Money Rant...

I hate Uncle Sam... He takes alot out of my check to do nothing for my country and that makes me upset because I have a daughter to feed.

I have a check that was $841. I GET $733. This is my first real check, and anyone that doesnt know I got left a few months ago and the person who was paying all the bills stopped.

So I have to pay:
$200 to the babysitter
$100 to the overdue credit cards
$100 to the collection agency
$300 to the cable company
and $38 I wrote for a xmas gift for Kay.

Do the math, how much money do I have to live on for the next 2 weeks?

That's not even counting my rent! Or ALL the bills I owe.. or the utilities because they're still in his name so technically that's not my bill and I'm not going to worry about it till i come home to a dark house... (plus in NY they can't turn it off after a certain date so it'll just build up and it's not in my name anyway... revenge is sweet)

Plus the SSI payment that Kay gets which pays the rent might get discontinued, and that means there will be no Christmas.

I hate money... I really do. My life is SO stressful and I wish this were the one thing I DIDN'T have to worry about...

If I can clean up my credit or find a co-signer I can take out a loan, pay off all the debt and I'll only have 3 bills a month - the payment, the cable and the rent. So even if they cut off the SSI i'd be okay, but cleaning up the credit takes months and I don't have a cosigner.

Someone make it easy.. like... go back to the barter system and leave my damn paycheck alone...

/rant

 

Whats stopping you from sueing your ex? In a case like that, you might not need any up-front lawyer fees.

Have you thought about filing for bankruptcy? Some of your debt might be forgiven. It'll mess up you credit pretty badly, but it sounds like it might be already.


-Steve

 

702 posts and you are still new here?

You have not read her previous rants.....

 

I don't have any grounds to sue... so im going to rack up his nimo bill, which he has to pay off before he can turn it on anywhere else, and call it even.

 

Wenchie...I'm sorry you and Kay are struggling with this. I had the same a few years back when my boys were little and we hit Christmas. All I had was a bunch load of debt to pay off and 50 pounds to do everything for Christmas....food, gas and gifts for the 3 of us, plus regular bills and stuff. My son was sick during that time and I had to get meds too. (50 pounds is about 85 bucks...which sounds a reasonable amount, but with the cost of living in England it was nothing).

All I can say is we made it through. We had very meagre gifts for one another and spent the time just enjoying time with each other. It's all we had to give, but it was priceless because that time will never be replaced. The boys were understanding, despite being little, and valued much more the small things we had that Christmas.

I'm choked up here just thinking back to it, and thinking of you going through it. *Big hugs*

 

Im not worried about gifts.. I had some money rationed for a new winter coat, but I decided i can do with the old one for one more year if i just always wear a sweater. That's another 4 weeks from now until I can break them off...

I guess it made me sad when Kay asked if we were going t open presents on christmas and I said you're going ot open lots. she asked if I was going to open any and I told her no, because the only person who wants to buy my christmas presents is you and you don't have a job yet. She said not to worry because Santa would bring me some and I could open some of hers. It was kida tragically amusing... I'm not worried about it much.

I'm mostly annoyed that I have no help... that it's only $10,000 that could save my life and I have no way to get it. So 50/week to like 20 different places it the best I can muster and hope that my SSI doesnt cut off and screw me over. Maybe since i have a credit union instead of a bank ( aplace where they're really people) I can beg them into giving me a smaller loan and then increasing it with good standing. Then i can use the collateral from paying off that loan to buy my first real home later on down the road...

But right now just really sucks, thats all.

 

I am 100% serious about this suggestion.

Look really hard for faint images that remotely resemble religious figures in things like food, ceramic tile, woodgrain etc, and sell them on ebay! I'm dead serious. Look at all of the rediculous things that have sold on ebay for thousands of dollars just because some idiot from the south thought having such an item would bless them with good fortune.

The Mary Grilled Cheese, the Dorito Pope Hat (which is rediculous by the way- every other Doritio is shaped like the Popes hat, but some idiot bought it!)

There are millions of stupid people who want to believe so badly that Jesus and pals appear to them in the form of everyday items. Look at Mexico!

