Can I survive on $400/month? - Page 2

[Red]

If you could say what state you live in I could offer more info.


YOU CAN DO IT! Be creative.

I had a job cleaning a laundry mat for a while. Needed to be done once a day, took an hour, got $10 a day. (This was 20 years ago) That $70 a week covered a lot and I took the kids with me, and I did my laundry for free. I just found a laundry mat that didn't have a full time attendant and applied to clean it.

Can you find a cheaper apt? Live in job as a nanny, or groundskeeper? (If you like gardening) Live in care-taker for an elderly person?

Can you get a roommate?

Definetly find a supportive pedi! If the present one isn't agreeable, go to another one. And for a bank statement, there's a way around giving them the one with all your purchases listed. Look at the list of acceptable proofs. If not, close your account, or just use ATM's to withdraw the money when you want a coffee!

Call each utility. Explain your situation. BEG. Call the Salvation Army, explain your heating issues. BEG. Mention your sons disabilities, your need to help him grow and thrive. Offer to volunteer in exchange for help. (if it's not against your beliefs)


Check out www.modestneeds.com (it might be org or net!) They match up people who are struggling with people who will help. You might get ALL your utilities paid off.


IF, and it's a good-sized IF, you can get transitional assistance, SSI for your son, food stamps, get the utilities paid off, you'll be in good shape! Put 20 hours a week into the project of getting finances working, evven if it's phone calls to ask for help. Stay focused. Your son is paramount.

You are a good mother doing a great job. You deserve to be paid for doing it. Don't feel embarrassed about asking for help. Stay strong!

[**guest**]

Hi all! Thanks for the thoughts/info.

Just wanted to clarify that I AM looking for a nanny position. I have many years experience as a professional nanny so that is something I felt I could fall back on. However, I live in a snobby area and people do not like the idea of a nanny bringing her own child with her to work. I've been looking for a nanny position for a year!!! Yep, a year. I've placed ads on Craigslist, yahoo groups, my local Mom's Club, etc etc. I can't afford to put an ad in the paper though.
I've tried going through nanny agencies but they don't take nannies that need to bring their children. sigh.
My son will be in preschool in September. It's only 3 mornings a week though.
I thought about working at the same preschool that I enroll him in but it's just not enough hours. I really do need closer to full time work.

I can't take ds to jobs involving grocery shopping, house cleaning, etc because he would be a nightmare. Remember, he is on the autism spectrum and can be a handful. I don't know how he'd be if I got a nanny position but I think he'd be ok as long as I was watching a child old enough for him to play with (at least 12months old).

Oh, and I'm in MA.

Oh yeah...
* Can not have a roommate while on Section 8 (landlords report that sort of thing).
* I've been trying to find a cheaper apt. Haven't had any luck. There are cheaper apts in RI (where I WANT to live) but RI Section 8 has lower rent allowances. Much lower. Which means I won't be moving back to RI any time soon.

I'm determined to find a job working with children though. I'll just keep plugging away.

Thanks again, everyone! Hope I answered everything. I'm exhausted!
Hugs,
Liz

[snailmama]

liz...
i feel ya...what state are u in?
you can do this...
don't worry

[Sharlla]

I'm not sure what your portion of the rent is, but if we didn't have to pay rent or food, then our bills would be

$50 for cell phones (we could do without this)
$30 internet (we could do without this)
$24 laundry (monthly at laundromat)
$100 untilites ie water/sewer/gas/elect. (about $25 less during the summer)
$30 car insurance
$25 misc household items

Total $259 but could be - $197 if I dropped the cell phones and internet and only had basic phone which would be a total of $18 a month.

But of course we pay $350 a month for rent and $200 a month for food. But I can see how in your situtaion, esp if you go without certain luxuries, it would be easy to live off of that $400 a month. You just wouldn't be able to buy stuff very often.

clothes can be found free if need be through different organizations like Salvations army etc and free cycle. Also here ther is a program called Lifeline which drops the cost of phone service to like $2 a month for people that are on foodstamps or medicaid. YOu can lower your electic bill by getting energy saver bulbs, investing in a oil heater and only using that for heat, lowering your water heater temp, not using AC, etc. Believe me, the house that I live in is like 80 years old and very drafty, if I can keep my bill down, so can you

If your son is autistic don't you qualify for some kind of SS for him?

[**guest**]

I just got Lifeline on my phone but it says: Lifeline Service $37.24

I do not own a house. I rent an apt. I've switched to energy saving bulbs where possible but the wall fixtures do not allow that kind of bulb. boohoo.

