Stressed out about money and staying afloat

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diablo77
Sea Gull
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Joined: 11 Jul 2013
Age: 43
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Location: Atlanta, GA

25 Apr 2014, 10:40 am

I've been having a really hard financial time lately and it's starting to really wear on me. It started with a few small setbacks, like getting a three-day unpaid suspension for being one minute too late one too many times, then my part-time second job having such slow business that they all but laid me off for two months. In this time we fell behind on all of the bills and now it seems like it's a hole that's impossible to climb out of. Even though I got a better part-time, it's not in full swing yet- they're paying me a lower training rate and bringing me in sometimes for only a few hours at a time, a longer drive from home (so more gas $$) than the job I left. The money just hasn't caught up yet, and even when it does, the bills are all at least a month and in many cases two months behind - still struggling to pay something on LAST month's, and then the new ones keep coming. It feels impossible sometimes. On top of that, right now my fiancee has not been working, just doing schoolwork, which is the best arrangement for her and something she was able to do before we lived together, but now my income is just not enough to provide for the household and last night she told me she needs to find a job, which I'm afraid could be bad for our relationship if it makes everything harder in her life, and bad for her if it interferes with her school which would make me feel terrible. And on top of all THAT, I've learned a trick from a coworker where you can sort of borrow ahead from your own bank account to get gas in your car, but it involves intentionally overdrafting in a way that at least with my bank is the ONLY loophole to overdraft without getting charged a fee. The thing is, you have to coordinate it just right, and I'm afraid I might not have when I did it last night, because I just didn't have a choice so I had to take my chances. I've pleaded my way out of at least 4 overdraft fees in the last month or two, and I'm always afraid the next time it happens they'll refuse to help me, even though it literally could mean I end up homeless or at least with utilities cut off. I know that what credit I had must be ruined, especially because I have two maxed-out cards, one of which I had emergency coverage on but have as of this month used it up, and the other I'm just not paying because I can't, not without letting another bill go which would mean something like no lights or no heat or no phone. So it's the least important thing right now, even though it's going to seriously screw me over later. I've talked to people at the company and they even agree with me, but there's still nothing they can do. It's like, for a few months we were skating along, slipping a bit further behind each time but just barely getting by, until eventually we hit a wall. It's all so much pressure on me that sometimes I just want to go to jail or get admitted into a psych ward or something because at least then for a while I wouldn't have to worry about paying for anything, even though I know that's ridiculous.



Onoma
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25 Apr 2014, 2:22 pm

Ok so this is the 2nd time I came here so I thought I would respond. I don't know what you wanted to achieve, did you want a rant? Some comfort or some advice? I don't want to give advice when all you want is a pat on the back.

I think it sounds like you require some help now. Have you ever considered phoning a debt charity? They offer free advice and some counselling services as well (like in this link). I'm not sure if this is the area your in but I typed in debt chairty and Atlanta and this came up:

http://www.atlantaprosperity.org/services/get-help

To contact the Atlanta Prosperity Campaign by PHONE, dial 404-832-4979.

They also appear to have e-mail addresses too. Best of luck.


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sueinphilly
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26 Apr 2014, 4:57 pm

make sure you are getting all city/state/federal help you are entitled to.

Food stamps
lower rates on utilities
and any and every other program that is out there to help

If you go to church, ask for help

Do not play the bank game. Not worth risking bank fees for trying to play a game.



diablo77
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Joined: 11 Jul 2013
Age: 43
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Location: Atlanta, GA

01 May 2014, 8:01 am

sueinphilly wrote:
make sure you are getting all city/state/federal help you are entitled to.

Food stamps
lower rates on utilities
and any and every other program that is out there to help



I think the problem here is I tend to be in that gray area where I make JUST too much money to qualify for assistance, and not enough to pay for everything myself. Especially since my income basically supports both of us but on paper it looks like it's just for me.