The 'unofficial' Unjobbing Tribe - Page 10

[marimara]

Zero Tuition College-FABULOUS, amazing, free thinking, thinking out the box idea, check this out:

http://www.ztcollege.com/blog/start-here/

I just came across this and thought these things were worth sharing here.  \

http://www.marcandangel.com/2010/11/15/12-dozen-places-to-self-educate-yourself-online/

[esg]

That's a great resource. It reminds me of something I saw on lifehacker.com a while back. I really like things like that. Always makes me want to go learn.
 

Originally Posted by marimara 

I just came across this and thought these things were worth sharing here.  \

http://www.marcandangel.com/2010/11/15/12-dozen-places-to-self-educate-yourself-online/

[seawitch]

This topic may have been addressed before, so sorry if it already has. I don't have time to read the full 10 pages of discussion but I will later. But here's my question. We're moving to a state with, well, practically no Medicaid coverage. For parents with kids who aren't formally employed the annual income limit is like $6,000, and no assets allowed. My husband is covered by the VA health care but the kids and I are not eligible. Neither of us are formally employed; we both unjob more or less. Chances are we're not going to be formally employed in the future, either.

The only, and I do mean only, issue is health care for the kids and myself. We can't afford health insurance premiums for private care. We were paying something like 300+ a month for my daughter and myself and that didn't even cover emergency visits. We ended up getting 10K in debt in one month due to medical bills - the insurance we were throwing money out the window for was just gone, and we were still in debt. To "properly" insure my kids and myself it would be like 500, MINIMUM - probably more like 700. Which is way beyond our means. Our highest bill at the moment is car insurance, and that's like 100 a month. To just add that much a month to our living expenses is completely unrealistic.

We live off of about 1500 a month right now. The house we're moving to will be paid for with cash, so no mortgage. We will be debt free, low property tax state, no car payment, mostly self-sufficient as far as food is concerned and mostly off-grid as far as utilities is concerned. Our lifestyle is totally sustainable as far as living expenses, etc - and whatever additional money we get through various unjobbing sources is icing on the cake and put it into savings for emergencies, etc.

The only way to afford health insurance at this point is to work full time for an employer. If we could even get a job like that. I have no work history and absolutely zero desire to work outside the home. I did look for a job before, months of a full-time job search that I put 500% of effort into - and didn't come up with anything that remotely resembled a job with benefits. And we're going to be living kind of isolated in the countryside, where the jobs just aren't, there. It would mean revamping our entire lifestyle, life goals, aspirations - just to be able to afford health insurance. Which, even when we HAD it, just put us into debt, because it wasn't sufficient.

Any thoughts or BDTD's? I'm not trying to whine or be all woe-is-us, and I know some people will say that if we can't afford private insurance we should suck it up and change our lifestyle. I've had a similar conversation here on MDC before and I was flamed a lot with people insinuating that I was just too lazy to find a job, and I should get a job at Starbucks while I put my babies (infants at the time) in daycare so I could do the responsible thing and get insurance. I don't think it would be more industrious of me to do so. Plus in a rural area there's no Starbucks to get a job at, you know?

Should we instead switch gears and move to a state that would be less than ideal (by a lot) for us simply in hopes that Medicaid will cover us there? I hate the idea of that. It feels wrong. But I'm from Europe so I believe that health care is a right for everyone, and I don't view Medicaid as welfare or a stigma. We don't use any other aid even when we qualified for it, but Medicaid I have no hesitation about. Health care is a joke, etc etc.

ETA: My long-term plans are writing; at this point I'm devoting most of the time to portfolio-building but it still takes up all of my free time (i.e. time I'm not homeschooling or doing chores). I imagine it will be sustainable in the future. I also am a doula and do web design. So, I do have some sources of income - but it's all pretty touch and go, and I can't guarantee that every month we'll have enough to pay a grand in premiums.
Edited by seawitch - 6/22/11 at 5:03am

[yippiehippie]

Seawitch - is there a reason you need the insurance? I mean, of course I realize it's good to have, especially if you've had lots of medical bills, but do you or your kids need regular care for a condition?

We are covered w/medicaide but if we weren't I probably just wouldn't get any. Sounds like you guys take good care of yourselves, which means sick less, is there low cost clinics around where you're moving "just in case"? I know there's always chances for accidents, but I feel the money we'd save by not paying for insurance would give us a base to pay off any bills. Medical bills/hospitals will normally work w/you on payment plans.

I guess what I'm getting at is, why not just forgo it?