I use freecycle and craigslist all the time to try to find free clothes for ds. Trouble is, he has allergy and sensory issues. We can't accept anything that comes from a smoking home or a home with pets.
We can only accept soft fabrics (cotton, silk, rayon). Pants can not have buttons or snaps. So, no one usually responds to the ads. LOL.
My internet is cheap.
My cell phone is pay as you go (it usually costs me $20 every THREE months). My car is not great so I feel safe having the cell phone.
My car insurance is: $42/month (bare minimum)

Thanks again everyone!

[granolamom]

Years ago I set up an all night (saturday only) babysitting service. At the time I charged $15.00 for one kids and $25 for two. I was "open from 7pm until 9 am the next day. The child had to have already had dinner, bring a sleeping bag/blanket and pillow. The parents had to pay BEFORE they left(you don't want someone partying all night and coming back broke) I provided a snack, breakfast and a kids slumber party. the kids loved it, parents loved it and I made up to $75 per night( I only kept 5 kids at a time)

It was so easy..They were all asleep by 9 or 10 and gone by nine the next mornign. My kids loved it, they would all sleep on the floor in the livingroom, I slept on the couch. I would make french toast for breakfast..

You could most likely charge $25 per kid now days.

Hang in there, you son is so very blessed to have mama who cares so very much about him.

[**guest**]

My neighbors would complain. They complain with my ONE child.

Thanks mama. I do hope my son feels blessed when he gets older and looks back.

[rabbithorns]

I have two younger brothers who are on opposite ends of the disassociative disorder spectrum. The older one is also on the autism spectrum with Aspergers. My son has been a bit pensive and argumentative most of his life but only recently (he's 18) has his Asperberger's blossomed. He's getting more OCD every day and he doesn't seem to have the Asperger's social blocks (what is normally thought of as autism), but definitely in thinking patterns. He's totally functional but really weird!

I did not treat him well while I was in the throes of being left by my first husband, mostly because I didn't have the support I needed to carry on properly (emotionally). I mourn those years and now am mourning the loss of a son who has been fairly "normal" until now.

I just really want you to look at community for help since there are so many "system" blocks in your life, such as restrictions on housing style, home energy assistance, etc. I think maybe those are tremendous gifts to you. I mean, if you could just get all these companies to help you, maybe there's a human connection waiting for you out there you wouldn't go looking for.

There's so much more awareness of the autism spectrum nowadays and I'm convinced there must be some fund - even through a local church - that can be tapped to provide an extra $100 or 2 for maybe 6 months. Sometimes members of churches or synagogues have throwaway money and they are just looking for someone to help. And who knows, they may also be president of the local electric company or something and they can fix your electricity payments!

I've always wondered why single moms who have gotten to the other side of abject poverty don't come together to form a fund - like I have $10 a month that automatically goes to Habitat for Humanity out of my checking account - for single moms in financial peril. There must be 1000 of them in any fairly metropolitan area, plus all the other people who would be happy to contribute. Then like a credit counseling place, the mom (or dad) could go in, show what's working and what's not financially and be accepted for some level of stipend for 3 or 6 months at a time. A kind of community welfare that is responsible (not flaky with donated money) but also responsive to needs. Since their policies would not be governmental, they could really help people more, I think.

1000 people at $10 a month donations is $10,000. Grants at even $500 a month would help 20 single parent families in peril. The collective/agency whatever could also help folks work out loopholes in those systems you are coming up against to find some help there along with help with frugal living - and SAVINGS plans - yay. Something I could NEVER seem to work out for myself but would have been really helpful.

This MUST exist. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?

[Sharlla]

Originally Posted by lizc

I just got Lifeline on my phone but it says: Lifeline Service $37.24!

How is that possible? Basic phone service isn't even that much, are you getting extras or something?

[shayinme]

Originally Posted by Sharlla

How is that possible? Basic phone service isn't even that much, are you getting extras or something?

nak

i think it depends on where you are located, she's in ma which is expensive.

shay

[**guest**]

I don't know how that's possible but that is what it says. And yes, MA is expensive. I want to go HOME!

[lauriebeth]

Originally Posted by Amylcd

We were a family of 3, living off of $800 a month. $400 of that went to rent, so we had 400 left over for everything else. We survived - but it was rough.

how'd you do it?

[**guest**]

Hey! I just got an email from someone who needs a nanny...And she's even in my town! Let's see what develops.

[numom499]

Originally Posted by lizc

I just got Lifeline on my phone but it says: Lifeline Service $37.24

I do not own a house. I rent an apt. I've switched to energy saving bulbs where possible but the wall fixtures do not allow that kind of bulb. boohoo.

