Back to School Expenses Hitting your Budget?

Now that the new school year has started, parents everywhere are looking at their bank accounts and wondering when school got so expensive.  Between new clothes for the kids, fees for class trips, and the cost of new school supplies, its normal for budgets to be stretched in the Fall. As a result, we often see an increase in the number of people considering filing for bankruptcy relief.

Back to School Costs Add Up

For any bankruptcy filing, the Court requires a current household budget of total income and expenses.  Clients often under-estimate their income and wonder “If I’m making that much money, where is it all going?”  Usually the answer is that the income is going to cover things like back-to-school expenses.  It may only happen once a year, back-to-school shopping can add up to a large part of a family budget.  Luckily, we can include clothing and school supplies and fees as part of your total expenses.  Any parent can tell you that children are expensive, and the Court understands the reality of paying for school.

If you’re feeling the financial crunch of recent expenses on top of loans or other debts that you’ve been carrying for months already, then we’d be happy to talk to you about your options in bankruptcy.  In addition, now is a great time of year to take stock of how much you’ve spent on clothes and school supplies in order to try to balance your budget for the year.

We offer free consultations at all of our convenient locations. Our attorneys are experienced in helping solve financial problems.  If you’d like some help getting your bills under control, please give us a call and set up an appointment.