We live in central Vermont, a small town that's almost rural in nature. I work in south Burlington, 35 miles away, for the federal government. I was blessed by God in that I was a GS-4 when I entered service in 1992, and was moved up through the ranks slowly over the ensuing years. Last year, I became a GS-9 in middle management. So even though I now gross nearly $50,000 annually, that only started this year.
We only had one car. She used it infrequently, and when we were together, my attempts to get her to drive were unsuccessful. She absolutely refused. She might have actually driven the car 4 or 5 times per year. That car has been critical for me to get to work. I've attempted twice to find people to car pool with; no soap. And no mass transit.
I'm currently the only one in the apartment, and the rent is $425/month with an average monthly heating bill of $100. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, within that range or even within $200 of that in the 60 mile area around Burlington.
I have outstanding debt of $28,000. I am just barely able to keep up with all expenses and debt payments. I am currently in negative territory in the checkbook because I've had to pay for a lot of counseling and doctor visits over the past month, partly due to the sep.
If I am ordered to hand over the car, I'm done. If I have to leave the apartment, I'm done. If the court tells me to declare bankruptcy, then my federal credit cards will be withdrawn and that will be grounds for dismissal.
If I overextend myself financially for any reason, including taking out new loans to take care of any expenses, the next step is default on payments. Credit counseling and intervention is no option, because half of all the credit I have had is now closed accounts that cannot be reopened. So, defaulting will result in bankruptcy; I am done.
