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Joe_Winko_From_YouTube
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17 Aug 2017, 11:56 pm

i'm pretty sure everyone here knows about me already but i'm 21 years old with autism adhd bipolar disorder borderline personality disorder type 1 diabetes and one psychiatrist even believes i may have paranoid schizophrenia.

anyway, i can't hold a job because it's too stressful and overwhelming so i'm trying to get on SSI right now (and will keep trying until i'm in the graves so don't bother trying to talk me out of it)

Anyhow, ive been doing research online about SSI and i've also went to some 'presentation/seminar' about SSI and i've learned that it can also be used to take vacations.

I'm a very adventurous person too, and I always like seeing new places. With $700 a month and having to be under the $2,000 limit, i understand i won't get the chance very often while staying on SSI for the rest of my life. BUT i'm pretty sure i will still get the chance every now and then none the less!

Right now, I live in Wisconsin in an apartment that my adoptive parents are paying for, but in October of this year, they will be sending me to Florida to live with their relatives until i get approve for SSI.

I applied for SSI back in April of 2016. been rejected once in August, then again in March, and i appealed it both times, and now im waiting for a court date to get approved. Even if i get denied at the courts, i know there's way to keep appealing it.

After i get approved for SSI (which i know might take a couple years), i want to then find house or disability housing which just charges me 33% of my income in Florida (which i understand would also take a while to find). and i'll also be on foodstamps too.
and after everything else besides that (electricity, household stuff, internet etc.)
i believe i will have at least $30 - $50 bucks left each month to spend on random stuff I want. That i understand i can't accumulate for too long because i have to be under the $2,000 dollar limit.

BUT, GETTING BACK TO THE POINT OF THIS THREAD!

I know the SSI money CAN be used on Vacations, and people always tell me that "i will never be able to afford to do anything I want," which is think is plain ridiculous because everyone who has told me that has never explained why i wouldn't be able too.

I wanted to take a vacation to Virginia Beach, Virginia after I get approved for SSI because i always wanted to visit there and have always wanted to see the statue of King neptune.

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I don't like flying on planes though so i looked up the bus prices from Florida to Virginia Beach and it's only $200 roundtrip (probably even cheaper if i use megabus)

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Also, i wouldn't try to stay at any 'super fancy hotel'.. Motel 6s or Days in are nice enough :)
(as i know for sure because i've had many 'grindr hook ups' at them, but that's a whole different story...)
But those motels are only $50-$60 a night, and from the nights I spent at them, they are quite decent.

I also looked up the greyhound bus station in Virginia Beach and it's literally walking distance to the nearest motel and the King Neptune statue and the beach.

The only other cost i would need to worry about is Food, which would be covered by my foodstamp card, which works every place i've used it outside of the state.

I'd also want to buy a couple postcards and snowglobes there but those would be less than $20 i'm assuming.

I would literally only want to spend 1 or 2 nights in Virginia beach or in any of the places i visit, then i would just go home.

So i'm estimating that trip would cost about $350 at most to take. Far under the $2,000 SSI limit.
Yet, i still see people who say, "people on SSI can't afford vacations"...


Can some please explain to me why and how what I just described would not be possible?



Joe_Winko_From_YouTube
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20 Aug 2017, 4:01 am

also this same question can go for someone on SSI who wants an ipod or gaming console or anything like that. i know there's a rule that you can't have more than $2,000 if you're living on SSI. but stuff like that, and the vacation i wanted to go on are way under $2,000

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Misslizard
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24 Aug 2017, 9:33 pm

Unless you have a payee,its up to you to decide how to budget and spend your money.No reason you can't save up and take one.
Most people on SSI have more expenses than you.Auto maintenance,gas,insurance,credit card debt,pets,internet and satellite tv.That stuff eats a check up quick"
No reason you can't have electronic devices.I do.They don't consider those assets,like atvs,boats,etc..


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Joe_Winko_From_YouTube
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25 Aug 2017, 3:41 pm

Misslizard wrote:
Unless you have a payee,its up to you to decide how to budget and spend your money.No reason you can't save up and take one.
Most people on SSI have more expenses than you.Auto maintenance,gas,insurance,credit card debt,pets,internet and satellite tv.That stuff eats a check up quick"
No reason you can't have electronic devices.I do.They don't consider those assets,like atvs,boats,etc..


i see :) and yeah, i see how $700 a month can be quite limited. but i was planning on finding some 'rent controlled' housing to live in, like disability housing or something in Florida. my adoptive parent's relatives will let me stay with them until then.

i don't ever plan on getting a car at all, so that would safe me lots. and no pets either. internet yes, but that would be less than $100.

i believe you CAN save SSI money, BUT you just can't be over $2,000 ever. but you can do quite a bit with less than $2,000
im also going to be on foodstamps as well.

Are you on SSI? or have you ever been on SSI? what's it like for you?



Misslizard
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25 Aug 2017, 6:48 pm

I'm on it,been on it for close to twelve years.My bills eat up a good chunk,so I never have savings left over.Plus have three dogs,two are large,so around thirty dollars a month in feed and around twenty in flea and tick treatments.
I only get $32 in food stamps,but I grow a big garden to supplement,that makes a huge difference.Otherwise I could not afford organic food.I go to the food bank and get the USDA commodities once a month so food really isn't a problem.If you have a sunny porch or balcony all you need are a few tomatoes,peppers and cukes in pots and you can eat cheap all growing season.
There are some home energy programs for low income that will pay part of your bills during hot and cold weather.
It's when stuff tears up,like my leaf blower and weed eater just crapped out,so I had to replace both those.Today the riding lawn mower quit mowing,it runs but doesn't cut,so another expense for next month.Luckily I was just finishing up.
I get the cheap SAT package,just $29 a month,no HBO. :cry: I shop at thrift stores for other items,amazing finds if you have a good eye and luck.Coupons and hitting sales also hel
I had an Obama phone, but it was so much hassle to renew it with the provider so I switched the lifeline credit go to my landline.A relative is giving me their old IPhone and I will just get the cheapest straight talk plan at Malwart,$19 for two months if I remember right.I like to carry one in the car in case of car trouble.
You could save all your loose change and small bills in a jar for vacation money,they don't come to use house to look.Change adds up fast.If you live in an area where people litter,pick up aluminum cans and sell.
I'm lucky my family has helped me out for a few big expenses,my washing machine quit and we don't have a laundry mat in the county anymore.So they got me a new one.I was doing laundry by hand this way,get a five gallon bucket and add laundry,soap and hot water.Use a NEW toilet plunger to agitate the clothes.Let them soak,drain,and add rinse water and plunge some more .The wringing out by hand is the worst part.But if you are ever in a bind,this works.


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Joe_Winko_From_YouTube
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29 Aug 2017, 2:47 pm

oh wow... they cut your foodstamps down once u start getting SSI? are you only getting the $700 a month? or do they give you more?



Misslizard
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30 Aug 2017, 9:19 am

$735,they figure in living expenses and I don't pay rent.Everytime they raise SSI a few dollars they cut the stamps back a few dollars.


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starkid
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10 Sep 2017, 3:06 pm

It seems possible to me. I'm not on SSI though.