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2014 Low Income Support Thread

111K views 1K replies 58 participants last post by  zebra15 
#1 ·
Thought I would start a new thread. The other one was getting huge and we are close to the new year away.

Please remember SUPPORT ONLY, NO FLAMING.

Happy New Year - a few days early!
 
#352 ·
!!! I used to work with parrots. I still think there's a decent market for them, even on places like Craigslist. You could also make a Yelp page, wordpress site advertising them as well. There's also pets for sale sites and you can charge 1000 for a eclectus or african grey im sure. Only thing is they live for so long..probably no repeat customers heh,
 
#353 ·
Off to look at all the grocery flyers online so we can do some shopping. Hubby is supposed to get some overtime starting end of montg. Double edge sword. Sure could use the money but it sucks when hes at work that much, there is talk of six days a week so probably 70hrs a week. Kiddos are going to a neighbors tonight for dinner and a playdate so mama gets some alone time. Thinking of cleaning out the kitchen cabinets a bit, touching up my toenail polish and watching a non child movie lol
 
#355 ·
Ugh... I'm having some baby daddy drama today... Looks like I might have to hire an attorney. Stbxh wants to pretty much have our son for 1/2 the year, when I would have full legal and physical custody... grrr will have to go to the court house tomorrow to file some more papers for the divorce. More unbudgeted $$$ that I will have to spend.
 
#356 ·
Hugs, Sd. If you have full custody though he can want all he wants but cannot demand a thing.

Im looking into freezer cooking. Any tips ladies? Im hoping that if we stuff our freezer with premade dinners, etc it will stop the horrible eating out habit. We need to cut that down drastically for our health and our budget. I may cut hulu plus. We have hulu plus and netflix for tv watching. Other than possibly getting a mobile hotspot to cut down internet costs, which I havent fully looked into yet, Im pretty much out of ideas for cost cutting. But really the freezer cooking should help a TON so Im trying to stay hopeful rather than down. Yesterday went nothing like expected so unfortunately no mama time and just one of those days where it was one thing going wrong after another. But now Im listening to pandora to cheer me up and tidying the house. The weather is warm again so maybe I will sit outside with my magazine while the kids play.
 
#357 ·
happyhats: One way I save cost entertainment wise is I use redbox. I am right now in their loyalty program where after 10 rentals I get a free movie. I also sign up for their email promos on 3 different emails as well as their text message promos. I rarely spend more then $5 a month, I usually get free movies(dvds not bluray), sometimes free game rentals as well as discounted movies. I never pay full price and it goes toward my loyalty program. http://www.redbox.com/rrinfo that is the site to get on the wait list. Just thought this could be something you could try.

Today I was suppose to go to the courthouse, but I didn't get to. My son woke up saying his stomach hurt then threw up. Took him to the Dr's and they said he has the stomach flu. Stopped by the farmers market to pick up produce (yay I was able to use my food stamps!) then headed to the store to get chicken noodle soup, crackers and Gatorade. Poor thing hasn't been able to hold anything down, I thought he was doing better after his nap... I thought wrong! He threw up on the carpet.
:(
I also had to miss math class today and will have to miss EMT class, but hey my son's health is more important and it's just 1 day. Hopefully tomorrow he feels better and we can go to the courthouse.
 
#358 ·
Stephanie, how's your son? Feeling any better? I agree with happyhats, if you have sole legal and physical custody, he's poo outta luck. He can want in one hand and crap in the other and see which one fills faster. Let HIM file to have your son and you can respond however you see fit. But let him file and pay the fee.

Happyhats, did you get any "me" time yet? And what free*er meals are you making? I really need to do that and save myself some stress of cooking when I get home from work but I'm lacking in kitchen motivation this weekend.

Rhu, I don't have any ideas for you but I do love you.
:throb
I'm sure that doesn't help much but I really really do.

Gratefuls:

-my kids are playing with friends getting some fresh air on a low spot in the field out back that some snow melted off and then refro*e into a sort of skating rink. They are having a blast.

-A friend took the kids and I out to dinner last night. Hibachi. YUM!

-lots of hours this week at work. Should be a nice paycheck.
 
