the post filing requirement. If you can't afford it , tell them prior to starting the session and the counseling fee is waived.


And for other members reading this thread, you do not need to pay 50.00 for counseling sessions, there are services out there for 14.95. Do your shopping for counseling sessions. They are not some huge life lesson you are paying for, you are jumping through a post 2005 BK law change hoop, which the CC companies fought for, don't waste your money on a 50.00 post filing fee when you can either get it free or for 14.95.

Just my opinion.


DD