Cheryl J
Chef Extraordinaire
Holy cow, RR....lots of red tape you've been going through! Try to keep your chin up - you've gotten a lot done, and it looks like there might be a little light at the end of the tunnel. Best wishes to you.
What are you doing?
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Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
rr, what Andy said. Hope you go through the rest of the red tape quickly.
rodentraiser
Head Chef
Thank you CG and Cheryl and Andy, you're right. I've been just vegetating for the last 4 1/2 years because what else can you do on $200/month? But now I can finally think about taking some control of my life again.
And now I have a battle of a different sort going on. I'm looking for a piece of property that I can afford to purchase and I'm going to live in my car or in a shed on that land for a couple years until I can afford to put a small house on it. My friends are coming unglued about this and are driving me crazy with "But you can't do that!", but I refuse to rent anything because #1 even with disability I can't afford any rent in this county or the next county and #2 rents go up. Even in mobile home parks, space rent goes up.
I refuse to put all my money into rent when I'll probably be forced out eventually. This way, if I find I can't afford to put a house on the land, I might be able to sell it for a profit. So opting between a sure place to live now and uncertainty later on, I'm choosing to go without for a couple years and save money to have a permanent place to live in the future.
The only one not giving me any flak about it is my mother. Go figure.
And now I have a battle of a different sort going on. I'm looking for a piece of property that I can afford to purchase and I'm going to live in my car or in a shed on that land for a couple years until I can afford to put a small house on it. My friends are coming unglued about this and are driving me crazy with "But you can't do that!", but I refuse to rent anything because #1 even with disability I can't afford any rent in this county or the next county and #2 rents go up. Even in mobile home parks, space rent goes up.
I refuse to put all my money into rent when I'll probably be forced out eventually. This way, if I find I can't afford to put a house on the land, I might be able to sell it for a profit. So opting between a sure place to live now and uncertainty later on, I'm choosing to go without for a couple years and save money to have a permanent place to live in the future.
The only one not giving me any flak about it is my mother. Go figure.
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cjmmytunes
Head Chef
Thank you so much. I'm on the hunt for them as of the 1st of the month.
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
rr, Social Security was told by a judge a few years back to clean up their backlog of pending cases. As a result when Pirate applied for his SS disability, he got approved in 4 and a half weeks. We all were in shock. So fast? What the heck did Pirate do? Threaten to kill someone if he had to wait? What happened was they took one look at his medical report from his doctors and they didn't even bother to have them see their doctors. The only drawback for him is that now they take out his premiums out of his check. At the beginning MassHealth was paying his premiums. But like Pirate says, he is grateful for anything he receives. But he still would rather be working. I find him scanning the newspaper or looking on line for any job he thinks he may be able to do.
You will adjust to your new income. There are days like it seems you can never get ahead. But you will. It just takes some adjustment on your part. Fill you house with non-perishables with those food stamps. And fill up your freezer also. Because if you don't someone will see that you have not been using them, so you obviously don't need them. And they will take them back. I learned that the hard way. We were having a small amount of monies added to our EBT card for heating money in the winter. It wasn't enough to even bother with. So I never applied it to my taxable items when I went shopping. After three months they saw it was still there and took it back. Now when I get it, I use it right away. Oh boy! A whole $1.49. I pay more than that in taxes for my taxable items. So now I use it up when I get it.
By having your larder full, replace each item with your new
grand sum of food stamps each time you go shopping. If you use up a jar of peanut butter, then replace it. Try to keep your larder full with your non-perishables with your new amount of food stamps. It takes some adjusting, but you are going to be all right.
If you buy that property and sell it at a profit, you most likely will affect your food stamps and the amount of your check. Look into it before you make any moves. If you are under the protection of the housing authority, your rent can never be more than what the authority allows. Since they are paying the balance of what the land lord is asking for. It is usually one-third of your check.
You will adjust to your new income. There are days like it seems you can never get ahead. But you will. It just takes some adjustment on your part. Fill you house with non-perishables with those food stamps. And fill up your freezer also. Because if you don't someone will see that you have not been using them, so you obviously don't need them. And they will take them back. I learned that the hard way. We were having a small amount of monies added to our EBT card for heating money in the winter. It wasn't enough to even bother with. So I never applied it to my taxable items when I went shopping. After three months they saw it was still there and took it back. Now when I get it, I use it right away. Oh boy! A whole $1.49. I pay more than that in taxes for my taxable items. So now I use it up when I get it.
By having your larder full, replace each item with your new
grand sum of food stamps each time you go shopping. If you use up a jar of peanut butter, then replace it. Try to keep your larder full with your non-perishables with your new amount of food stamps. It takes some adjusting, but you are going to be all right. If you buy that property and sell it at a profit, you most likely will affect your food stamps and the amount of your check. Look into it before you make any moves. If you are under the protection of the housing authority, your rent can never be more than what the authority allows. Since they are paying the balance of what the land lord is asking for. It is usually one-third of your check.
rodentraiser
Head Chef
Well, I found out today that I can only hold food stamps on my card for 3 months, but they send letters before they take them away again. They probably just send the letters to see if you're still alive.
