January 2010 Low Income Thread - Page 3

[maciascl]

I knew something was coming...DH found the broker he wants to work for whenhe gets his license & she is happy to have him come work for her. We also found out that he'll be able to start work about a month sooner than we thought & there is even an active agent that wants DH to work with him because he is so busy. This means he'd start making money in a few weeks rather than a fw months. I knew this was all too good, something was coming.

I just got a letter from Medi-Cal (state insurance) that DH's 401k needs to be 'spent down' before we can qualify. We have thought about cashing it out, but if we do that we'll lose 1/2 in taxes & we'd lose our food stamps too. Plus we'd have too much income to qualify for Medi-Cal. I don't know if this is for all of us. I think the paper says that if we take DH off the app then the rest of us would qualify, but I am not sure. I put a call into the worker but who knows when she'll ever call back. My kids need to see the dr. DS1 has been having hearing problems & it is starting to worry me. Plus, I am preg & while my pregnancies have been very easy with no need for a dr or hospital (saw a midwife & had homebirhts) there is always the chance there will be a problem this time.

Sorry, I am just venting at this point, but I am so frustrated. We can't get any good news or have anything good happen without some kind of crap happening to bring us right back down. I am so sick of it!

[AlwaysByMySide]

Joining back in. I finally qualify for a childcare subsidy, and am so excited about that. I will be able to get so much more done, the kids will get some interaction, and I can either pick up more work or get a part-time outside job. We also just barely qualify for TANF, so that will help too.

I am going to an informational session at our local community college next week to attempt to go back to school to get a certification as a Radiology Tech. I already have a bachelor's degree (which has proven to be worthless, since it's in a field that is the first cut when the economy goes south), so a Pell Grant is out, and I'm hoping that the school can come up with something, even if it's a loan. Any other mamas have experience with this? How do you manage going to school full-time on top of anything else you are doing? (I am a single mom and get no child support, since their father is in prison.)

Also, does anyone have any tips to attempting to get dental care (for me, not the kids) subsidized? I have two teeth that need bone grafts, no dental insurance, and I don't have thousands of dollars sitting around to pay for them. It would be a periodontist that would need to do the work, not a regular dentist.

Thinking about doing one of those vision boards as well...I need something to start looking up around here!

[Theia]

I was just wondering about filing for taxes.

I was on TANF from April through Dec (although I didn't spend the December because my disability came through and I didn't want to end up owing the state.)

I received disability in Nov back dated to Aug, so a couple thousand.

And in the beginning of the year I was receiving money from my X to support DD and I while he was out of state. So that was about $4000 in total. Most went to rent, utilities, etc. I don't have record of that money though, most didn't go into the bank even.

So do I need to file taxes? Can I do it alone or do I need to hire someone? I'm confused because the TANF and disability income are not taxed. I know my local/state taxes will be different than most, but what about federal?

Any advice?

[Theia]

Originally Posted by AlwaysByMySide

Thinking about doing one of those vision boards as well...I need something to start looking up around here!

I wanted to add that there will be a vision board like group on MDC in just a few more months.... Only it's called a Treasure Map. But the same premise basically except you make your TM for the upcoming year. You can look at this thread for '09. And before the TM's are made there is a period of preparation, that thread is here. Last year was my first year doing one and many things on my TM happened so I am eagerly awaiting the 2010 TM! Just wanted to throw that out there in case there were ppl out there who didn't know about it.

[Ianthe]

Today is a good news day for us:

DH talked to unemployment and they made a mistake in our favor, which means that his debt to them is paid for and we'll get a $500 back payment plus the weekly check after that! We've had no income (living on savings and help from family) since dh got laid off in Oct, this is great news!

For me, I found out I automatically qualify for a scholarship at a local university based on my GPA, so when I go to school there to finish my BA degree I will be able to use my grant money for housing! I currently qualify for a $4000 year scholarship but if I can try to talk one of my former teachers into changing an A- to an A, it would be enough to qualify for a full 2-year tuition scholarship.. cross your fingers for me! I know grades can be changed after the class but I've got to appeal to my professors to do it!

That's it for me!

[Theia]

Originally Posted by LizzyQ

Today is a good news day for us:

DH talked to unemployment and they made a mistake in our favor, which means that his debt to them is paid for and we'll get a $500 back payment plus the weekly check after that! We've had no income (living on savings and help from family) since dh got laid off in Oct, this is great news!

