Median income and means testing

[brendamc67]

I've been going through a lot of the posts out here and have gained a lot of helpful information. I'm also confused, though. My husband and I make roughly $3,000 less than the median income for two adults in Washington state. Do we still have to pass the means test? We recently moved out of a rental home because we could not afford to pay the rent any longer and moved into a fifth-wheel trailer at my mother's house. We now only pay $150 a month in rent and $100 toward the utilities. I guess that I'm worried that with such little rent, it will look like we are "rolling in dough." In reality, we won't. We have been living on credit cards for several months now, and as we are now transitioned to paying cash for things, I realize how many things I have been avoiding buying just to make ends meet.
Anyway.... I sound kinda manic... and I apologize. Thanks for any help.

[newbie2]

I've been going through a lot of the posts out here and have gained a lot of helpful information. I'm also confused, though. My husband and I make roughly $3,000 less than the median income for two adults in Washington state. Do we still have to pass the means test? We recently moved out of a rental home because we could not afford to pay the rent any longer and moved into a fifth-wheel trailer at my mother's house. We now only pay $150 a month in rent and $100 toward the utilities. I guess that I'm worried that with such little rent, it will look like we are "rolling in dough." In reality, we won't. We have been living on credit cards for several months now, and as we are now transitioned to paying cash for things, I realize how many things I have been avoiding buying just to make ends meet.
Anyway.... I sound kinda manic... and I apologize. Thanks for any help.

Even though you only pay $150 a month in rent now I can't believe that you wouldn't be able to use the allowed rent amount for your county in your budget worksheet. The trustee surely isn't going to expect you to live in a fifth wheel trailer for very long.

You should be ok if you are under median by that much. Just plug in what is allowed in your district for expenses and go from there.

[brendamc67]

Thanks!

And, of course, those aren't our only bills. We are both diabetics and because of our insurance, we have to set aside $500 a month to be able to cover our deductible and out of pocket expense. We spend more than $9,000 a year on prescriptions alone (that's each of us). Our insurance is sort of sucky, but it's cheap and eventually it pays for something.
I also wonder if they will question the money we pay for a storage space rental? Moving into a fifth wheel meant that we either had to store our household stuff or try to sell it quickly. Now I'm afraid to try and get rid of anything, since I wonder if they will question that. We pay $200 a month for storage.

[nc73]

I think you'll be alright. I wouldn't worry about it too much. My insurance is crap too and I plan on putting a high amount for medical expenses. The decent plan costs 1500 a month...I opted for the 260 a month which doesn't really cover anything.