#359 ·
It's been a crazy week here with the kids out for spring break so I haven't been on much. Dh will finally be home again Wed night after a 3 week workover hitch. It's been strange having him gone so long after not working over since Oct but I'm really glad for the extra money. I seriously hope this means he can go back to working over and doing 3 weeks every month because that will make a major increase in our income. I'm really ready to quit my job. The money that I make just isn't there anymore. I bartend and even though I get minimum wage for income that only comes out to about $36.75/night after taxes.... my sitter is $35/night. So I'm barely if at all paying for childcare and gas off of my check and only bring home my tips. Business has been down for months and I'm lucky to get $40/night now. Some nights I really don't make over $10 if nobody comes in. That's just not worth it anymore. Especially now that my reg sitter had to quit and I'm taking the kids 30min away for a sitter so more gas. I know I'm going broke doing this and need to quit.

We had rain again last night. Shouldn't matter but we have to get some clearing done on our property before we can sell our equipment and property. It's been being put off for weeks because of rain and I really wanted to get it done this week while dh was here. I'm hoping it dries up enough the next few days to do something but I doubt it. This HAS to get done though before I can try to move and I need to move by Aug. Honestly it really needs to get done by end of May so I can get out of this rental when my lease is up. This place is awful and I'm getting really tired of it. The weather warming up is nice but then wasps get into dd's room and I can't have that around the kids plus I'm badly allergic. All the rain also has my drive and yard entirely waterlogged and muddy so I have zero parking and if it stays that wet it'll be a mosquito breeding ground within a few weeks. I hate substandard housing, expensive childcare/low paying jobs, and all this mess. :( :(
 
#360 ·
How is everyone?

We are doing okay...it was a relief to get my rent caught up..I was also able to get most of my bills caught up plus my car serviced..income tax $$ is gone but I am breathing easier..

It is still cold here in the north but at least the sun is starting to shine more..need that vitamin D!

What is everyone doing for Easter? I am not sure what we are doing but it involves going to the zoo! We were gifted a year membership by from a very special friend and plan to wear the card out!

Gratefuls:

My own home...
Heat!!!
My sweet little L.
 
#362 ·
Well, 2 reasons YoungSon won't get SSI benefits extended beyond 18 - first, he would no longer be rated as disabled. His level of functioning is SO much better than when he was little. This is great in ways 1,000 times more important than the money. My home-grown, untherapy (think of unschooling) has been truly perfect for him. The kid is thriving! Secondly, he would NEVER submit to an evaluation, under any circumstances. This is the boy who cancelled his own IEP last fall. Apparently, no one had ever done this before - the school district had no idea how to legally remove the accommodations. He won't even let me advocate for him any more. Professionally, I am an advocate for kids with special needs, so I know about the transitional programs (and SSI), but YoungSon declines all assistance.

For a variety of reasons, I can't plan on moving any time soon. I suspect it will be a couple years before these Dumplings leave the nest. That was a mixed metaphor if ever there was one. Anyway, YoungSon has another year of high school, and BigGirl will probably do 2 years at Community College before transferring. If I get the parrot business going, there is no way it could be moved to an apartment - way too noisy! In fact, it would be hard to find a house with this practical a layout for this project. It has a huge rec room (remodeled 2-car garage) off the kitchen, away from the bedrooms, and also away from the neighbors houses. Also, my credit is pretty rotten, and I would have a hard time finding a decent place that would rent to me. And I have a pretty great landlord. The location is very convenient, if not as hip and funky as I might prefer. All in all, it would be hard to beat.

Oh, I sound so unappreciative. I do appreciate suggestions and support when I whine! In general, I love my life, and although I run out of cash a few days before payday, we are doing pretty OK. When the kids are able, I will ask them to help with expenses. I could also rent out bedroom when a child leaves. I have only one bathroom, so I don't know how well it would work with too many non-family room mates. I rented out the "rec room" for a few months last year, and it was quite a disaster. But it could be easier with the right person.

BigGirl had major oral surgery today. I know she is OK home alone (she is 18, for Pete's sake!), but I wish I could stay home with her. I have nearly used up my FMLA with Mom's Dr appointments and such, but the maternal side of me is having a hard time going back to work this morning!
 
#363 ·
I wouldn't like leaving her home along either but at least she's old enough she'll be fine. Maybe you spoil her when you get home and feel better. Honestly if she's feeling crudy she might like the time to relax at home alone today. I know it sucks to lose that money and it's gonna take some juggling to figure out but I think it's absolutely wonderful that your son is doing so well! Congrats for him for overcoming his challenges and all the work you put into helping him. That's just amazing. I hope he continues to do so well. Wishing you some creative thinking to sort through the coming changes.
 
