Hit the Ground. RUNNING
Two days ago I got a letter from the State about my request for childcare. It had been denied. Reasoning?
"The cost of childcare is lower than your co-payment. Your request is denied. WAC 170-290-0110"
I called in last Thursday about my childcare, and after an extensive conversation with the very nice lady from DSHS* I was told that my co-pay was probably going to be coming about $70 short of the total cost of my daycare. I figured, Okay, that's fair, I'm making a lot of money so it's to be expected that assistance from the state will start to dwindle. No biggie.
A week goes by. My daycare hasn't heard anything from the state. I haven't heard anything from the state. Then on Monday I receive that letter. This last week has been tough for me, financially. Had some medical emergencies come up that were not at all expected. Had unexpected charges come out of my bank account (but that was mostly because I forgot to budget them this month), and both of my bank accounts were overdrawn. Not exactly what I wanted, halfway through a 3 paycheck month.
Tonight, I just set a new budget for all these expenses I am fully going to take responsibility for at the beginning of November 2014. Here are the facts:
-I work full time.
-Hourly, I am paid $11.00
-I started working on the call floor on June 16, 2014. In that time, my shortest work week has been 27.5 hours. And this was after taking 4 days off in a week. On average, I am working 50 hours a week.
-I have over $6, 000.00 in debt, $1,000.00 having just being accrued in childcare for September and October.
-In order to keep up with my payments, get caught up on childcare, and make ends meet TO SURVIVE, I need to start working 15+ hours of overtime until Christmas. This will bump up my income to over $3,000.00 and disqualify me and Morgan for:
*Food Stamps (currently receiving $394.00 a month)
*Reduced Housing (currently crediting $75.00 for help with heating)
*Medical (including Morgan in my premiums adds $27.00 to my monthly payroll deductions)
*Childcare (which has already been disqualified, and added $480.00 to my monthly expenses)
In short, it adds $976.00 to my monthly expenses.
Here is what I love about numbers. You can't argue with them. You can't change them. These are COLD, HARD FACTS. And I can either look at these figures, get angry at the world, start complaining about how much the economy has "screwed" me over and is making it difficult for me and my daughter to survive. OR. I can bite the bullet, dig in my heels, have FAITH that because I live in the THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY I will have a way to provide for my family, even being a young single mom.
I won't deny that I've looked at the numbers, been overwhelmed, and wanted to crawl into bed, snuggle with my daughter, and just run away and never have to worry about silly things like bills and medical supplies and food and a roof over our heads. I've dreamt about hitch hiking down to Mexico and living on a beach with my daughter, like Swiss Family Robinson and just living off the land. I've dreamt about having an amazing man just come into our lives, build his own business and take care of us for the rest of our lives so that I can be a stay at home mom and spend time with my children instead of having to trade hours for dollars for the rest of my life.
But this struggle? I RELISH the thought of facing it head on, of EXPLODING out of these starting blocks, with my eyes on the goal and wings on my feet. Those hurdles between me and success don't mean shit as long as I can remember that there is a finish goal in sight, and God is leading me towards that success.
I am a Daughter of the One True King, a Warrior Maiden that is shielded in HIS glory, and there is no dart of the Enemy that will stop me from following the path that my Father has laid at my feet.
In other words. COME AT ME, BRO.
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.'"
Jeremiah 29:11-13
*Sidenote: CUSTOMER SERVICE IS A TOUGH BUSINESS. Always be nice to the people that are paid to deal with your shit. You have no idea what is going on with their lives and how just one genuine encouraging comment can lift someone's spirits.
"The cost of childcare is lower than your co-payment. Your request is denied. WAC 170-290-0110"
I called in last Thursday about my childcare, and after an extensive conversation with the very nice lady from DSHS* I was told that my co-pay was probably going to be coming about $70 short of the total cost of my daycare. I figured, Okay, that's fair, I'm making a lot of money so it's to be expected that assistance from the state will start to dwindle. No biggie.
A week goes by. My daycare hasn't heard anything from the state. I haven't heard anything from the state. Then on Monday I receive that letter. This last week has been tough for me, financially. Had some medical emergencies come up that were not at all expected. Had unexpected charges come out of my bank account (but that was mostly because I forgot to budget them this month), and both of my bank accounts were overdrawn. Not exactly what I wanted, halfway through a 3 paycheck month.
Tonight, I just set a new budget for all these expenses I am fully going to take responsibility for at the beginning of November 2014. Here are the facts:
-I work full time.
-Hourly, I am paid $11.00
-I started working on the call floor on June 16, 2014. In that time, my shortest work week has been 27.5 hours. And this was after taking 4 days off in a week. On average, I am working 50 hours a week.
-I have over $6, 000.00 in debt, $1,000.00 having just being accrued in childcare for September and October.
-In order to keep up with my payments, get caught up on childcare, and make ends meet TO SURVIVE, I need to start working 15+ hours of overtime until Christmas. This will bump up my income to over $3,000.00 and disqualify me and Morgan for:
*Food Stamps (currently receiving $394.00 a month)
*Reduced Housing (currently crediting $75.00 for help with heating)
*Medical (including Morgan in my premiums adds $27.00 to my monthly payroll deductions)
*Childcare (which has already been disqualified, and added $480.00 to my monthly expenses)
In short, it adds $976.00 to my monthly expenses.
Here is what I love about numbers. You can't argue with them. You can't change them. These are COLD, HARD FACTS. And I can either look at these figures, get angry at the world, start complaining about how much the economy has "screwed" me over and is making it difficult for me and my daughter to survive. OR. I can bite the bullet, dig in my heels, have FAITH that because I live in the THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY I will have a way to provide for my family, even being a young single mom.
I won't deny that I've looked at the numbers, been overwhelmed, and wanted to crawl into bed, snuggle with my daughter, and just run away and never have to worry about silly things like bills and medical supplies and food and a roof over our heads. I've dreamt about hitch hiking down to Mexico and living on a beach with my daughter, like Swiss Family Robinson and just living off the land. I've dreamt about having an amazing man just come into our lives, build his own business and take care of us for the rest of our lives so that I can be a stay at home mom and spend time with my children instead of having to trade hours for dollars for the rest of my life.
But this struggle? I RELISH the thought of facing it head on, of EXPLODING out of these starting blocks, with my eyes on the goal and wings on my feet. Those hurdles between me and success don't mean shit as long as I can remember that there is a finish goal in sight, and God is leading me towards that success.
I am a Daughter of the One True King, a Warrior Maiden that is shielded in HIS glory, and there is no dart of the Enemy that will stop me from following the path that my Father has laid at my feet.
In other words. COME AT ME, BRO.
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.'"
Jeremiah 29:11-13
*Sidenote: CUSTOMER SERVICE IS A TOUGH BUSINESS. Always be nice to the people that are paid to deal with your shit. You have no idea what is going on with their lives and how just one genuine encouraging comment can lift someone's spirits.
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