Exemptions & Residency question [stay at home mom] [residency question]

Unless a winning lottery ticket floats down in front of me or my body spontaniously starts working properly again, I don't see any way to avoid a bankruptcy.
I'm a stay at home mom/student living with my boyfriend. I'm in Michigan, but I am not a Michigan resident (paying out of resident tuition, which I have to keep doing to retain my out of state resident scholarship). If I were to become a Michigan resident, instead of $1600 a year for car insurance, I'd have to come up with $5150 (!!!) a year. We also have no plans on staying here forever, I just have to graduate before he can put in for a transfer with his company.
I've been reading through countless pages of laws and rules and can't specifically find a yes or no answer. Must one be a resident of the state they file bankruptcy in? If it "helps" any, the one judgement I have against me for debt was filed in Michigan.
Also, on exemptions, on states that offer both federal and state exemptions, do you get to just pick which one you want? I absolutely positively cannot lose my car (paid in full, our only transportation). It needs about $6k of work right now but even putting the condition as "fair" shows it's still worth $15340, so it's still a little over $2k allowed in federal exemptions.
If I really believed in karma, I'd think in a past life I was some sort of serial killer with the way my luck has been going the past few years.
Thanks in advance.

---

Reply:You file in the state where you spent the greater part of the previous 180 days.
Is the following a misprint?
It needs about $6k of work right now but even putting the condition as "fair" shows it's still worth $15340, so it's still a little over $2k allowed in federal exemptions.
$15340?

---

Reply:Where Federal and State exemptions are available, you must choose ONE that best fits your needs.
How is it you live in MI but you're not a 'resident' ?? How long have you lived in MI ?? I presume when you say 'become a resident' that you mean changing your drivers license, registration, etc ?? Guess what, those things are NOT the only things that make you a 'resident'.
If you want to file in MI, then you must have been a resident for at least 91 days prior to filing in that state, otherwise you file in the state you came from and use that state's exemptions.

---