BTW, you shouldn't find any bashing here, I don't think you sound irresponsible or lazy. In fact the opposite! How many ppl can pay cash for a home and be self sufficient?! SOunds like you have worked hard to be where you are and I just hope to get there someday too! Way to go!

[seawitch]

Well, I'm just worried about the whole "everyone is required to have insurance by 2014" or whatever that is. I'm not entirely sure what it's about, or... OK, to be honest I'm not sure what's rumor and what's fact, and one of these days I'm going to educate myself on it.

I personally have only had insurance for like... I dunno, 6 months out of my adult life (excepting the Medicaid I was on when I was pregnant). I'm not really concerned about it. I'm bitter about health care in general, but who isn't nowadays? I'm just worried that the law is going to take effect that everyone will HAVE to get insurance and I won't be able to afford it.

That, or, well, I'd really be happy to get emergency coverage for my kids. My son is very accident prone. The last incident was that he cut his head on a wooden block in his room and had a huge gash on his skull (it's like three inches long) and it just wouldn't.stop.bleeding. We took him to urgent care after urgent care but they all said they wouldn't treat him, that we had to take him to the ER. Meanwhile he was sobbing and bleeding all over the place but they wouldn't even see him or put some glue on his freaking scalp. We tried going to a hospital and they said we'd have to pay out of pocket. We just couldn't afford that sort of debt. So we ended up walking out. It sucked. Long story short, DH patched him up and he was fine.

But everyone, for weeks, kept asking us if he had been seen by a doctor. And he certainly screamed bloody murder when DH was cleaning the wound. I was terrified that someone would call CPS on us for medical neglect. I think that's my fear. We do tend to be DIY'ers. I had an unassisted birth. When DH was a kid he got attacked by a dog and his mom sewed his leg up with a turkey needle - not that that sounds fun or all that safe, but it's one of her favorite stories to tell. I just, I dunno. I'm scared of CPS. Though if it was a REAL medical emergency I wouldn't hesitate on going to the doctor, debt or no debt. But if CPS ever did get involved in our lives for whatever reason I'm wondering what they would say - the kids are unvaxed, we're homeschooling / unschooling, no medical coverage... ack.

[Paigekitten]

We are moving out of a state where we have the state health plan and into one where we don't qualify.  The advantages of moving for us are WAY more important then having insurance just in case.  We don't even use it now, we are all very healthy, I pay mostly cash for my birth's (baby due in November).  I've had to work with a hospital on a payment plan before, so it doesn't scare me if I may have to do that again.  If I had $300 or $500 or $700 to spend each month on health insurance I probably would save it and pay cash for any health care we need.  After we move I might check out my options for some kind of accident coverage, but if that isn't an option I still feel like it's a good choice for us to live our life without it right now.

[seawitch]

That's how I feel too. The benefits outweight the costs. No one place is going to be perfect.

I'm still kind of worried about the day when all Americans need to purchase a health insurance plan, but I don't know, maybe there will be more options then? Maybe? I hope?

The low cost clinic is a good idea.

I read some stuff about how small farmers and the like are very likely to not have insurance and to be crippled by medical costs, etc. Kind of depressing. I don't think we quite qualify as small farmers, though.

I honestly don't get the obsession with "formal" employment. If you're not employed formally you're viewed as... I don't know. "Unemployed" has such stigma. As if all people without formal salaries are just bumming around. Drives me up the wall.

[esg]

Originally Posted by seawitch 


I honestly don't get the obsession with "formal" employment. If you're not employed formally you're viewed as... I don't know. "Unemployed" has such stigma. As if all people without formal salaries are just bumming around. Drives me up the wall.

My thoughts exactly!

[Paigekitten]

I know!  My husband tells people he's a self employed web developer.  It sounds really impressive, even though that's only a small portion of what he does. I still kind of get bent out of sorts when DH or I describe me as a stay at home mom, but unemployed sounds even worse.  Neither really describes what I do either.  I like the term unjobbing, but people don't get it, and I don't always want to explain, especially since a lot of what I do falls into the saving money camp, not the making money camp.

As for mandatory insurance.  I am kind of in denial it will ever actually happen.  I'll guess deal with it if/when I have to (not the most mature attitude, I know).

[esg]

How is everyone doing lately?

I tried my hand as photographer last month and while I liked it, I haven't been able to get a constant source of clients. It's tough but I'm not done with it yet.

I started making and decorating cakes but there's much to learn there too. The word is out that I can do it so I just need to continue so I can have a portfolio in place.

Besides that, my 6 months of maternity leave/unemployment is coming to an end within the next few days. I'm going to pick up a paper route. Has anyone done this? How was it? I'm really hoping I'll be able to get enough money to keep afloat but will be able to keep my time free enough to work on more side income. Wish me luck!