#364 ·
Mamarhu you sound like a great mom and overall an awesome lady. Will u be my mentor? Or at least write your autobiography full of wisdom and advice? Cause seriously Id so read it.

Still perpetually broke, lol. Still sick but not nearly as bad. I think I will sit down tonight and do research on freezer cooking. Oh and nap bc hey napping is free lol. Looking forward to this weekend already. Dh is taking thurs off so he will have a four day weekend. I think Im going to ask my parents to watch the kids a couple hrs so we can have a date lunch. Then Fri we are visiting the childrens museum for its free day again.
 
#365 ·
That free day at the museum sounds awesome. I hope you get your date lunch and enjoy the long weekend with the family. I'm so ready to move! I wish we had things like that here to do! There's absolutely nothing in my area because of the dynamic making it unsafe to go most places and nothing is free because it'd get overrun and abused. Everything that has ever opened up here has closed within a couple of months from murders or overall dangerous behavior by the patrons. Just sucks. I hate where I'm at. Ugh!!

Grateful:

No more rain since Sat night/Sun morning. I'm hoping it stays clear the next few days so dh can do work on the property when he gets here. He'll be home in two days and I'll get a break also so that's great!
 
#366 ·
Mamarhu- totally understand, And WTG on your son's progress! I'm in a similar boat with my dd. 2-3 years ago, folks looked at her and immediately thought Autistic. She didn't talk to people at all, only repeated movie lines, etc. Now, she's bloomed so much that she just just a little quirky.

*hugs* to everyone else.

Still here, still trying. Totally broke, but I got stuff on ebay so hopefully will have something come in soon. Found a rare hidden mickey bear at the thrift shop for .70, should sell on ebay for around $700-ish. All going to the taxes, hopefully. Right now I need $850 to pay them in full - hoping to get that next month.

Still waiting on the app from the county for electric bill assistance. I called at the start of Feb, and they said 4-5 weeks for it to be mailed. Tomorrow will be 6 weeks, and no sign of it yet :( Hoping it gets here quickly before the next bill comes in. Otherwise will probably have to go through the backdoor method to get on as I can't keep waiting anymore.
 
#368 ·
So the state child support fee went from 10 $ a month to 30 $ a month. Not happy about losing 20 $ a month :/

My cc fraud case has been closed. I am going to call in the morning and make sure everything is all fixed up and see what the fraud dept found

Cleaning out my garage. Not much to sell but it is nice to get organized
 
#369 ·
@Mamarhu- That is great that your son is doing better!

My little monster was sick all day Thursday, he felt better Friday and Saturday, then came Sunday night.... he threw up in bed!
duh.gif
It was about midnight, got him up, cleaned him off in the shower, took all the sheets off the bed, I had to try my best not to blow chunks as well, lol, but I did it! I threw everything in the wash and nothing got stained thank goodness. Today he did much better and I took him to daycare. I went to the courthouse to get some forms for a court date and mediation hearing. Also printed out the forms to continue the divorce. It shouldn't be to hard since stbxh didn't file a response. I will go to the courthouse again Wednesday to have the Self Help office look them over before filing them.

On the bright side.... Tomorrow is my 25th birthday!
:joy
And I will be going to to Denny's for my free birthday grand slam breakfast, of course my little monster will share with me! But then it will be off to daycare for him and a full day of school for me! lol Not what I had expected for my 25th birthday but that free breakfast with my son makes it sooo much better! And I am grateful for that.
 
#370 ·
Happy birthday! Hope you enjoyed yr pancakes! Finally got my butt looking into freezer cooking ideas. For our needs I think I would like a combo of casseroles/heat and eat things and prefrozen ingredients. Im thinking ingredient wise it would be things like grilled, cut chicken breasts, ground beef made into patties, and maybe pulled/shredded pork or chicken. Often we are out and realize we dont have something out or just dont have the energy to cook when we get home. So much cheaper and healthier to grab a bagged salad, or tortillas and peppers, or buns, etc. Then casseroles could be for those frazzled times I really dont care lol. Im not sure what those should be yet. In the fall and winter it will probably be soups bu Im not as much a soup gal in spring and summer. I may have to prefreeze some more tomato sauce though bc tomato soup is always a great side to a sandwich or quesdilla. Will it cut eating out completely-no because we do enjoy it. But it will cut down on a lot.
 
