Money

Support
1

I am in a constant state of fear, fear of unable to pay all of my bills on time & on the correct dates & buy the house goods.

I am on SSI, I didn't have enough points to go on SSD. The cost of living allowance doesn't rise every year, if I am lucky it is once every three years, which is really carppy because I am STILL below the poverty level. My son who is a baby-adult (20) is doing his Internship at a fancy restaurant in a bigger city 65mi away. Which means he is working twice the hours & twice the driving distance but only receiving half the pay. In order for me to receive HUD he has to be living w/me. I get $50/mo in food stamps. I was buying IA SHARE mostly the meat pkgs, but when it comes to food or Meds the Meds win every time! When my kids were little & I lived in a bigger city, I could make a fast buck, my children never went hungry. I chose to give birth to them therefore they were my responsibility to care for them. Now my son eats cereal or popcorn just to fill his stomach.

In the past 2mo I have lost 11lbs not because of dieting but because of lack of food. I can only receive an emergency food box once every 6mo & I got that one last mo. What was in it? Spag & sce I have no teeth I cannot eat spag, the last time I tried I choked, scared the carp out of me & my children. Pnut bttr & jelly, oh how I Loved eating PB&J on crackers & bread. Now crackers just slice up my gums & I have to cut the brd into 1" squares so I don't choke. 12 packs of snack cookies they had chocolate on them, Chocolate! My gums were sore for 3 days. 1 cn of beef broth, 2 cns of tuna & 2pkgs of hamb help. My teeth do not fit & I cannot get another pair for 2 more yrs, the only time I wear them is Out-out in public, all of my new neighbors know I am a toothless woman.

Last year I told my son that if he wanted to keep his phone he would have to get a paying job, it broke my heart to have to force him in the middle of going to college to have to work on top of his studies.

My cat is mad at me, he is upset about his new litter box filler. You see, I used to put ceder chips under his clumping litter, well.... ceder chips are $8 & when the local Country store offered twice the poundage of pine shavings for $4, I thot WoooHooo problem solved! I compromised & bought the 20lbs nonclumping litter for $3 & then the 10lb clumping litter for $4 & portion them out thruout the month. Silly me What Was I Thinking??? My 12yr old putty tat is NOT a happy camper, he has been (thinking he can deceive me) peeing on the dogs' bed, he can relieve himself & the dogs get in trouble. However I know that the dogs will not pee near his/her food or on his/her bed, because his/her bed already smells like his HaHa & her HooHoo.

I have already cut back on all that I can, I no longer buy zip bags, The first shelves I go to at every store is the $1 section, I have to have something that is enjoyable for ME, I went from buying already made cigs @ $85 to making my own cigs @ $56 to battery operated nicotine @ $36 & the PCP is happy that I am no longer a cig smoker. Last month some company called Amazon Prime took out of my bank acct $99. The only Prime I know of is Optimus Prime & Prime cuts of meat. The bank paid it & told me that I OWED them $65, that meant that this month I was already gonna be $65 short. It was my sons' fault he went to the bank to deposit his paycheck to cover the oopsie & the bank called me to see if it was okay for him to deposit his check into my acct & I just wanted enough to cover the oopsie & pay MY phone bill & still have at least $2 in so they wouldn't cancel my acct. (My bank has 3 branches & "The Powers That Be" decided it would be great if they make all of their emplys swap banks every other month) so of course we had strangers.

This is the first time I have started a Post, the first time that I have Vented, I have listened to my Ire cd & my Blood on the Tracks cd. I have bawled & bawled & bawled.

Thank You. M

2

Luna, make sure you have taken advantage of every available program here: http://www.needhelppayingbills.com/html/iowa_assistance_programs.html

3

About Amazon Prime, I suspect someone clicked a free trial and forgot to terminate it. Try getting on the phone with Amazon and begging and pleading. If you get someone merciful, they may be able to delete the charge for you. It's worth a try.

4

One thing our members sometimes try, too, is to get a roommate to share expenses. I am not sure if you have the living space, but if you do, you might think about it.... also, phone up local churches, and see if they can help out with meals.

5

Luna, I am sorry for your difficulties. You have been a source of support for many here and it is good you reached out for support yourself. I can’t imagine having to choose between meds and food or watching my child go without. Madere, has some terrific suggestions here for you. I also wanted to suggest you see if your doctor can give you samples of meds on occassion, many doctors will do this, and/or looking into prescription drug savings if you haven’t yet-

http://forum.livingwithfibro.org/forum/topics/prescription-drug-savings

Best wishes, Luna. Let us know how you’re doing with everything. We’re here for your support.

Hugs,

Laurie

6

Hi Luna, oh hon, I am really sorry it is so difficult, it sounds like you have been doing so much to manage everything. Both Madere and BaltimoreBaby make great suggestions. I want to send you massive hugs and positive thoughts, I am really glad you reached out here. YOU have always been so supportive of others. BIG HUGS, Michelle

7

I receive Section 8 Housing (I call it HUD) Rent is $350 I pay $75,

Food stamps (on a card),

Heat & Cool Air Help $450 for 6 mos of heat & $90 for 3 mos of cool air (sent directly to the Utility Co) I pay $125/mo.. .

Emergency $ can only be used once per yr, & that will be 2 mos from now.

My ph is $50/mo.

& all of you know how much insurance, groceries, gasoline & house goods cost.

Thank You for your ideas!!! M

8

Hi Luna, just wanted to add my support too, I recently discovered how little SSI pays and was quite shocked.

In my area, the gas & electric company has tiered rates and there is Medical Baseline if you are disabled. Sounds like you are already on available programs for this.
I would go through all the resources in your area (Madere’s links looked great) to see if there are be any programs you might not have discovered yet. Definitely check with churches in your area for additional food and other support.

One thing you didn’t mention is the phone programs, there is something called LifeLine which pays for most of either a cell or landline, I think it is a federal program.

I assume that you are on Medicare, do you know about SilverSneakers? It is offered through your health insurance so for $15 per month you can go to dozens of gyms, pools, fitness centers anywhere in U.S. That might be a great thing for yourself. The program was recently upgraded via Healthways, you can also order a Health Kit online (yoga mat, exercise CDs) free, one kit per year.

You probably are already on the Extra Help program with Medicare but do check out the programs that the pharmaceutical companies offer. I think you are on Savella? I just printed out the application, if your total medication costs more than 3% of your annual income than you are eligible.

Good luck, hopefully some of these ideas might benefit you.
<3
Starr

9

Hi Luna,

You are so wonderful and supportive to me and members on this support site. I'm sorry you are having financial struggles and you are in my thoughts. I'm glad you reached out for support : ) I will be sending prayers and well wishes your way!

Many hugs,

Sara