I’ve been looking at my current life condition, the quality of my life, and the condition of my affairs…and I realize something:
Money is the main and major obstacle between having what I need, and want, and doing without. For example, I collect $156.99 per week from the state of NY as my short term disability. Granted, this makes me eligible for medicaid and food stamps, and neither I would scoff at..but how exactly is one expected to live on $157 a week? I mean, sure, my rent is $600 per month, so I pretty much break even…but $30 a week in groceries and that amount paralyze me from paying any of my bills.
Enter my roommate, King of the Douchebags, who, upon being stressed about the calculations of bills, takes almost a year (since May of ’05 we have lived here) to calculate and tabulate the average and difference of Winter vs Summer bills. He hands me this spreadsheet last night, indicating, that to break even with him, and to pay the remainder of bills for pretty much the entire Fall and Winter, that I am somehow supposed to come up with an additional $440 a month, which includes the $140 per month bill totals. I am kind of flabbergasted not only by the total, but what the hell I am supposed to do to come up with it. Being a drug dealer, either through alcohol or actual narcotics, seems to be the only route to actually do well, to make enough in a reasonable time frame. Problem is, I still weigh 130 pounds, and my stamina is lackluster at best, and drugs, well I don’t really like them or the people they are directly associated with (the big dealers and all). And I would have a hard time selling anything other than g-rated mari juan a anyways (the gateway drugs, the major shit…). I’m a firm believer in selling what I know, and what I believe in…you know how it goes.
The $440 per month in addition to several thousand dollars in unpaid medical bills and almost $500 to what is essentially a frozen and dead bank account in need of repair before being reported to check systems pretty much paralyze me from actually doing well, or breaking even as they say. Never mind that I dreamed of a nice bicycle and laptop today…and I keep talking about wanting to live on my own. Never mind the frosting on top, I have a fucking cardboard cake to eat!
So what the hell do I do? Does anyone have any advice? I would surmise that actually making something from nothing is next to impossible. I play the lottery. I pray for not the million, but a slick $10,000 check to land in my mailbox courtesy of the lottery commission. I don’t need a lot, but I’m totally winging it right now, and it’s kind of scary.
Being in this condition is precisely why I want to beat the shit out of the rich people who say, “I’ve got everything I want and need but I’m still miserable…my ungodly sums of money don’t make me happy”. I want to rip those wads of money out of their dirty little hands, establish scholarship funds, build shelters, actually help people, and give them a purpose…This, of course, after zeroing out my deficits to life….my unpaid medical bills, my early mistakes, my current bills, my unfinished college education…all of it. It seems almost retarded that my breathing every day actually costs me money I don’t have…money that is hard for me to imagine having.
Imagine this post, after all of that positive stuff, bareling out of my brain. I want to be fluffy, to be fruity, to be a beacon of light in a pile of dirty diapers…but goodness. I wanted to be proper and never discuss finances again, but it is DRIVInG ME INSANE!
Oh well, oh well.
April 2, 2006 at 11:01 pm
Two suggestions. The medical bills… have you tried talking to the social work dept. or charity office at the hospital where you owe the money (if that is where you owe the medical money). Hospitals have a certain amount of money per year (I work in a hospital and used to be in social work so this is something valid 😉 ) they are required by the federal govt./state govt to provide as charity. This is only if they are publically funded which a lot of hospitals are… Medical bills are what you can pay the least on if the charity route does not work for you. The reason for that is that they are the least likely of most institutions to go ballistic and refer you to collections if you are at least paying something… so even if you miss a payment here or there or only pay half your payment, they don’t seem to get nasty quite as quick.
Second.. are part of your bills educational loans? You may want to investigate defaulting on your loans and what the consequences would be… Does this exclude you from loans in the future if you eventually pay years from now and would like to go back to school and get loans in the future? Does it affect your credit? etc. etc. You may be able to default with some gracious exclusions based on your health history. Doesn’t hurt to investigate it and see if there are any viable options for you…
In both of these suggestions persistence is the key. People won’t want to give up the beef but if you keep politely and persistently asking your questions and holding the line usually they’ll start to give in… If one person in an office doesn’t work with you make up some excuse and try with another. Sometimes it comes down to just talking to the right person on the right day… as the fates would have it. 🙂
Other than that… I don’t know what to tell you, unless you have family you can live with to save money. Sometimes living with family is hard on us emotionally and mentally and so weighing the positive benefits of getting out of debt vs. a whole other type of stress can be something it takes some time to mull over. I think I recall reading in your journal something about family related issues and can’t remember what that was and so I’m not sure if this is something else you would want to even consider at all.
I guess there is one other thing you could consider. If there is any other sort of charitable soul or someone that just needs a live in to see after their house while they are gone… (and therefore wouldn’t charge you rent.). It sounds like a long shot… but there are situations out there like that… and with the internet today they might just be easier to find for you. Maybe you could talk to someone in real estate and see where they might advise you to look for a situation like that…
That’s all I can come up with for now.
My heart goes out to you… in all its bionic strength! 🙂
April 3, 2006 at 7:08 pm
l’hopital
I’m almost afraid to get my gross balance from this hospital, but you’re right, my nurses have offered to have some of the stuff waived if possible. I am not the most organized person in the bunch so I just keep the bills in wads, or stacks…I am definitely one of those people who throws the bills out (or in a box) because the entire process is entirely too intimidating for me.
Oh, if only my parents were people I would ever consider moving in with…when I moved out second semester of my senior year in high school they kept going on and on about how peaceful the house was now that I was gone…not the mental prep to deal with moving in with them no matter what. And they aren’t particularly kind to animals and I have this dog that kicks butt I would never let go of.
If I knew someone in Brooklyn I could house-sit for that would rock…I would put all of my stuff in storage until the Fall…
The conclusion I have come to is I need to win the lottery…even a small one….
Thanks for the love!
April 3, 2006 at 12:18 am
Francine,
I can definitely help you out a little bit when I get my next paycheck…but what I can give you is only a drop in the bucket compared to what you described above.
I wish I had more to offer.
You roommate is a ski-sloped bastard. I will punch his teeth out with a dead hamster.
I love you.
XOOX
April 3, 2006 at 7:10 pm
Fanks, Franthith.
It’s only $1320 I owe…so it’s a three month process. This is how I have to look at it, and pray that the money fairy lands on my doorstep soon.
He deserves a punch in the mizouth.
April 4, 2006 at 12:36 am
one of the main reasons i would like to win the lottery myself is so that i could shell it out to all my friends who need to.
wish i could do something to help, but we’re very month to month right now and the irs is trying to screw us on our refund. in the meantime i’ll just send all the positive energy i can muster.
April 4, 2006 at 6:08 pm
😉
i keep telling you how crazy you are: you’ve got two babies, lady!
Thank you for the energy…it is exactly what I need.
xoxo