We were not allowed to contribute to IRA (and we had a match) during our CH 13.

We were sad, but it makes sense. 

Have you found any helpful info about CH 13 at the bookstore, or library, or online?  Gathering info will help you feel empowered and keep the frustration level down.  It'll also help you ask the best questions when you talk to the attorney.

As for the food, we ate a lot of rice and beans, potatoes, kept an extremely low food budget before and during our BK (yes - all the way through!)  Do you have a local food bank that could help you out this month?  That's what they're there for!

Keep us posted - lots of us have been there and we're rooting for you!

ETA:  and definitely give up the Dish!

We were told we had to give up daughter's cell phone when the trustee went over the plan.  She was 16 and working, driving at nights and we felt she needed a basic phone for safety.  We had given her a cheap phone and a cheap plan ($10 month) for her birthday.  Trustee said we couldn't afford it and she should pay for it herself.  It was taken out of the plan budget.  We did keep paying it - it came out of our grocery budget. If you're already in contract, cancellation fees can be pretty steep.   Interesting to us - the plan allotted for a clothes budget.  Something we didn't have (or it was very minimal); so that was more generous than what we had been doing.