I am not alone in feeling like I am on a rat wheel. Last I head there were still around 3,000 families in Fema provided homes in my county. Many I have spoken to share feeling they are falling through cracks and running on a never ending wheel.

I try to remain positive because it will see me through. There has to be a solution but I need help having the momentum to get there.  

What is Legal Aid Society?

 

 

The Legal Aid Society (called in some states the Legal Services Society or something similar) is a federally-funded organization of attorneys & paralegals who provide legal services to low- & low-moderate-income persons.  They are well worth a try.  Ask your local librarian where the closest branch is to you. 

I think I found the site.

 

 

Anything any of the rest of us can do to help you?  It is so frustrating to be on the edge of the help you need- this year because we qualified for free lunch the kids qualified for some very cheap summer classes-I had such a sense of "someone realizes we can't buy this by ourselves" feeling when I signed them each up for a fun class- is there any help from a church or other charity, not the goverment, that might take your slight economic edge and the somewhat short length of dh's job into consideration?  Is there anywhere else to rent?

Also, cinnamon huskies, we have 9 people in a 4 bedroom- my 19 year old has a tiny room, my son has his own room, my 10, 7 and 5 year old girls share a room, and the two year old sleep on the floor by our bed- she'll go up with the other 3 this summer, and the baby's in our room- some things I do is bin the toys and rotate them from the basement- you could keep some stacks of bins in that pole barn- in very little space- I also try to keep only clothes that fit and are in season in the rooms, I'll go through each kids' clothes and put out of seasons in plastic grocery bags in the back of the closet- then it is not too overwhelming to pull out a few bags and go through at  the change of season- we only do this in little spurts of time, my kids will only try on about five things, and then they quit.  It seems to be a good waiting for the shower activity at our house!  

Although I don't think our season will ever change- the day after Easter and snow is forecast for tomorrow- I had already put away the boots!  

Tracy 

Well I tried to get a pic of our snowfall here, but all i see is a red x. hmm. Was able to post it on another board.

Sounds like a partial pole barn cleaning is in order when the weather breaks. I used to do that kind of thing until dh got upset that he couldn't find things and he was just sure I threw something out!

A little off-topic....

we're trying to help out a couple with a couple of kids that just started going to our church. Dh and I are having bible study with them weekly. Well we finally got to see their home. Gosh, it's an old trailer with an addition but wouldn't you know they had a monster big screen TV and stereo system and newer furniture! It had to be worth more than the house! And they just traded in their 1 yr old car for a brand-new one because it was $379 a month instead of $450. Did I mention NEITHER of them work? They are both trying to get disability from the state by suing their former employers. So they haven't worked in a year and a half. Supposedly they didn't qualify for state aid. Either one can't even get a simple job with the lawsuits pending. that's the story.

I don't get it. I'm afraid i may have found a family that knows how to work the system. Either that or they really aren't very bright to get that involved in debt....

 

 

Pat and Brandy;

i really liked the Katrina Cottage plans! I would stick with the 700 sq ft and under, as soon as you add a second story construction costs go way up. An open loft is a better idea.

Tracy,

 Yes, there are things you can do for me....keep chatting about frugal and domestic things. They keep me positive because I feel good about those things and I feel I have some ability to shape my life through them instead of watching it spiral out of control. 

There are homes to rent about an hour's drive north from where we live but that puts my husband a two hour driving distance (one way) from the office. He is expected to live in or at least very close to his work zone so that really locks us to this area.

We have unearthed some options but honestly I don't feel very good about them. My nightmares began when we seriously began to look at these. So we are still looking and considering.

Nine people in a four bedroom house is a tight fit too. Is that a permanent situation for you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Michelle,

What company loaned that couple money for a car?? I am thinking they are not the only ones who need some good financial advise. 

$379 or $450 a month on a car loan is more than I want to pay..ever. I have fits over the $310 we pay for the truck. My husband needs a larger one and we gave a thought to financing an almost new one but we just couldn't get past being ok with paying the note.

Side note on the truck: we financed for the credit it gives and should have it paid off in a few months even though the loan should have another year on it.

 

 

 

I have this funny feeling that knowingly or unknowingly the car dealer (same as sold them the other new car) may have rolled over the balance that there other car didn't bring in, into the new car loan. I cannot believe a 2007 Kia Rio is $379 a month! I've seen them advertised for $199...and that's not a lease either.

In other words, they hadn't paid on their other new car in 4 months, weren't driving it (I think to avoid repo man but it's speculation), and to turn it in would only credit them 16K, but they owed $21K. SOOO the slick dealer takes the car, takes what's left and tacks it on the end of the new car loan. So they owe more than what the car's worth...always. I've seen it happen to others. I don't know if they aren't bright or if they do it on purpose. Just buy whatever they want and don't pay for it. i mean c'mon, if you can't make a $450 payment for 4 months, what's the difference going to $379??????

 

BUT THEN I met the most wonderful single mother; she is such an inspiration to me!!! She's been single for a long time, has a boy 17, girl 16, girl12. She homeschools, drives schoolbus for the local district, and does elder care on the weekends. She saved her money, got a special loan, and bought a run-down animal invested home on 10 acres 2 years ago. YOU WOULDN"T believe the house now! And she and the kids did everything themselves with free or cheap reused and new lumber, siding, and supplies! It looks great! They even dug out their crawlspace last year and poured a basement! Finishing it is their current project. It's a small home, was maybe 1000 sq ft, now it will be more. She has incredible faith and her children are pleasant, hard workers. the boy is friends with my son and comes over frequently and I notice his work ethic when he helps with chores, compared to some of my son's other friends. This mother told me that she had a hard time getting her low income loan for the house because they wanted her to move into a modular in town with a much larger mortgage. Her feeling is that she wanted something to pay off quickly, so if anything would happen to her, her children would always have a roof over their heads.

sorry to threadjack...just had to share!

I just do not know what to say about the folks with the car.

I am glad the mother you met is able to get housing that works for her budget. I think I went nuts for a bit wanting a nice house in a decent size but when it comes down to it, I am balking at monthly costs. It's nice to sleep at night under a roof you feel will be there tomorrow and doesn't kill you to keep.