Hi all..
Many of you are already familiar with recent events in my household, but for those who aren't, I'll briefly summarize:
-Single mom, DS18 living at home, DS11 living with dad in another state (lost $500 a month in child support when he moved to dad's this summer - state law says one kid living with each parent with both parents making roughly the same income means no child support changes hands.)
-DD21 just moved back home with me and is pregnant, no baby daddy in the picture.
-I work full time, make less than $23,000 a year.
DD21 arrived here 11/18, and we have been scrambling ever since to get applications in for assistance for her and looking for a job she can do until the baby is born.
Here's what's been done so far to that end:
-applied for WIC (was put list for appt. - 12/21 is earliest available)
-applied for Medicaid & Foodstamps - apps pending approval
-signed up for orientation for the No Worker Left Behind program, where she can receive free CNA training classes in hopes of getting a CNA job later, and then progressing towards a nursing degree.
-Applied (today) for jobs at Blockbuster Video, local hospital kitchen & laundry, WalMart, and KMart, in hopes of possible seasonal hiring.
-Signing up for all kinds of baby & pregnancy freebies
Now...comes the interesting part. I had a second job for a few months this summer, but quit it when it became apparent that DS18 needed me to be home more. He has some learning disabilities that make it very difficult for him to complete tasks without supervision, which means his schoolwork wasn't getting done - at all. So, to "be there" for him, I got rid of the 2nd job, which was making up the shortfall from the loss of child support when DS11 moved to his dad's this summer. I figured with just DS18 and I in the house, we could make it on my full-time job income and what little extra I could make selling on Ebay. But then DD21 had to come home due to her loser boyfriend abandoning her...so she is here with no job at this point, which means an extra mouth to feed.
When DS11 moved this summer, the loss of income from the child support hit pretty hard. Then there were some vehicle repairs...then medical bills...so you name it, it's kind of happened this year. The end result is that I got behind on my rent, my main utility bill (heat & lights) and now the vehicle needs more repairs and maintenance than I can afford.
Landlord is very understanding and is allowing me to pay off the arrearages on the rent by paying a little more than the normal amount every month, but I sense from our latest conversations that her patience is running out, and she'd like it paid off as soon as possible. (As would I!)
Utility company is much less understanding, and is only willing to offer me a payment plan of $200 A WEEK until the bill is paid off. Their previous payment plan is what made the bill so large to begin with (pay a portion of the bill every month, which means the bill just keeps getting bigger every month, because it's never entirely paid off...). I have an appointment on Tuesday to see if I can get help with this bill from a local agency, but I am not entirely sure I qualify, so I'm not counting on it.
The vehicle needs tires, brakes, oil change, tune up, and a few sensors replaced. It's basically all maintenance stuff that has just all started to wear out at the same time - go figure.
So here's my plan. I have a possibility of borrowing the money needed to catch up on the rent & utility bills, and to repair the vehicle. It's not a sure thing, but it's really my only chance to get these things caught up so I can get back on top of things, and the payments can be deducted from my paycheck automatically (it's through my employer). It's not a 401(k) loan or cashout - it's actually a loan. I'm really hating the idea of doing this, but I've looked at all other options, and this is really the only thing I can do right now.
I guess my main reason for posting this was to vent, and to see it all out in writing....it makes it easier to deal with, I guess, if I can see the reasons for asking for this loan in black and white. Sorry to babble!
Just please keep a kind thought, a prayer, a good wish in mind for me this week. I need to pay a large amount on my rent this week, and the utility company is barking at the door. Not to mention the vehicle continues to be something that worries me every time I drive it. If I can get those three things taken care of, and those applications we've placed start coming through, the rest will be relatively easy!!
Thanks!
Many of you are already familiar with recent events in my household, but for those who aren't, I'll briefly summarize:
-Single mom, DS18 living at home, DS11 living with dad in another state (lost $500 a month in child support when he moved to dad's this summer - state law says one kid living with each parent with both parents making roughly the same income means no child support changes hands.)
-DD21 just moved back home with me and is pregnant, no baby daddy in the picture.
-I work full time, make less than $23,000 a year.
DD21 arrived here 11/18, and we have been scrambling ever since to get applications in for assistance for her and looking for a job she can do until the baby is born.
Here's what's been done so far to that end:
-applied for WIC (was put list for appt. - 12/21 is earliest available)
-applied for Medicaid & Foodstamps - apps pending approval
-signed up for orientation for the No Worker Left Behind program, where she can receive free CNA training classes in hopes of getting a CNA job later, and then progressing towards a nursing degree.
-Applied (today) for jobs at Blockbuster Video, local hospital kitchen & laundry, WalMart, and KMart, in hopes of possible seasonal hiring.
-Signing up for all kinds of baby & pregnancy freebies
Now...comes the interesting part. I had a second job for a few months this summer, but quit it when it became apparent that DS18 needed me to be home more. He has some learning disabilities that make it very difficult for him to complete tasks without supervision, which means his schoolwork wasn't getting done - at all. So, to "be there" for him, I got rid of the 2nd job, which was making up the shortfall from the loss of child support when DS11 moved to his dad's this summer. I figured with just DS18 and I in the house, we could make it on my full-time job income and what little extra I could make selling on Ebay. But then DD21 had to come home due to her loser boyfriend abandoning her...so she is here with no job at this point, which means an extra mouth to feed.
When DS11 moved this summer, the loss of income from the child support hit pretty hard. Then there were some vehicle repairs...then medical bills...so you name it, it's kind of happened this year. The end result is that I got behind on my rent, my main utility bill (heat & lights) and now the vehicle needs more repairs and maintenance than I can afford.
Landlord is very understanding and is allowing me to pay off the arrearages on the rent by paying a little more than the normal amount every month, but I sense from our latest conversations that her patience is running out, and she'd like it paid off as soon as possible. (As would I!)
Utility company is much less understanding, and is only willing to offer me a payment plan of $200 A WEEK until the bill is paid off. Their previous payment plan is what made the bill so large to begin with (pay a portion of the bill every month, which means the bill just keeps getting bigger every month, because it's never entirely paid off...). I have an appointment on Tuesday to see if I can get help with this bill from a local agency, but I am not entirely sure I qualify, so I'm not counting on it.
The vehicle needs tires, brakes, oil change, tune up, and a few sensors replaced. It's basically all maintenance stuff that has just all started to wear out at the same time - go figure.
So here's my plan. I have a possibility of borrowing the money needed to catch up on the rent & utility bills, and to repair the vehicle. It's not a sure thing, but it's really my only chance to get these things caught up so I can get back on top of things, and the payments can be deducted from my paycheck automatically (it's through my employer). It's not a 401(k) loan or cashout - it's actually a loan. I'm really hating the idea of doing this, but I've looked at all other options, and this is really the only thing I can do right now.
I guess my main reason for posting this was to vent, and to see it all out in writing....it makes it easier to deal with, I guess, if I can see the reasons for asking for this loan in black and white. Sorry to babble!
Just please keep a kind thought, a prayer, a good wish in mind for me this week. I need to pay a large amount on my rent this week, and the utility company is barking at the door. Not to mention the vehicle continues to be something that worries me every time I drive it. If I can get those three things taken care of, and those applications we've placed start coming through, the rest will be relatively easy!!
Thanks!