I think I understand what you are saying here. I have 2 children with autism, one with multiple allergies, another almost died as a baby, and my littlest has something wrong that the doctors aren't sure about yet (and may never be until he gets really sick). My sister does not like her children around my children because they might "catch something". Absolutely nothing that my children have is contagious. It has created a lot of strain between us. I would feel better if she was asking something reasonable, like they need this vaccine, but nope...All of the children's flaws can be "catchy". I was there for one of my niece's births, and helped raise her for the first year. Then my sister got all crazy, and I got to see my new niece once (she turned 2 last month). I hope you get to spend some time with your grandbaby when s/he is born.

Thank you!!! I was worried I was lost forever...

We have lived here 3 years with no lease. He is desperate to find a tenant that wants to buy this place. We start demanding things, we will get kicked out. It doesn't matter if it is not legal, it will be done. So we are drinking our bottled water, finding ways to make money and will be out asap. Thankfully my sister will be moving out in a week or so, so it's one less thing to worry about.

It's a roof over our heads. We had plans to fix it up, but every layer is another problem. Number one issue is lead pipes which affected the water which has lead to lead poisoning for the entire family. The doctor presumed the littlest one was eating paint chips, but nope, it's the water. The plumbing in general is horrible in this place. It leaks into the kitchen, in the basement, in the living room...Lots of fun when you come home to water in the kitchen. The upstairs bathroom has a roof leak and the landlord has no intention of fixing it. We told his property manager, who told us in turn to fix it if it bothered us. Electrical is thrown together. We have leaky pipes mingling with electrical currents. Asbestos in the basement is another issue. Also the basement destroyed everything we stored down there. So much for the "dry basement" idea. We obviously HAVE to move, due to lead poisoning. It's not the city water, it's the house pipes. The landlord already has another tenant lined up when we move out. The lady I talked to at the state department told me that he can't rent it again. Uh huh and how do you plan to stop him? But how do you move 9 people and two dogs 5 hours away with absolutely no money? Our poverty is starting to show, and no one is offering to help out except the most random people, like our doctor and her church. All the state will do is tell us where the lead is at (we know the answer to this one) or send us a list of rentals. *sigh* I like the yard. And our tree is very nice shade in the summer. But the house needs to burn to the ground.

I'd set up a fund where if people find out their kids have lead poisoning, they could either move or fix their home. It'd be a lot easier than what we are going through right now. Being poor/less than average credit shouldn't mean that you have to deal with the problem.

According to what I found, about $30k is the household median income in our city. The entire county is not much better with a household median income of $32,500.

I filed in January and am just waiting on my refund this week. I'm hoping it comes tomorrow because bills would like money. I'm so glad that I won't *need* my tax return after this year. Tower climbing sucks in pay and hours, so I'm grateful we got a job that is more consistent pay. Unfortunately, we are still dealing with the aftermath of 3 years of bad pay. So, we will be paying bills. Lots and lots bills, including a loan we had to get in July to keep us afloat and two maxed out credit cards. *sigh* I would love a new refrigerator, but so many other things come first.

Also it has to be noted (my MIL informed me of this the other day) "The IRS will begin to release EITC/ACTC refunds starting Feb. 15. However, the IRS cautions taxpayers that these refunds likely won’t arrive in bank accounts or debit cards until the week of February 27 -- if there are no processing issues with the tax return and the taxpayer chose direct deposit. This additional period is due to several factors, including banking and financial systems needing time to process deposits." https://www.irs.gov/individuals/refund-timing

I'd eat it. I frequent a discount grocery store (Amish run), and we often eat canned food that is "expired". Like zoobie said, if the can isn't bulging and when you open it smells alright, it's safe to eat. There isn't actually a standard for expiration dates for shelf stable food. I think only baby formula/food is regulated. Even the discount grocery store has to throw out the baby formula/food when it is expired.

