If just one person in the marriage is filing bankruptcy, we still need a whole family budget.
The question comes up all the time. “Can I file bankruptcy and leave my wife/husband out of it.” The answer to that is, Yes.
But to get your case approved, we need to submit a whole family budget. That means we need to see the paystubs for both of you. And the expenses, rent food, utilities, car payments, etc. We need the total for both of you.
Some families put all the money in one account, and then one person writes out the bills. That makes this whole family budget pretty easy to do.
But a lot of folks don’t do it that way. “I don’t know what his car payment is; he pays it.” I hear that a lot. Or, “I make the rent payment, she buys the food.” It’s OK to do it that way, but we still need to show the court a whole family budget.
Many people can’t seem to get this right on the first try. They give me the whole amount for the mortgage payment or rent, but for the clothing budget or health care, they give me only their total.
Guys, $40 a month doesn’t keep your teens in shoes.
Whole Family Budget: Be Realistic. Be Accurate.
I see parents, often dads, with three teens at home, put down $40 a month for clothing. Guys, that $40 a month doesn’t even keep those kids in shoes. (The IRS and Bureau of Labor Statistics says $305.00 in apparel and services for a family of five.)
I’ve helped fifteen thousand people clear their debts. So, I have a pretty good idea what causes financial problems. And it’s usually sudden loss of income and medical issues. But even if that’s what got you into debt, better budgeting can help you stay out and save. So if as a couple you don’t really know what each other is spending money on, sit down and get it straight.
That will help you get your bankruptcy approved and your debts cleared. And also help you make the most of your new start.
PS. I need to talk here about what the bankruptcy law calls “marital adjustments.” We are allowed to show on your budget money that your spouse does NOT bring home to the family.
Does the spouse have student loans? Is the spouse send money to an elderly parent or grand parent? We need to account for those in the whole family budget.
Is there an addictive behavior? Gambling? Smoking? Drugs? That’s will make the family budgeting discussion harder. But it makes getting your bankruptcy approved easier. So you need to put a dollar amount on it. And tell me.