I use freecycle and craigslist all the time to try to find free clothes for ds. Trouble is, he has allergy and sensory issues. We can't accept anything that comes from a smoking home or a home with pets.
We can only accept soft fabrics (cotton, silk, rayon). Pants can not have buttons or snaps. So, no one usually responds to the ads. LOL.
My internet is cheap.
My cell phone is pay as you go (it usually costs me $20 every THREE months). My car is not great so I feel safe having the cell phone.
My car insurance is: $42/month (bare minimum)

Thanks again everyone!

liz...do you ahev virgin mobil? I dp and it used to be 20 every three months to top up...then i found out that if i let them do an aoto deduct from my cc,its only 15 every three months... i know its not much, but hey, why give them that extra 5 bucks if you don't have to?

good luck...

[Red]

Ah, I see now that you're in Mass. Ok, me too!


I pay $35 a month for phone service, and I can call most of the state for free. My sister just got a service where she pays for every call, but it's $12 a month. Also in mass. LIfeline usually just takes a ooortion of your bill off, but doesn't change your service.

Call the phone company back and ask for help.

Do you know about Serve? If you're a vegetarian, skip it. If not, they have great food, for $20 an order. A typical order is:

1 Pound Alfredo Covered Grilled Pollack (6 - 3 Oz)
1 Pound Ground Beef
1 Pound Marinated Lemon Pepper Chicken Cubes
1 Pound Seasoned Beef Patties (4 - 4 Oz.)
1 Pound Carrots
5 Pounds Potatoes
1.5 Pounds Onions
10 Ounce Bag of Fresh Spinach
9 Ounces Frozen French Style Green Beans
4 Oranges
4 Oranges
5 Apples
5 Bananas
1 Pound All Natural Peanut Butter

Not bad for $20! They offer nice stuff too, like NY sirloin strip steaks, that are just incredible. Order online at http://www.servenewengland.org (there are other chapters around the country, not everywhere.) You do need to volunteer for 2 hours a month, but driving a friend to the store counts, or helping out a neighbor, so it's simple.

What are ya payin' for internet? Ask Verizon if you're within the area where their DSL is available for $14.95. Or can you let your phone go and just keep your cell?


There are cheap areas in MA rent-wise. Western Ma is MUCH cheaper. You can go to http:www.Masslive.com and look at apt prices. (try small towns, around the Quabbin, or near the VT border. Also, just over the RI border, but in MA, but in the smaller towns.

I know this sounds strange, but how about pet care? People pay big bucks to have someone take their pets for a walk everyday while their at work. You could take your son. WE paid $25 a day for someone to come by and jsut put down food once a day.

The elderly often need poepel to shop them, do their errrands. Not the poor elderly, but the ones who can afford those fancy places. Call a few and ask if you can put up flyuers, or put them up where you see lots of elderly (grocery stores, Walmarts, coffee shops, look around).


Granola mom! I LOVE your idea! What a blast! And I'm betting you could charge $50, since you include snacks and breakfast. Oooh, I'm SOOOO tempted!

[CarrieLauth]

As far as earning money doing telecommuting as some others have mentioned, a friend of mine owns a site with free info: http://www.TelecommutingMoms.com

Some of the work is sending customer service email. I know phone stuff would be difficult with a young one around.

Here is another idea. Do you live in an area where you could do yard sales? What about posting flyers around that say you will pick up unwanted items that are clean and in sellable shape, then collecting the stuff and selling it at a yard sale at your home? You would be providing a valuable service and making cash. Around here yard sales are huge. I've had some and sold out by noon.



Hth,

Carrie Lauth

[**guest**]

Hi! I'll call the phone company on Monday. Yes, I have virgin mobile and did not know I could save $5! cool!
We are vegetarian.
We are allergic to cats/dogs.

Yep, I just got verizon dsl. Great price! And it leaves the phone line free in case anyone tries to contact me about a job. (heh)

Sadly, they do not allow yard sales at my apt complex. Trust me, I've asked numerous times. LOL. I have thought of putting up a notice in the laundry room though advertising an indoor 'Tag' sale.

You mama's are great!

[geekmediainc]

MA is expensive, I totally feel your pain. (((HUG))) I'm from MA but living in CO.

Back in the day I used to go to the church run food pantries. Some were free, some were $1.00 and there was a whole host of foods. You'd have to figure out where the circuit is, but once you are in.... you wouldn't have to worry about food.

I hope you get a good word on teh nanny position! ((HUG))

[mesecina]

If you have any teaching qualifications, people pay very high hourly rates for tutors. If you can get even a couple of kids a week, it could help your budget a lot.

[**guest**]

Although I have worked as an Assistant Teacher in preschools, I do not have a degree nor am I certified. So, tutoring is out. heh heh. I'd be a pretty useless tutor anyway. I hated school.