My SO has fangs. He got those around 5 years ago. They aren't as pointy as when he first got them, but I believe they are still noticeable (I haven't stared at his teeth recently). He also used to wear white contacts with fangs (yes, this is his second set of fangs, the first set fell off or something). He has been gainfully employed through all of his phases (and he was late 20s when he decided to start). You really cannot tell he has fangs unless he smiles. He routinely has to meet professionals in the field, and no one has had a negative comment. Now red contacts, eh, that could be a deal breaker. White contacts at least were a bit less creepy. He stopped wearing those a few years back (about 3 years ago). He'll probably get another pair, but won't wear them in the workplace honestly. Positive of contacts is you can remove them if necessary. I'd definitely considered exactly what field he is going into and then decide what modifications would be ok. If my SO could do it over, he would do tattoos that are less visible. It's very uncomfortable wearing long sleeves in the summer to hide the tattoos at meetings. We had an acquaintance's son that decided to get a lower left arm tattoo (whole lower left arm that is) when he was 16 (a parent said it was alright). I don't think he thought that through all the way.

A shocking $250....$60 more than last year and using less electronics than last year...I think someone must have read the meter wrong, because this is insane...It's only an 1100 sq ft house...How is this possible? I am glad that it has cooled off, maybe our bill will go down...

This my SO's entire problem with online discussions. No one cares to actually discuss. I'd sit next to him as he went through trying to find someone with a unique thought, and it amazed me to see similar posts almost all the way through. I think the worst class he had was the professor using the discussion board to do an assignment. After you answered the questions (which were obvious answers), then you had to respond thoughtfully to 3 other people. HOW?!?! Everyone had the exact same answers and since the board wasn't locked for the first post, you know that some people were taking answers from other people. I think that my SO's grades are lower just because of the discussion boards. He can do the work, but that discussion board annoys him every single time. He makes a choice to not do the discussion board beyond his first post some weeks. It got more interesting last semester when two professors actually locked the discussion board so you couldn't see the responses until you made your first post. Worse than people saying the same thing over and over is people not even responding because then they'd have to have their own thoughts. A class of 20 would have only 5-10 people discussing. As to the main problem, I wouldn't report it. The professor will catch it, possibly post a message telling everyone not to do that, and deduct a few point from his discussion board grade...

My sister and I had a similar conversation in the past week. For her, her husband would die. Any indication that the other party is being unfaithful will meet her wrath. Me, I'm completely different. My sister put it nicely that the main part of the relationship is treated like a business. We care for each other deeply. It might be love, it might not be, but I definetely know that either myself or him would be sad if something happened to the other party. We raise a family together, run a house together, and at night we know that we are the one on the other person's mind. BUT the physical side of relationship is just that, physical. I'm not saying that sex is meaningless, but I can have sex with anyone and eh, it's just sex. I'm not happier or sadder when I'm with my spouse physically. Now, I'm not cheating, but in the past I have cheated (not in this relationship, so 10 years faithful) and I have been cheated on. I get it. For some people, it is the end of the relationship. For me, please don't tell me if you are bumping uglies with someone else. Seriously, figure out why you need to step out and speak up. Now the affair becomes different if it interferes in the business side of our relationship. Sweet nothings messaged to the other party...Ain't happening...Telling someone else your hopes, dreams, fears...Nope...That is my territory...If the affair is that deep, then we need to separate...But sex, sex is only sex. I would hope that my spouse tells me if he is engaging physically with someone else, but I don't want some stranger on street letting me know (or for that matter, anyone but him).

The Goodwills around me are always having sales. Every month one store has a $1 day or 15 items for $15, something like that. This Saturday actually is $1 day for our area. I typically use this time to ensure my kids have jeans. Kid shirts are better to buy at the store. Sometimes they have nice kid jackets. Kid shoes are hit or miss. Adult clothing/shoes are hit or miss as well. If it's 20 minutes one way, I would say try it. I drive a lot further for the better Goodwill in my area (but it is so worth it for us).

Key word is "girlfriend". If you randomly hook up, you need to make absolutely, postively sure that s/he is of legal age. Even if both parties consent, if it is found that someone is of not legal age, the other party can be in trouble if s/he is over the age of 18.