I also called Social Services and left a message for the Housing Authority.
I also called IRS. Hint to anyone thinking of doing this. Just. Don't. Hit your head on a wall, do whatever, but don't bother calling the IRS.
The number I called on their website was answered by a lady who said because of cutbacks no one there could give me answers to anything. I asked her why they even answered the phone then. She got huffy.
Then I called another number I found and it routed me through a dozen menus until I got to the end. Then I had an option to choose one of four numbers to push and at that point, the recording just said to look at their website for the answers to questions and hung up on me. I found out, through trial and error, that none of those last four numbers would get me to a live person. I finally just hit random numbers and got someone in the business section and he was nice. He's going to mail me out some booklets.
I'd work, too, if I could. The paperwork in all this is unbelievable.
As to getting put through quickly, I had the first hearing in March of 2014. At that point, I got denied and the judge wrote a list of reasons why. Some of the items he covered weren't even true. This time, I got another list of reasons why I was accepted and there were still some things on there that I had to question. But I'm not. I figure it's a wash.
Addie, you don't understand. I'm getting more money than I thought I would. In fact, IF I had waited till age 72 to retire, I would still be getting less than what I'm getting now. And I planned to retire at 62. But with rent and Medicare and taxes and food all coming out, I guess I'll still be living on $200/month. But this time, that's after all the basics have been paid for. I'm very grateful.
Yeah, I'll have to save for things like getting my car fixed and other stuff that comes up, but if I can get a plot of land to live on all paid up, I'll be way ahead of the game.
Meantime, I'm sitting here and I still haven't eaten yet, the dishes are still in the sink (just more of them), the garbage still needs to be put out (there's more of that, too) and I need to leave in about a half hour.
I also called Social Services and left a message for the Housing Authority.
I also called IRS. Hint to anyone thinking of doing this. Just. Don't. Hit your head on a wall, do whatever, but don't bother calling the IRS.
The number I called on their website was answered by a lady who said because of cutbacks no one there could give me answers to anything. I asked her why they even answered the phone then. She got huffy.
Then I called another number I found and it routed me through a dozen menus until I got to the end. Then I had an option to choose one of four numbers to push and at that point, the recording just said to look at their website for the answers to questions and hung up on me. I found out, through trial and error, that none of those last four numbers would get me to a live person. I finally just hit random numbers and got someone in the business section and he was nice. He's going to mail me out some booklets.
I'd work, too, if I could. The paperwork in all this is unbelievable.
As to getting put through quickly, I had the first hearing in March of 2014. At that point, I got denied and the judge wrote a list of reasons why. Some of the items he covered weren't even true. This time, I got another list of reasons why I was accepted and there were still some things on there that I had to question. But I'm not. I figure it's a wash.
Addie, you don't understand. I'm getting more money than I thought I would. In fact, IF I had waited till age 72 to retire, I would still be getting less than what I'm getting now. And I planned to retire at 62. But with rent and Medicare and taxes and food all coming out, I guess I'll still be living on $200/month. But this time, that's after all the basics have been paid for. I'm very grateful.
Yeah, I'll have to save for things like getting my car fixed and other stuff that comes up, but if I can get a plot of land to live on all paid up, I'll be way ahead of the game.
Meantime, I'm sitting here and I still haven't eaten yet, the dishes are still in the sink (just more of them), the garbage still needs to be put out (there's more of that, too) and I need to leave in about a half hour.
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I have a friend who bought a cheap piece of land in East Texas, and a cheap used mobile home. The mobile home looks pretty ugly outside, but he has slowly remodeled the inside, and it is pretty cool. The best part is, he is debt free.
CD
Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
I'm resting. I'm apologizing to my right ankle because it hurts (arthritic...). I'm thinking of starting up with my alcohol-rubdown-from-the-inside-out early. Ugh, I'm getting too old for his house cleaning crap. I started washing kitchen cabinets a couple weeks ago, but still had the upper cupboards on the short end to do. You know, the part where the huge refrigerator needed to be pulled away from the wall so I could actually reach the cupboards above it? Today was the day. They're clean and Murphy's Oil Soap shiny. The fridge is dust free...and missing a few of its magnets and the stuff that was under them. The dishwasher, oven, and microwave cabinet were jealous, so I washed off their fronts, too. I'm pooped. Maybe I'll go on strike tomorrow, but I know there is something that needs doing that will start making me feel guilty.