Hope everyone is well!

[lovelylisa]

RE the insurance thing... does your state offer CHIP? CHIP is the children's health insurance program and it offers care for the kids only. The premiums for that are around $50 a month for two kids, but that too is based on income. I believe $50 is the high end of what it would cost. It might be worth looking into for you- I don't know if all states call it CHIP though.  

My husband and I both got laid off so we are in the process of dealing with that and getting ourselves steady to move forward.

[frugalmama]

I"m still here - now fully unjobbing and panicing. We had a major loss of income this month and were already behind, so I have no idea what I'm going to do - we need $350 by Sunday and I'm out of ideas.

Has anyone made doll clothing and sold it before? I'm thinking of trying that and taking some pieces to the farmer's market and trying my hand at selling them. I planned on making some fo rmy daughter for Christmas anyways, so if it doesn't work I'm not out much.

[esg]

Originally Posted by frugalmama 

I"m still here - now fully unjobbing and panicing. We had a major loss of income this month and were already behind, so I have no idea what I'm going to do - we need $350 by Sunday and I'm out of ideas.

Has anyone made doll clothing and sold it before? I'm thinking of trying that and taking some pieces to the farmer's market and trying my hand at selling them. I planned on making some fo rmy daughter for Christmas anyways, so if it doesn't work I'm not out much.

Yep, I hear you on the panic part, frugalmama.

Even with the paper route coming up, I still have a few large amounts due before the end of the month and God knows how that's going to work out. I'm trying to bring money in any way I can but its tough out there.

Even if I could find a full time job, it wouldn't be whats best for my family right now so I know I'm better off trying to do this but its hard trying to bring in enough money to start with. I'll be thinking of your family this upcoming weekend. I'm sorry to hear you're in this position too.

As far as doll clothes, give it a try. I've never done it but if you don't lose anything trying, it sounds worth a shot. Good luck!

[yippiehippie]

We're not in a good position now either. The house on 2 acres we were buying is not working out (we were supposed to close next week!). Now we have no place to live after the 31st and I'm sure we'll have to settle with less than 1/2 acre. No goats for me anymore:(

[wanderinblues]

Unjobbing... so that's what it's called!

I'm 22 and I long ago realized that formal employment goes against my ideals and is not for me. Same with formal/traditional education. But I just assumed there was something wrong with me :P to prefer to provide directly for my family, transact locally with my community and spend time teaching my (future) kids. 

I'm not where I would like to be right now by any stretch, but the intent and ideas are there. I'm 22 and living with my DP and his DD (shes 50% with us). He is a winemaker and recently bought his own wine making shop (ubrew). I am very proud of him for having a skill that will always be in demand, even WTSHTF. Booze is a great barter item! 

I just finished a summer contract as a Census enumerator for the government. Now I'm back to working two days per week as a subcontractor for a small web design business and one or two days per week in my Mom's vintage clothing shop. That's where my money comes from right now. I must admit, I am kind of missing those regular, weekly government deposits! But I have never had much money, neither have my parents. When the going gets tough (as it will this winter), I simply simplify: get rid of anything that costs money and stop buying everything except food. Our car is already gone :) I still have my motorcycle insured because I can still afford to and it's still warm out, but I will park it for the winter too. 

I used to be even less concerned with money. If I completely ran out, I would simply live in my car/tent/school bus, up a logging road and eat simply. Easy! It's not like I would starve or lack food/shelter. I can convert a school bus into a home with $300 or less, I've done it before. But somehow that doesn't seem as feasible now. Would my DP just up and move out, rent out the whole house (income!) to live in the bush (or on the road) with me in freedom and happiness? I don't know. Our ideals are so in line, but somehow our life outlooks are a bit different. 

If I felt like I had the time, I would like to sell on of a kind children's clothing, possibly from vintage fabric and knitted items like arm warmers, hats, etc. Really, I have tons and tons of ideas for handmade things that I've never developed or taken to the next step. I would sell at my Mom's shop and on Etsy. 

If we had the space (or if bylaws allowed it) I would like to sell farm produce like eggs and rabbit meat. We are working on making our largish, suburban lot produce as much food as possible, but we are not allowed to take that next step of getting livestock. This fall, we will be going commercial with our wild mushroom picking though, that's exciting :)

My nature inclines toward (extreme to some) frugality, most of it coming from my Mom and the way I was raised. I flat-out refuse to buy anything new. I will happily do without until I can find it in the thrift store or a yard sale or free on the side of the road. I also do things like washing and re-using plastic bags (is that weird? some people think it's weird).

