u/More-Dragonfly-3165

I’m honestly really overwhelmed right now and could use some advice from people who have actually gone through Chapter 7 and buying a car around the same time.
I lost my job and got into a lot of debt while I was unemployed. I’m now being sued by Capital One for around $5k, so I decided to file Chapter 7 and just try to start over financially. I finally got a new job, but I only make $18.50/hour right now. I’m working on getting a second job or finding something higher paying, but it’s going to take some time before my income is where I need it to be. Right now I have about $15k total in my accounts: $5k emergency savings, $7k set aside for bills so I can breathe while I get back on my feet, $3k specifically for a car/down payment. I currently have NO car and no other source of transportation. I spoke with a bankruptcy attorney and because I don’t have a homestead exemption, she explained that I have a $5k wildcard/personal property exemption. She also told me that if I have a car before I file, I can have another $5k exemption for the car. This is where I’m completely stuck.
I’ve been trying REALLY hard to find a reliable cash car because I don’t want another monthly payment. But I’ve almost gotten scammed three times. People have lied about the condition of the cars, I’ve found cars with code deletions, and honestly I’m not paying $10k for a 2006 Toyota Camry. I’ve even been paying a mechanic to come with me and inspect the cars, and I’m getting exhausted and losing hope. So I went to a dealership as another option. They offered me a car around $18k with about $4,600 down, 18.18% APR, and a $430 payment for 72 months. That’s BEFORE GAP insurance and any other coverage. I’m also a new driver, so I already know my insurance is probably going to be expensive.
I’m terrified of ending up paying $30k-$35k for a car that is only worth around $17k. My attorney is telling me I need to have a car BEFORE I file because otherwise, after my $5k wildcard exemption, the rest of my money may not be protected. Her reasoning is that if I buy a car, I can use the $5k vehicle exemption as well. But I’m stuck because: If I file now, I’m scared I’ll lose the money I saved and then I won’t have money for a car. If I buy an older cash car, I’m scared I’ll get screwed on repairs or buy a car with hidden problems. If I finance through a dealership, I’m looking at an insanely high APR and a payment I really don’t want.
I only make $18.50/hour right now, so I need that $7k cushion to pay my bills while I get a second job or find something better. I’ve heard that you can refinance a high-interest car loan later, but I don’t know how realistic that is after filing Chapter 7. I’m not trying to hide money or do anything shady. I’m just trying to understand the smartest way to handle this because I feel like every option is bad. Has anyone been in a similar situation where you had to buy a car before filing Chapter 7 to protect some of your money? Did you finance a car before filing? Did you use a high-APR lender like Westlake? Were you able to refinance later? Did you regret buying the car?
I’m honestly just looking for real experiences and advice because I feel like I’m drowning right now. I worked so hard to save this money, I finally got another job, and I just want to be able to start over financially and breathe.

I’m trying to understand what is happening with my CT unemployment claim. I was originally having issues getting my claim established because CTDOL’s system was saying I didn’t have Connecticut wages, even though I did. I eventually got the issue resolved and CTDOL backdated my claim. After the backdating was done, I submitted my weekly claims for all of the backdated weeks. Now something changed on my account. I received a monetary determination showing $0 for the benefit amounts, and when I look at the payment/status information for the backdated weeks, every one of those weeks is now showing “Excessive Earnings.” The confusing part is that I did not work during those weeks and did not report any earnings for those weeks.
Could “Excessive Earnings” be showing because CTDOL is still processing/recalculating the backdated claim and the monetary determination, or does this mean they are saying I actually had earnings during those weeks?
Has anyone in Connecticut dealt with this before?
I’m especially confused because the claim was already** **backdated by CTDOL, and the “Excessive Earnings” issue appeared after I submitted the backdated weekly claims.
I’m trying to figure out whether this is just a temporary processing issue or whether I need to contact CTDOL/appeal something.

I’m planning to file Chapter 7 because I have a large amount of debt that built up after losing my job. I eventually got a temporary job and was able to save around $10,000. That job ended, and I’m currently unemployed again and looking for another job. I’m also not receiving unemployment right now. I’m currently looking for a bankruptcy attorney, and I actually spoke with an attorney who told me that because Florida only protects $4,000 under the wildcard exemption in my situation, the money I have over that amount could potentially be taken by the trustee if I file Chapter 7. My concern is that I’m not sitting on $10k because I have extra money to spare. I’m unemployed, I rent, and I have bills and basic living expenses to pay. If I only had $4,000 left, I would burn through that pretty quickly and could potentially end up unable to pay my rent or other necessities while I’m looking for work. I also just received notice that one of my creditors is suing me, so I’m trying to figure out what my options are. I’m not trying to hide or transfer the money. I’m trying to understand how people handle this situation when their savings are basically their only safety net while they’re unemployed. For anyone familiar with Florida bankruptcy Is there really no way to protect more than the $4,000 if the money is needed for basic living expenses? Does being unemployed and having no current income make any difference? Would filing Chapter 13 make more sense in this situation? How do you decide when it’s safe to file if you need your savings to survive? Has anyone been in a similar situation where they had savings but were unemployed when they filed? I’m definitely going to speak with an attorney before doing anything with the money. I just want to hear from people who have actually been through this because I’m worried that I could either file and lose the money I need to survive, or wait too long because I’m trying to preserve my savings and have the creditor lawsuit get worse.

I was let go from my job on May 5, 2026 and have been unemployed since then. I’ve been trying to file for Connecticut unemployment since I lost my job, but my claim kept getting closed because I was repeatedly told that I didn’t have any work history in Connecticut.

After dealing with this multiple times, I finally made a complaint and explained what was happening. The issue was eventually fixed, and I was finally able to get my claim submitted. However, my claim is currently only starting from August 2.

Since I had been trying to file since May and the reason I couldn’t get my claim established was because of the issue with CT unemployment incorrectly saying I didn’t work in CT, would I be able to request a backdate to May 5?

I’ve been unemployed and haven’t received any unemployment benefits for about 3 months because of this.

Also, I have a new job starting September 21. Would I potentially still be able to receive unemployment for the weeks I was unemployed before my start date?

Has anyone in CT dealt with something similar or successfully gotten their claim backdated?