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Hey everyone, don't mind me, I just need a place to vent to the anonymous crowd...
In April this year, I lost my job when my workplace went out of business. Since then, I've been on unemployment, and I've been able to get some work once or twice a month at a local graduate school. However, this doesn't compare at all to my previous income.
My sister-in-law has been living with us while she's finishing her last years of high school. Her parents (who are divorced) had been paying her portion of the rent while she was here, and that helped to offset my lost income a little bit. Then, just a month or two after I lost my job, her parents just stopped paying for her (partly due to some sort of dispute over childcare payments).
So, my income had been pretty much decimated, and we were no longer receiving rent for the sister-in-law, plus we ended up subsidizing the cost of her food and other necessities. That's just the monetary part; I won't go to the extent of complaining about the injustice of basically being forced to adopt a teenager...
Taking all this into consideration, we decided we needed to downsize. We found a new cheaper apartment downtown, told the sister-in-law that she would have to move back in with one of her parents, and decided to trade/sell both our cars and consolidate to a single, more fuel-efficient car. Our move in date for the new apartment is October 1st.
We had everything all sorted out - it was going to be a big zero-sum equation. Trading in my wife's Jeep would pay for all the upfront costs of getting the new (well, new to us) car. Since we paid last month's rent upfront on the current apartment, we could take the money that we would've spent on rent, combine it with our security deposit, and use that to pay first/last/security on the new apartment. The sale of my Honda would just be icing on the cake.
However, things took a bad turn. Something went wrong with the financing for the new car (I suspect that it had something to do with the fact that my wife has some health problems, and the financiers didn't like the medical bills on her record). We ended up having to pay a down-payment that was more than $1,000 more than we expected, and instead of staying the same, our monthly payment went up by $100. All of a sudden, we were in a different position; instead of wanting to sell my car, we had to sell it. If we don't sell it, we won't be able to afford to move in to the new apartment, and there's no way we'd be able to stay in the place we are now.
When I talked to my landlord about this, he confessed something truly scary: he was in a financial tough spot himself, and until a new renter paid him first/last/security, there was a good chance he wouldn't be able to pay us our deposit back.
So, now I have two weeks (less, really) in which to come up with approximately $3,000 out of thin air. There has been next to no interest in the apartment, and literally no interest in the car. I feel trapped, and it's driving me crazy. We can't afford to move, we can't afford to stay...we have nowhere to go. I really don't know what to do.
Any useful advice would be appreciated...it feels a little bit better to get it off my chest, but venting my feelings won't keep me from becoming homeless at the end of the month...
Wow... all I can say is that I read your story and it sucks. No, it more than sucks, it hurts. Just realize that no matter how bad things get, there are people in the world who care about you and who care about the injustice of the situation you're in.
I know it sucks, but have you looked into public housing for the short term?
Do you have any family or friends you could borrow $3,000 from?
Do you belong to a church? They could, maybe, throw you a fund raiser.
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That's harsh... I'm not sure how feasible this might be, but since there's no interest in your current apartment, and your landlord is in some financial trouble himself, maybe he'd be willing to let you stay on at reduced rent since if you do have to move out he'll be getting nothing at all from the place.
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Hey everyone, don't mind me, I just need a place to vent to the anonymous crowd...
In April this year, I lost my job when my workplace went out of business.
Did you try to get the finacing for the car through another instituion or dealer?
Is the new car a done deal yet and you are stuck with your financing arraignement as is? Do you have any maintance costs associated with your current cars, and can you verify that your curret cars are paid off?
Here is some general reccomendations. What the posters said about contacting your church or faith group is a good idea. Beyond being able to help you out for a little until it works out, many faith groups have contacts with groups that can help people get back on their feet. Also, Father "Smith" may have someone with a finanical background in the flock that can give you some advice.
Also, there are some county and state organizations that can help. What state do you live in?
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Thank you all for your thoughts and advice.
I live in southern Vermont. Low-income housing (and its close relatives) are in extremely high demand here, and the waiting list is months (if not years) long.
There's a possibility of being able to borrow the money from someone, but that would put the person I borrow from in a tight spot as well. And no, neither of us belong to a church. My wife has made efforts to distance herself from the church she was raised in.