Cheryl J
Chef Extraordinaire
I'm resting. I'm apologizing to my right ankle because it hurts (arthritic...). I'm thinking of starting up with my alcohol-rubdown-from-the-inside-out early. Ugh, I'm getting too old for his house cleaning crap. I started washing kitchen cabinets a couple weeks ago, but still had the upper cupboards on the short end to do. You know, the part where the huge refrigerator needed to be pulled away from the wall so I could actually reach the cupboards above it? Today was the day. They're clean and Murphy's Oil Soap shiny. The fridge is dust free...and missing a few of its magnets and the stuff that was under them. The dishwasher, oven, and microwave cabinet were jealous, so I washed off their fronts, too. I'm pooped. Maybe I'll go on strike tomorrow, but I know there is something that needs doing that will start making me feel guilty.
Early?? Wasn't it getting close to midnight back there?
I started my alcohol rubdown an hour ago, but only one small glass - I'm actually too full, and tired, to do another glass. You've been busy! I pulled out the fridge a year or so ago to clean under and behind it, and found a few of Tyler's small toys under there.
Probably time to do it again, and my cabinets need a good wipedown, too. I hope you feel better by morning, CG.
Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
Don't forget, Cheryl, I'm a night owl. "Now" is just early evening to me. I'll get some wine as soon as I pull my tuckus off the chair.
All I found under the fridge was an ibuprofen I dropped a few months ago...and dust bunnies. No $100 bills...*sigh* However, when I moved the microwave cabinet early this year I found a couple of kitty toys. Kept the cleanest mouse and put it by the fireplace...Midnight's, and then LittleBit's, favorite place to lay down.
I'll get some wine as soon as I pull my tuckus off the chair. All I found under the fridge was an ibuprofen I dropped a few months ago...and dust bunnies. No $100 bills...*sigh* However, when I moved the microwave cabinet early this year I found a couple of kitty toys.
Kept the cleanest mouse and put it by the fireplace...Midnight's, and then LittleBit's, favorite place to lay down.
Getting ready to head to Laramie for my Nephew's Graduation. He is the one who got into the Honors Society.
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
CJ and CG - I told Pirate about your Internal Alcohol Rubdown and he is still laughing. His daughter-in-law is a great one for her rubdowns. Only she has been using too much alcohol lately. The family (mostly her husband) have noticed and have said something to her about it.
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Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Made a big pot of sauce today as part of Monday's Memorial Day meal with our daughters and grandson. Since rain was predicted, the meal will be chicken parm and Caesar Salad.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
No pie. I'll be making a chocolate layer cake with ganache between the layers and a chocolate whipped cream frosting. Monday is my older daughter's birthday.
We are done at the old place, finally. We got rid of the piano and gave the keys to the new owner. I made a little welcome garden for her in a planter at the front door.
But I have obviously been doing too much and my chronic pain and fatigue have caught up to me so not much is getting done at the new place. I am hoping to get done more on the weekend, with help from my awesome in-laws.
So, what I am basically doing now is just resting and trying to catch up on email, blogs, etc.
But I have obviously been doing too much and my chronic pain and fatigue have caught up to me so not much is getting done at the new place. I am hoping to get done more on the weekend, with help from my awesome in-laws.
So, what I am basically doing now is just resting and trying to catch up on email, blogs, etc.
Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
Rest, LP. Certainly rest. The clock ticks on getting out of a place, because you have a new owner coming up behind you. Whether or not you settle into the new place next week or next month, your deadline is only the one you set for yourself. Make it one that works for you.
I should be going through the grocery store ads. I haven't shopped this week, but we really need only produce and maybe a loaf of bread. Then again, if I don't go out shopping, I have time to make the bread. But...I can't grow vegetables in an afternoon, so I guess I have to shop. Tomorrow. Unless next week's ad has the same things on sale that I plan on buying this week.
They don't.
I should be going through the grocery store ads. I haven't shopped this week, but we really need only produce and maybe a loaf of bread. Then again, if I don't go out shopping, I have time to make the bread. But...I can't grow vegetables in an afternoon, so I guess I have to shop. Tomorrow. Unless next week's ad has the same things on sale that I plan on buying this week.
They don't.
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
What she^ said. You are going to be there for a long time. So make good use of your easy chair and bed for the time being. You're going to be in your new home for a long time.
Just Cooking
Master Chef
Shopped to refill the freezer yesterday..
Spent a couple of hours this morning, slicing a large pork loin roast into chops and 1 roast.. Separated chicken parts into servings for two.. Divided ground chuck into meal portions..
Wrapped all, put on cookie sheets for freezing... Will vacuum seal all tomorrow..
For kicks counted out meal portions... Came up with 20+ meals (some will produce leftovers) @ $1.90 ea.. I'm pleased..
Ross
Spent a couple of hours this morning, slicing a large pork loin roast into chops and 1 roast.. Separated chicken parts into servings for two.. Divided ground chuck into meal portions..
Wrapped all, put on cookie sheets for freezing... Will vacuum seal all tomorrow..
For kicks counted out meal portions... Came up with 20+ meals (some will produce leftovers) @ $1.90 ea.. I'm pleased..
Ross