#371 ·
Been a long time since I posted...

I quit my job because who can survive off 9 hours a week? Luckily, I found a new one yesterday and go tomorrow for all the paperwork. So that takes a lot of stress. I was starting to worry about upcoming bills since I am already behind on everything. I am pretty sure my water is gonna be shut off soon and I live in such a small town that there is no assistance for anything. The only place that helps is the church and I used them for gas last week because my husband was sent to the hospital 90 miles away. He is ok so that is good. I got accepted for college so I will be taking some more online classes this summer towards my nursing. They are prereqs but I really need to get them done. I have been working on my degree forever it seems. I already had to postpone my actual nursing classes and now I get to wait again to be accepted. The wait list is horrible. Thank goodness my taxes got here when they did. My alternator went out a few weeks ago and I had to have it replaced and bought a new battery and had to buy a new radiator. Mine had a huge hole in it. I spent most of it on bills and fixing the car. So we treated ourselves to some pizza and movie rentals. I also bought a new vacuum. I got tired of sweeping the floor. Also got my husband some new shirts and pair of overalls. My brother also came to live with us to help out. He helps cook and clean and watch the kids since my husband is disabled and can't. Glad that it is getting warmer because hey...the park is free!
 
#372 ·
This week has not been good to my son. He had just got over the stomach bug, now he has a chest cold! Now I have to give him even more medicine. On the bright side I was able to fill out all of the forms to finish up my divorce, problem is I haven't had time to get them reviewed before submitting them. That is on my to do list for next week. Stbxh hasn't paid his phone bill(it's under my name), so he of course will not be taking my son this weekend since I have no way of contacting him. He also hasn't bothered to contact me since last Wednesday. I honestly can not wait until I am officially divorced from him. He brings out the worst in me. I still haven't had any luck in finding a job or volunteer work. I most likely wont start working until this spring semester ends. I'm not to worried about it. I have about $120 left in food stamps this month. I really need to start shopping around for produce like I used to. Going to Von's and spending $100 on produce which I usually spend $40 at the Mexican grocery store is a big deal. I just need to stop being lazy and drive the extra 5 miles, instead of just going down the street. Hopefully I can go to this free couponing class this Friday to better my couponing skills.
 
#373 ·
I would love to take a couponing class - I have never heard of such a thing! All the coupons I see are for highly processed name-brand foods I never buy in the first place, so I have given up on the whole subject. I will look into classes like that in my area. Thanks!

I am feeling extremely unmotivated these days. I have a couple good ideas, money making or money saving, but I just can't seem to get going right now. Sleeping sounds like much more fun. I had a totally self-inflicted bad day at work today. Missed one appointment, just spaced it out, then totally forgot to turn in my time sheet that was due. Hope my paycheck won't be delayed. I will have to go to the office before my 1st appointment tomorrow morning, which will put a rush on the whole day. And I feel bad that my late time sheet will inconvenience the hard-working office staff. Ughhh.

OK - I just talked myself out of being so mopey. Best wishes to all. Thanks for being here for me to vent. I feel better already! Off to check the county job listings!
 
#374 ·
@mamarhu- I found this neat community center in my area. They also offer free cooking classes and zumba classes as well as a women's group. For the couponing, I mostly use it for cereal, my son loves cereal and so does my brother in law lol, but I also use it for household products. It helps me a lot, I usually try not to pay more then $1 for shampoo or conditioner, I pay around FREE or 50 cents, but I always try to keep stuff like that under $1. I am trying to cut out as much processed foods as I can, I fell back on the processed food wagon a couple of months ago and I'm still trying to recover. Hopefully soon I can go back to clean eating.
 
#375 ·
I have to share with people who will get how exciting this is;

In February, I made a $300 payment towards keeping our student loans out of default. I knew that March 25th was the date it would be officially too late, and today is payday. So I called to make the rest the of the payment and stop the default. The payment due was $637. I had no idea how I was going to afford it and the rest of the month. I do ACT tutoring and have been busy, so I was basically going to make the payment and pray that more students sign up. The person I talked to in February said that I had to make the $637 to be able to get the forbearance (something about number of days past due). She said to call and speak directly to someone to make sure everything went okay.

When I called, I was told the forbearance has already been applied, we're not behind, not in default and don't owe anything until April 15th! I was so happy, I was giddy! It was like being given a gift. Only people who have been there, understand this feeling of relief.
 
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