And haunted items are hot on ebay as well. Remeber the haunted guitar? Just pick something stupid like a toaster and give it a good story about how it used to belong to someone who was killed while eating a peice of toast made from that very toaster- and now it is rumored that their ghost haunts that toaster!

Seriously, some people make their living by selling on ebay, and some of the most rediculous things sell for hundreds or thousands just because they have a unique story or resemble a religious figure.

It's not taking advantage. Some people want to believe in something so badly that they would love to own a sandwich with Jesus on it!

For example- My car, a '96 Grand Cherokee...runs like crap, gets horrible gas mileage, AC is broke, etc. Why? Probably because I beat the hell out of it and never change the oil. Would sell on ebay for probably $2500

Now- My car, a '96 Grand Cherokee...HAUNTED!!! There is an angry spirit living inside this car. Legend is that someone was murdered in it. It does odd things all by itself! Sometimes the AC works...sometimes it doesnt. How eerie! Would sell on ebay for probably $10,000

I am being totally serious here. Sounds silly, but religious crap and food touched "by the hand of god" are all the rage these days.


-Steve

 

My advice, cancel the cable for a start. Bazza

 

its all my daughter has at home. plus its my phone and internet all together. it's only $99/mo but it's 4 month old

 

Sorry Wenchie, I'll go hide in the corner, and shutup. Bazza

===

 

no that'd be the logical choice, but it's just alot cheaper to keep the all in one then pay for any of those things seperate

 

Some idiot from the South? Crass... I hope you didn't mean it to sound that bigoted. /digression

Wenchie, I am sorry you are having such a hard time right now, but I have to agree with bazza here. Considering the amount of your other bills, $99/month is pretty significant for cable. Couldn't books, videos, puzzles or even video games replace the cable for your daughter? Replacing cable with local only phone service and a dial up connection would save you a fair amount each month.

I truly hope things get better for you and yours.

-Publius

 

That's all we can afford right now.....costs us less than $50 a month. I would love to upgrade...it's not a priority right now. You gotta do what you gotta do...

 

Pacific Gouging Telco $28 per month

Yahoo DSL 14.95 a month.

Less than $50 with taxes each month.

I can point you toward $5.95 internet dialup.....

 

Cut back on the payments to the credit cards and collection agency. Even if you have already entered an agreement with them you can easily get it changed to as little as $5 a month. As long as you are making an effort there isn't a darn thing they can do about it legally although they will try to intimidate you....it's their job. Sure it would take you longer to pay it off BUT the immediate benefits to your home life and Kate would balance it out and then when you get your tax return you make a lump payment to pay most or all of it off.

Get rid of the internet access and cable..have to agree with Publius there. While Kate may enjoy TV she would enjoy and benefit even more from spending quality time with you drawing, reading books, playing with toys or just rolling around on the floor having a tickling match.

If you need a loan for 10 grand then you should maybe seek out credit counseling to find out how you got to where you are and how to fix it so it doesn't happen again. While credit can be a good thing it can also be a bad thing if you spend beyond your means. And I don't understand how a loan would take you down to 3 bills..what about utilities? Food? etc. You should figure those as monthly bills so you don't forget something and get a shut off notice or wonder how you are going to buy groceries.

Prioritize. Is it a necessity..something you absolutely have to have or is it just something you want? If it's only a want forget it, you can do without it for now and when you are in a position to be able to get it without struggle you will appreciate it that much more and so will Kate. You would be teaching her in essence, good things come to those who wait and how rewarding it is to actually work toward something and meet that goal.

Apply for HEAP to get help with heating costs.

Apply for Section 8 housing to get help with your rent.

Contact Catholic Charities for assistance as needed. They help with medical needs, utilities, rent, food, furniture, clothing, etc.

Apply for reduced day care. I would have been in dire straights without that just as my daughter would be now. Your local agency would have a list of approved day care centers (who often provide transportation to boot) along with certified day care 'moms' who provide care in their homes.

 

Listen to Mama Abby; she just about covered ALL the bases.

No matter how much it hurts, you have to cut expenditures to what you have available, or it will never get better. Squeezing the credit card companies further can help in the short term, although interest will keep their totals rising, etc.

