laptop and camera

[tarichann]

I bought a laptop and camera with my tax refund in March. I will be filing bankruptcy in the next couple weeks. Can I exempt the laptop and camera? I will be using Texas exempts and the only other thing I have to exempt is my car which isnt worth much. Can I use the homestead exempt to exempt them since I dont have a house? Thanks T

[SMinGA]

You don't use the homestead exemption for personal property - its just for a home.

TX allows up to $30,000 in personal property, however. Unless the laptop and camera are extremely valuable, it should not be a problem.

Are you filing with an attorney? He/she should know how to claim the exemptions. One mistake to avoid however: you do have other things to exempt. You may not own anything else of significant value, but you should list in some manner your household items, clothing, etc. You could probably even summarize it that way. (Such as Furniture & Household Items $X, Clothing & apparel $X, Vehicle Description $X, Camera $X, Laptop Computer $X.)