The car financing issue...sigh. I admit to probably getting suckered a little on that front. It really pisses me off looking back on it. However, it's unprofitable to curse a situation I can't change. Instead, I'm considering the possibility of selling the new car and keeping my (admittedly not as nice) old one. Tomorrow I will be calling dealerships.
The idea of my landlord letting us stay st a reduced rent is probably the most likely outcome, assuming something else doesn't work itself out.
All I can say is that I wish you the best of luck and I will put you in my prayers.
Thank you all for your thoughts and advice.
I live in southern Vermont. Low-income housing (and its close relatives) are in extremely high demand here, and the waiting list is months (if not years) long.
There's a possibility of being able to borrow the money from someone, but that would put the person I borrow from in a tight spot as well. And no, neither of us belong to a church. My wife has made efforts to distance herself from the church she was raised in.
The car financing issue...sigh. I admit to probably getting suckered a little on that front. It really pisses me off looking back on it. However, it's unprofitable to curse a situation I can't change. Instead, I'm considering the possibility of selling the new car and keeping my (admittedly not as nice) old one. Tomorrow I will be calling dealerships.
The idea of my landlord letting us stay st a reduced rent is probably the most likely outcome, assuming something else doesn't work itself out.
Where do you live?! I probably know you, being from Londonderry VT myself. Let me know what's up, and where you are.
For the record, the title....it made me lol. But I sympathize, man.
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I have a couple bits of advice.
If you are handy at all look in the yellow pages under 'handyman' and start calling looking for the least expensive dude....he probably does a fair bit of under-the-table work and could use a helper for $7-10hr (or more). I am currently pulling in more cash working like this than most jobs I have but I am getting $14 hr cash and working 45-ish hours a week
If you aren't handy at all then try to look for other sectors for the same ideals.
Here's a good one....call a local mortgage company and look into becoming a 'runner'. That is the person that takes the packet of a loan application that a lawyer has prepped and runs it to the customer's home so they can sign them and give the runner all important documents for the loan to be processed. It takes about 1 hour + drive times and each completed run in my area pays $125 flat rate to the runner. You can develop a knowledge of the paperwork through practice. An ability to deal with many types of people is a must. Most are decent but some really can test you.
I listed the two options that I used, one physical, one mental, both helped me out and I hope they can help you.
Anyone in your family that can offer you a job is also a good way to go, better than asking for a loan..it's basically a "you give me a job and I get the money I need without bugging you for a loan and trying to pay it back later". Even if it's just cleaning your family members gutters, cleaning house, mowing, tapping their maple trees for sap, buffing moose antlers for them or whatever else you guys do up there.
;P
Hope I was somewhat helpful.
I feel for you, I went through alot of the same this last year. Finally got a break just recently. Have you thought about just getting a BS job? You said that you are out of work so I am assuming your income is $0 or unemployemnt which is not great. I know it may be demeaning but a jobs a job and 2 poor jobs is like one good one. I currently work a clerical position and I have a BS and years worth of banking experience but after 4 months of unemployemnt and my savings dwindling I had to do something.
As for a quick fix I don't know what to tell you... like another poster suggested possibly work out a better arrangemnet with your landlord. Something is better than nothing. Possibly move out of state? Not sure how tied to VT you are but I can think of quite a few places with opportunities.
<Sends good wishes Jagyr's way...>
Hey everyone, don't mind me, I just need a place to vent to the anonymous crowd...
In April this year, I lost my job when my workplace went out of business. Since then, I've been on unemployment, and I've been able to get some work once or twice a month at a local graduate school. However, this doesn't compare at all to my previous income.
My sister-in-law has been living with us while she's finishing her last years of high school. Her parents (who are divorced) had been paying her portion of the rent while she was here, and that helped to offset my lost income a little bit. Then, just a month or two after I lost my job, her parents just stopped paying for her (partly due to some sort of dispute over childcare payments).
So, my income had been pretty much decimated, and we were no longer receiving rent for the sister-in-law, plus we ended up subsidizing the cost of her food and other necessities. That's just the monetary part; I won't go to the extent of complaining about the injustice of basically being forced to adopt a teenager...
Taking all this into consideration, we decided we needed to downsize. We found a new cheaper apartment downtown, told the sister-in-law that she would have to move back in with one of her parents, and decided to trade/sell both our cars and consolidate to a single, more fuel-efficient car. Our move in date for the new apartment is October 1st.