For me, I found out I automatically qualify for a scholarship at a local university based on my GPA, so when I go to school there to finish my BA degree I will be able to use my grant money for housing! I currently qualify for a $4000 year scholarship but if I can try to talk one of my former teachers into changing an A- to an A, it would be enough to qualify for a full 2-year tuition scholarship.. cross your fingers for me! I know grades can be changed after the class but I've got to appeal to my professors to do it!

That's it for me!

Wow that is really great news! And to get that grade changed!

[Satori]

Hi mamas,

I hope everything is going good for everyone this week, my day just went to hades We had a great trip to the hospital, flights were delayed on the way due to fog so we took off about 4 hours late but no biggie as we made it in time to check in at the Ronald McDonald House, got to take my 1st taxi ride too. Things went well at the hospital with dd and we started to head home this morning, just minutes before calling for the taxi back to the airport I got a call from Angel Flights telling us our pilot had engine problems and couldn't pick us us BUT they had already found another pilot to take us home just had a wait a couple hours which was ok since we were still at RMH and there were things to keep dd entertained. Finally met up with our pilot and a 2 hour flight saved us 8 hours of driving and god knows how many hours a train/bus would have taken!

Anyway were heading home from the airport and I have an OH CRAP!! moment I forgot to get the form signed showing proof that we attended the appt so the state covers the travel costs Remembered to get receipts from the taxi both times and the one from RMH but I forgot the most important one! Hoping I can get them to fax something down

Then we get home and as soon as I open the door there's this nasty smell hitting me and I'm like WTH? I know I took out the trash before we left, turns out its far worse then forgotten trash dd figured out the child locks on the fridge/freezer the night before we left. I could swear I double checked them before we left! The fridge was unlocked and the lock strap was holding the door open Everything spoiled and I just stocked the fridge with $300+ in groceries Monday the day before we left Between my pantry and the $160 left in FS we should be ok if I'm careful but man, this just SUCKS. I am POSITIVE I checked the door to make sure it was latched because I was worried about this exact thing happening since dd figured out the latch

[frugalmama]

When it rains it pours!

It's freezing tonight here {doesn't normally freeze here} and someone stole our anti-freeze our of our car!

I really really hope it's okay without anti-freeze - and I hate living in this neighborhood. They keep promising to clean it up, and nothing ever happens.

[Satori]

Originally Posted by frugalmama

When it rains it pours!

It's freezing tonight here {doesn't normally freeze here} and someone stole our anti-freeze our of our car!

I really really hope it's okay without anti-freeze - and I hate living in this neighborhood. They keep promising to clean it up, and nothing ever happens.

Without it your car will quickly overheat and then you will have an even bigger problem. Its about $10 to buy a bottle of it but I have never heard of antifreeze being stolen, they have to lift to hood to do that. Maybe you have a leak?



I'm having another WTH moment, wondered why I had no messages, the answering machine was off! Something is off.. wonder if someone was in here while we were gone. Even if there was a power failure the machine would have defaulted to on and not off. Plus none of the clocks are blinking so I don't think the power failed. Plus the house was warm when we came in, should have been 60 or less then here after 3 days of being gone and it was 70 which is not possible unless the heat was on which I checked and it was low but not the off I left it at. I dunno, just doesn't feel right in here. We've left for a couple days at a time dozens and dozens of times and the house always has that empty feeling when we come home. Not tonight, hmm... maybe my little spirit visitor is back... a couple weird things did happen before we left and I wondered if he was back. I'm going to try not to stress over it and start menu planning since were going to have to be extra careful with food thanks to this mess and if I see one more thing to make me think he's around I will be having a chat with basic manners when haunting a house.

[confustication]

I tend to lurk here, but am always warmed by the strength shown by so many in these threads. We're luckier than some, as we live in a low COL area, but there are times that the paychecks just don't stretch far enough. We are blessed however not to have to worry about not having enough food to get by or losing our home because we can't afford the rent/mortgage. It's small and needs work, but it's stable.

I'm looking for more income to help stretch what I make at my job, and hoping that this year opens a new door or two for me financially.

[frugalmama]

Originally Posted by Satori

Without it your car will quickly overheat and then you will have an even bigger problem. Its about $10 to buy a bottle of it but I have never heard of antifreeze being stolen, they have to lift to hood to do that. Maybe you have a leak?

Shouldn't be a leak - we just had all the water/cooling lines replaced a short while back. The car is actually up for sale - we can't afford to drive anymore so we've switched to public transit.