Anyway, I will never be a career person and I hope to soon have some purely self-generated income. Surely that's part of the fun though? Jumping from one idea to another and figuring out just what will work?

Thanks for reading that, it's long!

Edited by wanderinblues - 8/19/11 at 4:19pm

[featherstory]

That really wasn't that long!  If I were you I'd look into converting buses, etc. to make $.  I wish I had that skill.  I'm in an RV now and I see so many people in need of that service, me included.  Unfortunately dh isn't handy and neither am I, but luckily his family is helping us get a better RV.  Hopefully eventually we'll become more handy.  Maybe you could teach those skills to people?  I had a very similar discovery as you in my 2nd year in university, that was over 6 years ago.  Most of that time I have un-jobbed.

I spent a lot of time nannying or babysitting, while freelance writing, studying/training, teaching yoga or dance, personal care assistance, health/spirituality/life coaching, and making things or attempting some other creative project, such as modeling, acting, or playing music.  I've also worked one part-time job, tried to sell Avon, done intuitive readings and ran a restaurant.

At one point DH and I traveled with my first dd for 6 months being street performers and trying to do workshops, sound healing, and personal yoga & life coaching.  Right now we're not making any income.  I'm very close to relaunching my health/life coaching programs, based on a website I'm running and doing multiple blogs.

[esg]

Originally Posted by yippiehippie 

We're not in a good position now either. The house on 2 acres we were buying is not working out (we were supposed to close next week!). Now we have no place to live after the 31st and I'm sure we'll have to settle with less than 1/2 acre. No goats for me anymore:(

I'm sorry to hear that. The house buying process is so hard and so dependent on so much. I hope you wont have to settle for less than you want. I'll be thinking of you too.

[wanderinblues]

I have actually thought about that, but not for a while. I have an old dodge van sitting in the yard waiting for my attentions. I have big plans for it, but it seems to be the last thing i get to. Making vehicles liveable and flipping them would suit me very well though :) I should add it to the list.

I will never be able to focus on just one thing, which is fun, but it makes finishing projects very difficult 

Thanks for the advice, featherstory! I love love love that you spent so much time on the road with your DD, thats awesome. We are kind of stuck in our current area because DSD's mom lives here but that doesn't mean we can't live a more mobile life. I hope to one day be able to convince my man to pack our lives into a bus, at least for a while.
 

Originally Posted by featherstory 

That really wasn't that long!  If I were you I'd look into converting buses, etc. to make $.  I wish I had that skill.  I'm in an RV now and I see so many people in need of that service, me included.  Unfortunately dh isn't handy and neither am I, but luckily his family is helping us get a better RV.  Hopefully eventually we'll become more handy.  Maybe you could teach those skills to people?  I had a very similar discovery as you in my 2nd year in university, that was over 6 years ago.  Most of that time I have un-jobbed.

I spent a lot of time nannying or babysitting, while freelance writing, studying/training, teaching yoga or dance, personal care assistance, health/spirituality/life coaching, and making things or attempting some other creative project, such as modeling, acting, or playing music.  I've also worked one part-time job, tried to sell Avon, done intuitive readings and ran a restaurant.

At one point DH and I traveled with my first dd for 6 months being street performers and trying to do workshops, sound healing, and personal yoga & life coaching.  Right now we're not making any income.  I'm very close to relaunching my health/life coaching programs, based on a website I'm running and doing multiple blogs.

[wanderinblues]

Originally Posted by wanderinblues 

I have actually thought about that, but not for a while. I have done it once; I made a $3000 profit on my bus, but I also didn't pay anything for it in the first place so that was kind of a fluke.

I have an old dodge van sitting in the yard waiting for my attentions. I have big plans for it, but it seems to be the last thing I get to. Making vehicles liveable and flipping them would suit me very well though :) I shall add it to the list.

I will never be able to focus on just one thing, which is fun, but it makes finishing projects very difficult 

Thanks for the advice, featherstory! I love that you spent so much time on the road with your DD, thats awesome. We are kind of stuck in our current area because DSD's mom lives here but that doesn't mean we can't live a more mobile life. I hope to one day be able to convince my man to pack our lives into a bus, at least for a while.
 

[Cynthia Mosher]

Hi everyone! 

We have a new feature that allows forum members to create "clubs" of their own that have many of the same benefits of a forum, including multiple threads, a member's list, and group messaging. All tribes are invited to switch from the one-long-thread here in FYT to the new Social Groups. You can read more about it here. Let me know if you have any questions but please post to that thread so I can keep everything in one place.