1. Anticipated federal & state taxes due April 15^th  = $535
2. Car repairs – tune-up, some body repair & new tires
3. Catch up on big winter heating/electric bills.
4. Glasses for my husband & dental work for both of us.

The background:
The good news is that I moved to a new dept. this fall in the university where I work, where I received a 6% raise.  I have been with the university since 8/2005.  After I got the state job, my husband and I could see a way we could get out of the hole we were in, pay off our credit cards, start saving money for emergencies.

The set-back:
My husband had a disc rupture in his back at the beginning of 2006, requiring surgery.  He was not able to work full-time from Dec. ’05 – June ’06, and for about 2 of those months, he could not work at all.  His job does not include sick leave, so he was without any pay during that time.  Luckily, my health insurance covered all costs, and he is now better than ever!
 
During this time, one of my creditors had a judgment filed against me.  I had been participating in a payment plan with them for a year, where they lowered my monthly payment to something I could handle, but they ended the program after a year and raised the payment amount higher than we could afford. I went to an attorney, who advised us to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy. We decided the blight on our credit report was not as bad as constantly drowning in debt. We finally received our discharge in October. 

The present:
So now we are debt free!  It’s a wonderful place to be.  Once we get over this hump, we will be in a position to start over and start building some savings.
Monthly budget:
Net income: $1500
Husband's Net Income: $850
Total monthly family Income: $2350

Rent: $ 700
Phone: $ 100
Gas (car): $ 75
Gas (heat): 150
Electricity & Water: $ 250
Food: $ 500
Insurance: $67
Internet: $60
Clothing: $ 30
Medical: $100
Credit cards and loans that won't be paid off with my Prosper loan: $ 0
-----------------------
Total Monthly Expenses : $  2032
I will have $318  left to make the payments on my Prosper loan.

Thank you!