Theme here today seems to be about money.... let me rant one more time.
I know it could always be worse. Believe me, I know. Just let me vent....sometimes I seriously wonder what normal, middle-class people with kids (and skids) are supposed to do. We don't qualify for any assistance because we are a whopping $100 dollars/month over the eligibility cap for food stamps or WIC.
After figuring bills out for after the baby comes, and after I go back to work, we'll only have about $75 left a month to spend on gas and groceries. Wow.
We both work full-time jobs and my fiance puts in at least 15 hours of overtime a week. I have a degree, however I haven't been able to find a job in my degree since I relocated to live with my fiance (2.5 years ago).
The really sad part is, I'm actually half-hoping that my current job will be cut. I'd be able to collect unemployment and get state health insurance for my child, and I wouldn't have to pay for day care costs. We'd have somewhere over $1,000 staying in our household to use for expenses and bills. Hmmm.....$75 or $1,000? Which would you choose? I'm not at all a schmoozer but this makes me really want to be.
It really amazes me and now I totally understand how some people simply live off the state...our government makes it easier to do that than to work our asses off for crappy pay and crappy health benefits, just to barely make it at the end of the month.
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I have a teaching degree. So
I have a teaching degree. So yes, I could go back for my masters and such but it's almost pointless to do that because a lot of schools help pay for those credits if you are working for them.
I agree - in some areas it's
I agree - in some areas it's a scary time to be a teacher, that's for sure. However, where I live it's growing more and more every year and they're opening up schools. The bad thing for me is that there's very little turnover in the nearby districts, which means that teachers actually like their jobs and stay, so if I can at least get IN I should be ok.
"It is sad to me that there
"It is sad to me that there are many teachers still teaching that hate it after decades and many passionate and dynamic teachers are left out in the cold." -- Any teacher (who is not the first type) will second that whole-heartedly. The state of Michigan actually enacted a sort of forced retirement on teachers across the state...five of my friends who had degrees but had been waiting for 5 or more years got teaching jobs in the snap of a finger once that went through.
In my situation, I did have a teaching job in another state when I met my fiance. Then we of course fell in love...and he would have moved to me had it not been for SS3. The thought was that it would take me a year tops to get another job in teaching once I relocated...and now I'm still waiting. And you can't really get a foot in the door without subbing, which you can't do if you also need a full-time job. However, a new high school opens up next fall in the area so my fingers are crossed! Until then, financially we're totally in trouble. And if I DON'T get a teaching job in the fall, I just don't know what to do. Probably more school (for something different) which will add more to my student loans. *sigh*
Take the $1000 and be a mom
Take the $1000 and be a mom for a little while. You can always be looking for a job within your field in the meanwhile. Also, state health insurance income guidelines are different than food stamp and wic guidelines. You may still qualify for your children.
If I were laid off I sure
If I were laid off I sure would. But I can't voluntarily quit my job and collect unemployment, so that's completely a moot point anyway... I was just using that for an example IF I were laid off or cut.
DH did this when he
DH did this when he divorced.
BM had refused to work at that point, and had convinced him to cash in his entire 401K for downpayment on a very nice 5 BR house, even though they were almost finished paying for the decent 3 Br they lived in. House value plummeted, and the mortgage was way more than it was worth.
If he kept the house, BM & kids would most likely have been living in it, and he would have been stuck with the full payments and no place to live, plus CS to pay. So he walked away. His credit took a serious hit. He had to start over with a $300 secured Credit Card. The only thing that's kept his credit alive is making his car payments. But our discussions with a real estate agent have confirmed that, due to soooo many foreclosures, DH will be able to buy another house 3 yrs after the foreclosure date, as long as he does what's necessary to keep his credit rating good - pay bills on time, minimize use of credit, pay off loans. And we're hoping that the housing market still has low prices at that time. For the moment, we're soon to be 4 in a 2-br apartment (6 on the weekends), but I certainly think it's one of the best financial decisions DH ever made.
This really had me thinking,
This really had me thinking, and made me do some research.
And yup. It totally makes sense for BM to work only 3-4 hrs a day, quite possibly under the tables, and just collect CS for a living.
Here's why:
1. Her dad works at a car place and gets a car for her
2. She'll qualify for Medicaid, food stamps etc.
3. The kids get free breakfast and lunch at school
4. She gets housing assistance to the tune of $300 off a $900 rent
5. Plus since she lives in the apartment just above the Office, she gets free cable and free internet
If she made $1.00 above the cut-off line, many of these perks would VANISH.
I sure am hoping something works in your favor though.
I know just how tough it is to run a household on next to zero. And I consider myself very lucky for the kindness and generosity that has come my way in times of need, and for the utter commitment and dedication of my DH, who would go out there and work 40hrs overtime in addition to his normal job, doing hard manual labor if need be, just to make sure we get by.
One suggestion, perhaps you can give extra lessons to kids who need help (tutoring), advertise on the schools' notice boards and in the area where you live. Any little bit would help.
Funny you suggested that
Funny you suggested that because just a couple of weeks ago I started talking to the schools about tutoring. Most of them, however, want teachers who are already in the school system working for them...I was a bit shocked. It's like how are you supposed to get a foot in the door if you CAN'T!? It's all about who you know around here....so I just gotta get out and meet people I guess!
Also, yes - I really can't stand people who live off the state like that, but then again now I can see why they do it.
After baby arrives you will
After baby arrives you will qualify...
In the same boat. Its so
In the same boat. Its so hard to be middle class. We make "too much" to qualify for any assistance but dont make enough to comfortabley live. In my 30s I have a second job as a babysitter. Kind of embaressing but what are you going to do? :O