took 2 years to find a job

And I'm so THRILLED to finally be working as i said in another post. I'm ecstatic. 30 hours a week, 8.25 an hour, future management training in 6 months for shift mgr to get a raise to 8.75 an hour.

And then last night I added up what I'll make. With taxes out, I'll get 700 a month.

I was thrilled to be able to get off food stamps finally. My child and I were getting 360 a month.
I knew my rent would raise from the non working rent of 50 a month to about 200.

I then remembered that I'm going to have to repay my student loan since i had to leave school cuz the loans ran dry haflway through my bachelors degree..... 500 a month.

I was going to use this job to pay off some tickets from the past, get my misdemeanor cleared, get into school with the 4000 i have left out of my loans to go for Phlebotomy to draw blood and get good money of 10 to 14 an hour....

Add up what I need to pay a month. Out of 700 a month. School and rent will take all my monthly earnings. It took me two years to find THIS job, much less now try to find a second or third job.

I can now see why some people prefer to stay on govt aid; especially when things like this happen.

Now I have to scour the food banks to find food because i can not put any money to food, cuz school is 'THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO PAY BACK, NO IFS ANDS OR BUTS." and rent obviously. There is my 700 a month right there.

The most happiest day of my life, finally finding work, lasted a day before reality set in. By finally finding work, I just screwed my family big time. How long will it take til I find a second job? Can I even work a second job when my first one has my hours and days all over the place? nights, days and weekends, etc?

devastation. it really sucks.

Well - Good for you

reply to post by sarra1833


Sarra i really feel for you girl i understand what you are going through too it seems
a no win situation at the moment

reply to post by Sinny


I assume you didn't read the whole post?

reply to post by sarra1833


Things will get better for you Sarra. Transitions are always scary and rarely comfortable - but they can be very positive things.

Just keep your eye on the prize and keep the momentum. It may get hard, but it will be worth it for you and your kid. Just from what you've posted on ATS I can see you have character and inner strength. You're going to make it.

Keep that chin up. I promise. One day you'll look back on this period of your life and smile.

~Heff

reply to post by Hefficide


I sure hope so Heff. Right now it feels like I traded being a working person for losing food and other life needing things.

reply to post by sarra1833


Sweety you need a hug! Best I can do is offer you this thread...www.abovetopsecret.com...

Take care!

Ascension211

Your situation is one that is very familiar.

Growing up my mom was on social assistance (Canadian version of government assistance) and she was stigmatized from it because she was "sitting on her behind when she should be working." Any time she was offered a job she would take it and go off assistance but the wages would be so low and she had the extra expenditure of paying for babysitting/daycare which ate up most of her hourly wage. She tried going back to school twice and the one time was in her program for almost a month before the government denied her funding and when she couldn't find a job she had to go back to social assistance.

People act like it is the easiest thing in the world to just get a job and better your life not realizing that the way the system is built that if you grew up in poverty you have the most obstacles to overcome to get to even just a little above the poverty line. There is no go to work or go to school, its go to work while you go to school, and better make sure you are never sick never have an emergency or unforeseen circumstances because you are one extra expenditure away from ending up back at the bottom.

Originally posted by ascension211
reply to post by sarra1833

 

Sweety you need a hug! Best I can do is offer you this thread...www.abovetopsecret.com...

Take care!

Ascension211

That was pretty kind of you thoughtfull etc Ascension ..

reply to post by ascension211


Thank you, Ascension211

Originally posted by Hefficide
reply to post by sarra1833

 

Things will get better for you Sarra. Transitions are always scary and rarely comfortable - but they can be very positive things.

Just keep your eye on the prize and keep the momentum. It may get hard, but it will be worth it for you and your kid. Just from what you've posted on ATS I can see you have character and inner strength. You're going to make it.

Keep that chin up. I promise. One day you'll look back on this period of your life and smile.

~Heff

Same to you, very thoughtfull my moderator friend...

Originally posted by MonkeyFishFrog
Your situation is one that is very familiar.

Growing up my mom was on social assistance (Canadian version of government assistance) and she was stigmatized from it because she was "sitting on her behind when she should be working." Any time she was offered a job she would take it and go off assistance but the wages would be so low and she had the extra expenditure of paying for babysitting/daycare which ate up most of her hourly wage. She tried going back to school twice and the one time was in her program for almost a month before the government denied her funding and when she couldn't find a job she had to go back to social assistance.

