Help with money?

Re: Help with money?

• vlagrl29 member

  

  October 2013

  Apply for unemployment thru your state.  It's not as much as your paycheck would be but it's definitely better than nothing.  From what i understand even if you work part time you can still collect on it, but you need to make sure you report your part time hours or it's considered fraud.

  
  

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• Ducktale member

  

  October 2013

  I'm sorry to hear about your situation, sounds like you're learning very hard lessons. Best of luck to you.

  Ditto PP, unemployment is your first step.

  I assume you are still aggressively looking for a more stable full time job? Do you/your daughter have health insurance? You can apply for public assistance, though I'm not sure how this all works at the moment with the government being shut down (in my state, WIC benefits have stopped being sent out). You may qualify for Medicaid. Check out food pantries. Some churches have assistance programs. Some schools have social workers available, does your child's?

  If there are bills you cannot pay, make sure you talk to the companies before missing a payment. Many companies (utilities, landlords, etc.) are willing to work with you on a payment plan or have their own financial assistance programs, as long as you are responsible and proactive. Call all of the places you owe bills and explain your situation and see if there is anything they can help with.  It is important to do this before you are late on payments, as they are much easier and willing to work with someone they see as proactive and responsible.

  Using credit cards would be an absolute last resort. The interest rates on credit cards are usually very high, and overusing them/depending on them for a long time spells trouble.

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• hoffse member

  

  October 2013 edited October 2013

  Ditto everything Ducktale said.

  
  

  This is a very hard lesson about when to spend down an emergency fund - of course you love your sister, but that fund should have been reserved for you, your daughter, and nobody else.  Your sister is an adult and is therefore responsible for her own financial decisions.  In general, paying a family member's debt or making loans to family members should only happen if you can cover yourself also.  In other words, you don't tap into your emergency fund for this sort of thing.

  
  

  Don't get me wrong, I do sympathize with your situation - and at this point there's no use crying over spilled milk, but it's something to remember for the future.

  
  

  I think #1 priority is contacting your creditors as ducktale recommended and #2 is trying to line up a job for after the holidays.  Credit cards are a last resort, but there are a number of cards out there with 0% for the first 12 months.  I would wait until January before considering one of those to see where you are at on the job search, but they are an option.

  
  

  I would also cancel the cell phone if you have another way for people to contact you - consider google talk or a landline.  People managed to live without cell phones for hundreds of years before we all got hooked on them.  If you don't have any means of telephone communication, at least cancel any dataplan and texting you may have.  And scale back your minutes to something minimal - just enough for employers to contact you and arrange an interview, etc.

  
  

  Finally, I doubt the cell phone, rent, and child are the only things you pay for.  Make a list and be brutal about what you can cut out.  Hopefully it will only be for a few months.  Cancel cable and perhaps even internet if you have a landline and can use computers at a public library or even the apple store.  Cancel magazine, newspaper, and other subscriptions.  Shower every other day to save water - run the dishwasher no more than twice a week and do laundry no more than once a week. Regulate temperature by layering clothes rather than running the A/C or heat excessively.  Don't buy things like ice cream or prepackaged snacks - go generic on your food choices and stick to inexpensive things that make enough for leftovers (ie: vegetarian chili from canned vegetables, rice, beans, etc.).  H and I spend about $60/week on groceries as two adults and we really don't go bare bones on the snacks/ice cream - $70/week from child support means that you and your daughter won't starve.

  
  

  Even with your holiday job you need to stick to this routine through the holidays in order to build a little savings in case you haven't found something by the time the new year rolls around.  I would also plan on not buying holiday gifts this year with the exception of perhaps something very small for your daughter - your loved ones will understand.

  

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• short+sassy member

  

  October 2013

  I'd also talk to your sister and brother-in-law to see if...now that you are on hard times...they can throw you some money each month.  I realize it's tough with her just having had surgery and not working, but some of the mess you are in is because you helped them out so tremendously.  Morally, they should be the first ones cutting back and sacrificing as much as possible.

  Mmmm...this is where it's tough because I don't think I'm allowed to advertise websites for part-time work. Google "merchandising work".  The 6thish company that starts with an "n" is great. They are not a merchandising company, but they are a listing source for merchandising and demo jobs that you can narrow down to your area.  No cost at all, ever, to sign up with them or any of the companies who advertise work there.  Merchandising/demoing doesn't always pay great (avg. $12/hr) and is temporary, but that is some of my go-to work I do when I am between jobs. 

  Check-out Craig's List...not just for full-time jobs...but I've also picked up a lot of one-off jobs there in the "part-time", "etc.", and "gigs" sections.  Getting chosen for a mock jury and/or focus group is AWESOME money for the time spent and Craigs List is usually where that type of stuff is advertised.  Just be careful because there is a lot of bogus stuff on there also, though the fake jobs are usually pretty obvious. 

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• HappyOrthoNurse member

  

  October 2013

  Sembree, I'm touched by your willingness to help your sister by paying those medical expenses. I've worked as a nurse in ER and now in surgical recovery, and I know those bills can rack up quickly.I truly hope you've been able to earn something substantial since you've posted your piece. That's SO unbelievably stressful, and stress itself can take a toll on your own health.

  My debt doubled when I got married not even one year ago. My condo insanely depreciated, and now we owe much more than it's worth. My car was totaled, then my husband's car died. The list goes on and on. While I still have my job, I do have more debt and it stresses me out... I started working from home after my full time job. I've found that I love it and it's proven to be a unique opportunity. While I'm sure that the Craigslist, etc. searches for seasonal and/or one-time jobs can be interesting and lucrative, I love that the work I do now, I can still get paid for years down the road, and whatever amount of effort I put in on my own schedule, I get paid accordingly. If you're interested in obtaining a little more info, don't hesitate to private message me. I'd love to help point you in a good direction.

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