We had everything all sorted out - it was going to be a big zero-sum equation. Trading in my wife's Jeep would pay for all the upfront costs of getting the new (well, new to us) car. Since we paid last month's rent upfront on the current apartment, we could take the money that we would've spent on rent, combine it with our security deposit, and use that to pay first/last/security on the new apartment. The sale of my Honda would just be icing on the cake.
However, things took a bad turn. Something went wrong with the financing for the new car (I suspect that it had something to do with the fact that my wife has some...
Wow, I've been unemployed myself for a while, but haven't had to deal with a situation as tough as yours. It sounds as if your sister-in-law's parents accrued a sizable debt to you-not only were you giving their daughter room and board plus, but you also took responsibility for her. I would try to call in a favor with them.
I would approach them, explain how dire your need is, and ask them earnestly if they can help you in any way.It sounds only fair that they would reciprocate, considering how much you contributed toward supporting their daughter.
I hope you can work everything out. Please let us know on this thread how things are going for you.
First things first: I am not a lawyer, a financial planner, etc.
That said:
1) Many states have a law that says you can change your mind about a major purchase like a car. If Vermont has that loophole, use it and DO NOT BUY THE CAR.
2) Your new job must be finding a job. Any job. Print off a bunch of flyers advertising your services cutting lawns (or shoveling snow), cleaning houses, walking pets, etc. You must find income, beyond whatever unemployment is paying. You must answer every single help wanted ad you see.
3) I won't offer advice on the apartment situation since those are valid contracts that need to be upheld. (Update: See #6)
4) Prioritize your spending. Build a budget, with the first line being how much money you expect to get that month. Next line, deduct food expenses (there will be lots of pasta and rice in your future). Then lights/utilities. Then rent. Then car.
Any credit card payments go last. If you don't have the money, you don't have the money. They will yell and scream, but you need food and lights and a roof first. Yes, your credit will be trashed. Sounds like it already is, so you haven't lost anything.
I would put any other unsecured debt payments at the end, too. Just above the credit cards. You are having a crisis, and the debt collectors will scream and throw tantrums, but they are not your problem right now. If they threaten to sue you, tell them fine, because at least then you'll be dealing with someone with a brain.
5) Give your wife extra love. You are in this together, and she's as scared as you are.
6) What are the chances you can talk your old landlord into modifying your lease? If he can't afford to pay you back your security deposit, he definitely can't afford the lawyer to fight a court judgement against him. If your new place has a heart, you might be able to get out of your new lease (especially if they realize they're not likely to get rent out of you).
7) Can your wife work extra? No, this doesn't help the short term, but does help the longer term.
7.1) What else can you sell?
8) Get into a church and seek any help you can get.
9) This next bit of advice is for the future, and will sound harsh. There's no easy way to say it, though. Once you get through this, develop a plan to get out of debt and stay out of debt. No consumer debt ever again. Never again do you want to feel like this, which means never again must you do the things that got you into this place.
10) Did I mention giving your wife extra kisses and hugs? It bears repeating.
Good luck, and I'm sorry you have to go through this.
I am a firm believer in self reliance in cases like this so please take my suggestions a just trying to help. They may be odd but they do provide income.
For short term financial problems donate plasma. A twice a week donation schedule gives about 100 bucks a week. \
If you want more cash and are a professional male then see about donating other body fluids. They give you 100 bucks for that too.
If your wife is agreeable then she can donate some of her eggs. They pay bukoo like thousands for that.
You can also agree to take part in medical research studies. I am going to be infected with swine flu and test a new batch of vaccine. That pays 200 a month.
I am barley hanging on myself and I dont even have wife or sister in law to worry about so you have my sympathies and hopefully you realize that your not alone in this boat. Good luck to us all.
...If your wife is agreeable then she can donate some of her eggs. They pay bukoo like thousands for that.
Ummm, it might be best if she skips that one, especially if you two haven't had all your kids yet. There are a lot of complications that can arise from it... anything from scarring to sterility (see here).
Yes you can make some good money doing it and contribute to creating a new life for a couple (or single parent) who can't. PLEASE make sure you both research it and are fully aware of all the risks.
But don't let that stop you from donating plasma, or um, "boy stuff." :)