In your situation, I wouldn't be worrying about Christmas, I'd be worrying about eviction. Rent and mandatory bills have to come first, and ANYTHING that isn't mandatory has to go. Lose the cable, get basic telephone (no caller ID, no nothing), and a free or really cheap internet connection, and tough it out until you can get ahead of the game. Work out a budget that includes EVERYTHING that you spend for the month, and don't spend anything else except for medical emergencies.

Check out all the help groups, clip coupons and buy cheap.

You didn't get ten grand in the hole overnight, and you won't get free of it overnight either. If there's a free financial counselor available, use him. It's gonna be a lot of hard work and scrimping. But you can do it if you seriously want to.

 

well, then does anyone have a modem they can send me, because my rig is not outfitted with one and a free/lowcost internet connection will do me no good without a damn modem.

 

You can pick them up for a couple of bucks in 2nd hand stores or on Ebay

 

i got quite afew of them i will send you one

 

Yeah...i've got one too you can have!! If for some reason "Huggy" doesn't work out...let me know, it's all on me, shipping and everything!! If anything...my wife will be thrilled to get rid of one more box in our sooo oversized apartment!!!! LOL

Roger

 

Read this before NY Times takes it down

Maybe this guy would give you a job!

http://tinyurl.com/bjv75

 

Well, don't move up to quebec
I'm in the lowest bracket, 29.36%.
lets say i want to buy something for a dollar
1 * 1.07 = 1.07 thats the GST (good and service tax)
1.07 * 1.075 = ~1.15 (PST)
So i need 1.15 to buy that 1 dollar item
To earn 1.15 I need to make roughly 1.50 cents before taxes.

If you make more than 115 000 in canada your taxe bracket is almost 50%
At least we spend it on medicare and poutine

 

haha very funny but i will have it mailed out tomorrow

 

What's "poutine". Bazza

===

 

http://www.thumper.net/tlkmag/archive/fun/poutine/

Never had it myself, but then, I like my heart the way it is.

 

Nasty tasting gravy sold in Eastern Canada and French-Canadian influenced US.

Bill Clinton said it was the best stuff he had ever tasted when he campaigned in Manchester, NH in 1992.

 

LOL...I'm sorry...it just doesn't flow to type your username!!

Roger

 

"poutine". Bl**dy hell, not for me.

Most times I figure if you have to cover something with gravy, mayo, or similar, to disguise the taste of the original, you shouldn't be eating it anyway.
IMHO, of course. Bazza

PS: Bet that comment causes some furoré / replies, by all you condiment lovers. Baz

 

Eeee by gum and ecky thump I say, I say ecky thump. I can hear me grandad rolling in his pit. Eeee lad...thou hasn't lived unless thou's had roast beef, yorkshire puds and roast tatters with homemade thick brown gravy.

You need a reet proper sunday lunch, our kid, with haif a pint of bitter, and then downt pub int evening

 

talking bout gravy, i looked everywhere for bisto type stuff. the only gravy in my shops are the individual sachets of mccormicks 'brown gravey' etc. these are a dollar each and you need two to make a pot, and they taste like cr*p. or jars of something that looks like gravy and are even more expensive and taste even cr*pp**r. my addy is PO Box 44567, Kamuela, Hi. 96743. if you find some and can send some to me. i'm still ok for a while. i still have oxo's. why doesnt america have oxo? again the only boullion i can find is knorr, and they dont crumble or taste the same. i'm gonna have roast beef tonight. its a long time since i made yorkshire, i think i've forgotten how. send a recipie to remind me. much aloha.

 

Yeah I can only find Knorr bouillon, but I got your back covered with gravy granules (not literally!!!) so hang in there

Recipe on it's way too

 

you guys are getting "English cuisine" known in america as "leftover animal bits miscontrued into presumably edibles", all over my thread. GAG... SPEW....

hehehe....

 

yes but we do know how to stretch a dollar, so its kinda on topic lol.

aloha

ps. as far as your money woes go, one piece of advise....always pay SOMETHING off of overdue bills. even if its only a dollar. always pay as much as you reasonably can NOW and worry about the rest later. most people tend to put off paying things until they have the full amount. this is a big mistake.

 

yeah I tried that once... it sucked. The only thing I desperatly have to pay off is the credit cards, because they were both overdue and over limit and that just ads and ads and ads. So I paid 50 each and I'll pay 50 each again so they're both under limit and on time.. the rest I can BS around.