People act like it is the easiest thing in the world to just get a job and better your life not realizing that the way the system is built that if you grew up in poverty you have the most obstacles to overcome to get to even just a little above the poverty line. There is no go to work or go to school, its go to work while you go to school, and better make sure you are never sick never have an emergency or unforeseen circumstances because you are one extra expenditure away from ending up back at the bottom.

I'd be fine if I didn't have those loans to pay back. I really thought I'd get through school and be fine.
Now for trying to better me, things got worse. Life is amazing, isn't it? and all you say is the Gods honest truth of it all. I feel for anyone in my situation or a similar one. Wish min wage was higher than it is. 8.25 now is not enough to live on. For my entire almost 40 years, it has been. Toss in school loan repayment and I may as well make a dollar an hour. Thank god it's not private, that's my biggest happy of it all. Private is a lot worse.

Oh, hon. I remember how happy you were when you got the job. I really hate this for you.

Can you renegotiate the loan rate, so that you pay less? Maybe the bank will work with you.

Regardless, you are on the right path. A few more stumbling blocks, but you just cleared a MAJOR hurdle. You've already proven you're a survivor....just jeep on, keeping on.

Hugs to you

smylee

reply to post by smyleegrl


I'm going to see what I can do. Nelnet has my loans, yet hwen I tried to contact them, they said that they have no record of me anywhere. So I don't even know where to begin to look. I started with Sallie Mae in 2010 and they then sent that to the government - a good thing; got away from private and went govt. I hear it's a lot better. But as to where to start looking for who has my loans, I'm clueless.

Sorry for your troubles, keep on trying and you'll make it.

The media like to hype about how we have job growth but none like to point out you'd have to work 2 to 3 of them to make a living wage with how the market is.

reply to post by sarra1833


We only just had our minimum wage raised to $10.25 but it still is not enough for people to make a living they can actually survive on.

The way the system is built is if you are rich the system wants to help keep you rich and if you're poor the system has nothing for you except ways to keep you there.

Like you, I've chosen to go to school to try and better my position in life (just received my Associates Degree and heading off to get my Bachelors now) but loan interest alone will have me paying back the loan at 300-400% because of interest rates. Its not even a choice of going to school for something you want, its a choice to go to school for something that will pay you enough to pay off your loan. If I were to lose my funding right now I would be screwed and unlikely to ever dig myself out of this hole.

The system is broken. I really hope that you find a way to make this work. The one good thing about going through these situations is down the line you will have a resilience that no other person could hold a candle to.

i FINALLY got hold of Nelnet.

They told me I haven't even entered the 6mth grace period yet. 60 days before it ends, I can get on income based repayment. Since I make 700 a month, my pay will be from 0 to 25 dollars a month for 25 years (unless things change). After 25 years, it is fully forgiven.

I feel a LOT better now. The payments are 638.78 a month if I had a 'normal decent good paying career'. Since I do not, the govt is really helping people who have little to no income.

For once, I love our government. For this, they are amazing. Too bad they don't do other things for people trying hard to make it in life. And for the Country all around, to be honest.

reply to post by sarra1833


I am really glad to hear that you found a solution to your loan repayment. Sometimes we get the breaks we need right as we need them.

Originally posted by sarra1833
i FINALLY got hold of Nelnet.

They told me I haven't even entered the 6mth grace period yet. 60 days before it ends, I can get on income based repayment. Since I make 700 a month, my pay will be from 0 to 25 dollars a month for 25 years (unless things change). After 25 years, it is fully forgiven.

I feel a LOT better now. The payments are 638.78 a month if I had a 'normal decent good paying career'. Since I do not, the govt is really helping people who have little to no income.

For once, I love our government. For this, they are amazing. Too bad they don't do other things for people trying hard to make it in life. And for the Country all around, to be honest.

YAAAAAYYYY!!!!!!!!!

To quote Monty Python....."And There Was Much Rejoicing!"

This is wonderful. I know its a huge burden off your shoulders. Now you can breathe a little easier, and I know that has ot feel great.

reply to post by sarra1833


Toldya.

~Heff