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How the Government Polices What Student Debtors Spend

For borrowers seeking relief on their student loans in bankruptcy, there's no room for any spending seen as excessive.

Bloomberg business news — Why It's So Hard to Get Rid of Student Debt

By

Natalie Kitroeff

November 2, 2015, 4:45 PM UTC

Tangerie Shells lost her only shot at life without debt when she decided to spend $175 per month on meals outside her home.

Shells, a social worker at Sacramento County’s department of children's protective services, supports her elderly mother, disabled husband, and three children. After she declared bankruptcy, she asked the court to forgive the $137,000 she owed in student loans because paying them, she said, would make it impossible to provide for five family members.