I'm thinking of moving to reduce the rent if I can find help and enough to rent a truck. looking into my options on that end. Asking anyone who is planning to do christmas to send money, because every $20 helps. So between grandma mom and dad I might get together enough for a truck and I'll see if I can find a landlord willing to do the deposit in installments.

bonus, then Josh can't find us... so I'll feel more safe.

 

That's not bad, except for the h sounds. It should be:

'ear, 'is, 'asn't, 'ad, 'omemade and 'alf. Of course, I would 'ave 'ad a pint. So would are kid.

 

lol True Mr P...I can speak it a lot better than I can type it. All my family (except me) are from ooop north are kid

 

where were you when you woz english?

 

Oi be Devurrrn born and bred....strong in the arm and thick in the 'ed

Not really....but I was from Gloucester and gradually slipped down the country till I find myself in Devon and Somerset

 

Bradford

 

My best friend is married to a gal from Brighton...are we talking about the same neighborhood?? Me and a buddy went over there to vist about 6 years ago...they took us to Brighton, London, Peterborough(spelling??), Alkenbarry (again...spelling??) don't feel like pulling out the passport!! It was quite interesting!! Mostly a Griswald type trip...being young and single...we were more intersted in the pubs, nightclubs, and anyplace that was saturated with nice looking young ladys!!!! The Gals over there, are quite fond of my southern accent!! I wish I had a dollr for evrytime I was told I sounded just like Matthew McHonaghey!! It was fun!!

Sorry, I'm done hijacking this thread now!!

Roger!

 

ROFLMAO i spent a great deal of time at stonehenge and glastonberry . also falmouth.

 

I used to live about 10 miles from Glastonbury When my husband visited the UK for the first time the first place I took him was Stonehenge to try and get some ancient culture into his american bones. He stood there, in the freezing cold wind on Salisbury plain and said "Yes, they're large rocks! Can we go now?" lol...heathen!

@Roger...no, Brighton is the south coast where the mods hang out. Wouldn't catch this biker chic anywhere near there!

 

i take you used to go to the festivals?

 

My church in the UK used to go and set up in the healing field. I was meant to go last summer but a project I was working on prevented me at the last minute, so I never made it

Now Reading Rock Festival...that's a whole different ball game

 

Hi, Wenchie.

This might sound stupid but it could possibly help. All the reasonable and sound advice has already been given so I'll suggest something out of the ordinary. Do you have an eBay account? If so you could sell things on it and make money. I'm serious. I watched a documentary on TV a few months ago on eBay and it showed how people in your financial situation made enough money to live on comfortably. The people in question would go around to yard sales and second hand stores and buy up seemingly worthless stuff and sell it for a profit on eBay. Some people make their entire living wages off of eBay.

I dont' know if you have the time or the means to do something like this and it's probably not something you'd like to do but I thought I'd take a shot and suggest it.

 

you know we've probably met. i used to be with international rescue (i kid u not) and they would have a set up in the green field. in addition i am christian so i would have checked out the church tents.

 

You're probably right! It's a small world (unless you have to paint it!)

OK...so in real life you are Lady Penelope and you live on Tracy Island, not Hawaii? lol

 

I tried that once... theres an monthly fee for doing that, and last year they went to take it from my account,and instead of taking out what i owed, which would have cleared, they charged me the $25 ISF fee TWICE which brought my bank account under limit which the bank additionally charged me an INSF twice, so when all was said and done $11.98 put me $88 in the hole and ebay had no freaking customer service number or way to reach them and were not willing ot refund the money.

im not likely to try it again as a result.

 

That's too bad. You'd think that something as big as eBay would have better customer support.

I have another unusual idea for making money; a raffle. Do you go to church or are part of any religion? If you do than you could talk to them about holding a raffle for something with the proceeds going to you. They could advertise it as helping someone in need. They could sell tickets and donate most of the money to you. It won't get you $10,000 but it could get you something.

It's just an idea.

 

I sold a ton of stuff through Ebay before I moved across the pond. The charge was a percentage of the value each item sold at; no monthly fee. Wierd