any1 willing 2 b my bk7 mentor?

[ppodmama]

Y am I filing for bk? we have a TON of cc debt and can't properly provide for our family.

Stopped using cc 4 years ago. All old debt.

Debt got large for 2 reasons: A) An international adoption(2003-2004) gone bad, worse, bad, worse,Haitian uprising-adoptions halted, bad, hurricanes, miracle, our son home

B)Ourformer church pressured us for more and more and more money, and we compensated taking care of needs with credit cards. (We have been de-toxing from this place for the last 2.5 years)

FF to today...4 months behind on mortgage, received letter saying if we don't pay by March 9, they will accelerate the loan. I have been working as a daycare provider, but in Autumn, our Haitian adopted son revealed a learning difficulty and needs to be homeschooled. Homeschool has mandatory hour requirements, and our son needs absolute quiet and calm when learning, so income through daycare diminished significantly.

We have done all we can cut out and have no where to go now...our son to this day has never been to the dentist (he is 8) and our 15 year old daughter just went for the first time last month due to a dental emergency.

Our truck is 9 years old, we have only catastrohic health care coverage, I have had 1 professional haircut in 13 years....we live very very frugally, so we didn't just live like royalty and never pay the bill.

Saw attorney, been given forms to fill out. SCARED WITLESS! I am always wary of anything which brings the government into a life (lessons learned from international adoption) but if we hope to give our kids any kind of life at all we gotta do this.

Anyone willing to walk with me through this emotionally and advicewise? I don't want to cry on an attorney's should, getting charged by the teardrop.

[JiggaMan]

As far as advice, take it slow. Looking at all the documents is quite daunting at first. The complexity is determined by your assets. If you have nothing and are dirt poor then it should be fairly easy. If you have 500k in assets you probably need a lawyer. I recommend taking the means test first, then seeing if you qualify for the filing fee waiver. If you qualify for a waiver chances are you should be able to get through it yourself with some online research.

If you are going to tackle it yourself, don't overwhelm yourself. Set up realistic goals and expectations where you can attack 1 section at a time so you aren't spending more then an hour a day on it. If you are stuck on something google it you will find people asking for assistance for the exact same thing, and there will most likely be an answer. There are some great sites you can find online for free lawyer advice and forums with people giving their experiences.

Get the kids on medicare, no child should go 8 years without seeing a dentist.

Best of luck.

[LearningasIgo]

On the surface, your case does not look too complicated. If that's remotely true, then filing is not rocket science, and is doable pro se. I know three others who filed pro se, including myself. It is basically just following the steps.

In my own case, I purchased a book called "How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy". While I could have filed without such an aid, I found it comforting to have it for questions that arose. The book is thorough.

The caveat is, of course, how "complicated" you think your case is. A good many Chapter 7's, perhaps even the majority, could be filed pro se, in my opinon, that opinion supported by my experience, and the experience of at least three other people.

Of course, each case will have its nuances.

[Linda7]

You might want to check into Badgercare plus - here's some interesting reading that might help. Your family (especially the children) might well be able to have medical/dental benefits either for free or very low cost. http://www.livinglakecountry.com/blogs/communityblogs/117456083.html