I'm going to go get a bottle in the morning and see what happens when I pour it in - everywhere in our neighborhood closes at dark so it was too late when I got home and discovered it.

[Theia]

Originally Posted by frugalmama

When it rains it pours!

It's freezing tonight here {doesn't normally freeze here} and someone stole our anti-freeze our of our car!

I really really hope it's okay without anti-freeze - and I hate living in this neighborhood. They keep promising to clean it up, and nothing ever happens.

Satori is right, how did they steal your antifreeze without getting into your car and releasing the hood latch? You might be OK with just adding water. My Dad is a shade-tree mechanic and has told me that you can drive around for a week with only water (during warmer weather). If you are going to drive the car to a store to get the new antifreeze, you can put straight water into the radiator, but will need to empty it before you put the new antifreeze in. Only put the water in right before you go though, and don't let the car sit long enough for the water to freeze. That is when you will get into big trouble. When the water doesn't have antifreeze (or enough) the water freezes. When water freezes it expands and being inside an engine block is not a good place for water to expand. Also be careful when you buy the antifreeze. They sell antifreeze that is diluted with water and undiluted antifreeze. Personally, I'd buy the undiluted, use all of it, and then fill the rest of the radiator with water as advised in your owners manual. If you buy the diluted fluid you might need to buy two of them to fully fill your radiator and reserve tank. You should be able to check the actual quantity that you need in your owners manual.

Originally Posted by Satori

Without it your car will quickly overheat and then you will have an even bigger problem. Its about $10 to buy a bottle of it but I have never heard of antifreeze being stolen, they have to lift to hood to do that. Maybe you have a leak?



I'm having another WTH moment, wondered why I had no messages, the answering machine was off! Something is off.. wonder if someone was in here while we were gone. Even if there was a power failure the machine would have defaulted to on and not off. Plus none of the clocks are blinking so I don't think the power failed. Plus the house was warm when we came in, should have been 60 or less then here after 3 days of being gone and it was 70 which is not possible unless the heat was on which I checked and it was low but not the off I left it at. I dunno, just doesn't feel right in here. We've left for a couple days at a time dozens and dozens of times and the house always has that empty feeling when we come home. Not tonight, hmm... maybe my little spirit visitor is back... a couple weird things did happen before we left and I wondered if he was back. I'm going to try not to stress over it and start menu planning since were going to have to be extra careful with food thanks to this mess and if I see one more thing to make me think he's around I will be having a chat with basic manners when haunting a house.

Satori - Sorry about the loss of all that food. And then with all those other things that don't seem right I'd be creeped out until I was sure it was only a spirit visitor. And I would have that discussion about manners too.

[HeatherAtHome]

Originally Posted by frugalmama

Shouldn't be a leak - we just had all the water/cooling lines replaced a short while back. The car is actually up for sale - we can't afford to drive anymore so we've switched to public transit.

I'm going to go get a bottle in the morning and see what happens when I pour it in - everywhere in our neighborhood closes at dark so it was too late when I got home and discovered it.

You can put a piece of cardboard under your car. Easier to see if there's anything dripping.

[dealic]

Thank you for your response.

Originally Posted by HeatherAtHome

First question; have you thought about moving to a lower cost of living area? I have no idea what province you're in or if it's city vs country (though with those rent $$$ I'm assuming city!) but there are cheaper areas. We're used to low rents living in small town/small city of $350-500 but even my sister only paid $650 a couple years ago for a 2 bed apartment in Montreal. And it wasn't a bad looking nieghbourhood either. Mix between apartments and houses in Pointe Claire.

Sigh. I would love that. But I live too close to Toronto for any area to be cheap. Plus there is a major renting shortage in my area so everything is very overpriced. I pay more here than I did in Ottawa when I was in University.

Second: Car. Whenever I go to the garage lately, I choose a smaller guy vs a big chain and I tell him right from the start "My car is 12 years old and I don't want to put a lot of money into it at this point" Instead of replacing whole new exhaust pipe, I've had them weld it back together with a sleeve to make it fit. Sometimes they put on used pieces instead of new or use the lesser quality/less cost new pieces. My brother got 4 snow tires for $100 because he asked if he could go through the random leftover (used) tires in the storage room. Of course, you have to know what you're looking for in that case.

I am hoping we can get a deal like this. He has had work done like that on it recently to save money.

Third: Schooling. I have no idea how this would work seeing he's new to Canada but there are student loans and bursaries available. It's based on the previous year's income (or if you're underage, your parents income). You're not common law yet (haven't lived together a year) so your income should not affect his amts. My sisters have all lived off Student loans and bursaries while they went to school. One gets a bit extra because she's single mom with a child to support.

