You have $3775 in expenses listed ... and you don't have kids. I don't know whether or not you intend to have children, but how wise you are to tackle your financial situation before you have any kids!
Can you tell me what the "other" category includes? And why is gasoline so high? Is public transporation available for work? How many more payments do you have on your car? And how much are your toal credit card balances and the interest rates for each?
One of the biggest differences we made in our budget was in groceries -- I cook nearly everything from scratch, use my crockpots a LOT, and shop at Aldi's/Sav-A-Lot, as well as shopping other local markets for their loss leaders. My husband brown bags ALL his lunches, including beverages, and my children take their lunches to school from home.
And to be honest, if you are even thinking of bankruptcy, I would try and cut back on the clothing expenses. Shop consignment stores -- even thrift stores. Buy classic pieces, etc. and try to get itrems that are not all dry clean only -- especially blouses.
There are lots of ways to cut back, but it all depends on how serious you are and how close you are to the edge -- that's why I askled for your monthly income. I can tell you right off, my husband only brings home a little more than half of what your expenses cost each month, but we're able to save about 30%/year for retirement. So there are lots of things you can do, some more drastic than others, again depending upon hopw close you are to the edge. Remember, you're posting anonymously here, but if you would rather email me privately, I'm at
jorasparents@hotmail.com ... good luck!