We are married so my income should count. He can apply for OSAP because he has to have been resident for a year, but it counts if your spouse has been resident for a year. But when we do the quote thing, they say he will probably get nothing based on my income.

Sigh. But we will make it. I know we will. Its just frustrating.

[Satori]

Originally Posted by Theia

Satori - Sorry about the loss of all that food. And then with all those other things that don't seem right I'd be creeped out until I was sure it was only a spirit visitor. And I would have that discussion about manners too.

I just went into dd's room a bit ago, all the laundry baskets in there were dumped out, the baskets were stacked upside down with the laundry dumped all over the floor. I remember going though the baskets before we left grabbing Pj's and they were not how I left them grrr. Either someone was in here or the ghost is back but he's never really caused problems. Just stupid stuff like turning on all the lights although after that I had a little chat/speech and remember leaving the living room light on so I didn't come home to a dark house and as I walked out the door I told him I expected "all the lights off when I got home" and yep, ALL the lights were off when I got home. I thought maybe the bulb burned out but nope, it had been turned off. Lots of weird little stuff like that, never destruction like this though.

[EarthyMamaofDaisy]

Originally Posted by AlwaysByMySide

Also, does anyone have any tips to attempting to get dental care (for me, not the kids) subsidized? I have two teeth that need bone grafts, no dental insurance, and I don't have thousands of dollars sitting around to pay for them. It would be a periodontist that would need to do the work, not a regular dentist.

Thinking about doing one of those vision boards as well...I need something to start looking up around here!

Are there any dental colleges near where you live? I know the ones around here will do work for very cheap if you let them teach while they fix your teeth. Also see if there is a dental clinic, although you may need a referral from public health. Public health should know if there is a clinic near you.

[Satori]

Originally Posted by frugalmama

Shouldn't be a leak - we just had all the water/cooling lines replaced a short while back. The car is actually up for sale - we can't afford to drive anymore so we've switched to public transit.

I'm going to go get a bottle in the morning and see what happens when I pour it in - everywhere in our neighborhood closes at dark so it was too late when I got home and discovered it.

If the clamp that holds the hoses in place loosens you will get a leak. I had that happen a couple of days after I had my hoses replaced.

[s_kristina]

Woke up way too early this morning after about 4 hours sleep to go to ob appointment. Found that dh's last check from temp job will leave us with $13 until I get paid the following week just to make sure nothing is turned off. The full food stamp amount was on the card which is good for getting food today. When I went out to get in the truck to head to the appointment I could see the battery light on from the steps. The ignition knob is sticky and had not been turned all the way off last time it was on about 2 days ago. Dead battery and no friends that live close enough to get a jump. Thankfully the neighborhood we live in is rather used to things like that so we were able to find someone who could give us a jump. Fun part to that is we have a truck which means with a drained battery it needs to be a big vehicle to get a decent jump. Even with a light weight truck attempting to jump us it would not take and the cables were getting way too hot to be safe thanks to being below freezing in central FL for the past several nights. I'll be calling to reschedule the appointment hoping it won't take too long to get in. We have to pick up WIC checks today and both dh and I have appointments with an eye doctor this morning. Hopefully we get a good jump before long so we can actually get things done and go get food.

[frugalmama]

I see what you were asking about with the hood latch now - we've never had a car with an inside hood latch so it didn't occur to me. For that matter, we've never had a car that the locks on the doors worked either

Our hood is held down with these bolt style cotter pin things - the hood latch from the manufacturer was broken when we got it, to the point of the hood blowing up if the wind was just right. All you have to do to raise to hood is remove the pins and lift the hood. So very easy access to the tank to drain it. I guess I need to start putting locks on the pins from now on.

[leavemealone]

Originally Posted by AlwaysByMySide

Also, does anyone have any tips to attempting to get dental care (for me, not the kids) subsidized? I have two teeth that need bone grafts, no dental insurance, and I don't have thousands of dollars sitting around to pay for them. It would be a periodontist that would need to do the work, not a regular dentist.

Does your state have a medical plan? Do you qualify? I can get some dental benefits through the state medicaid plan that I am one. The benefits aren't as good as what I'd get on a private plan, but it's something. It only covers one cleaning per year for people over 18, root canals only on front teeth (won't cover them on back teeth, though), fillings, etc. I don't know about more extensive work, but it's worth looking into if you haven't already.