Settling in

[fairfarmhand]

8 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Please don't quote, as I'll edit out my personal stuff in a minute...

 

I think this is good solid advice. I've had money be that tight and as long as the mechanic wasn't finding a "you MUST fix this thing" issue, we dealt with banging, knocking and rattling. 

BTW OP, I think you are doing as well as can be expected on very tight paychecks and soaring expenses. Have you signed up for any social programs? Food stamps? Food pantries? Because really, you're the target demographic.  And it's okay. I love that my tax and charitable dollars go to hard working people who just can't get a break.

Edited August 14 by fairfarmhand

[heartlikealion]

He did the struts & shocks already. 

[heartlikealion]

12 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

I think this is good solid advice. I've had money be that tight and as long as the mechanic wasn't finding a "you MUST fix this thing" issue, we dealt with banging, knocking and rattling. 

BTW OP, I think you are doing as well as can be expected on very tight paychecks and soaring expenses. Have you signed up for any social programs? Food stamps? Food pantries? Because really, you're the target demographic.  And it's okay. I love that my tax and charitable dollars go to hard working people who just can't get a break.

I don’t meet the criteria. I make too much money as I’m considered a single family household. Haven’t qualified for food stamps since I got this job. Haven’t looked into food pantries. 

[heartlikealion]

4 new tires in June 

don’t know if the balanced them then? 

[prairiewindmomma]

2 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

4 new tires in June 

don’t know if the balanced them then? 

They should have.

[prairiewindmomma]

I'd even be asking hard questions about the serpentine belt. If it isn't squealing when you turn on the car, and it isn't frayed or cracked--it's just a repair by mileage thing, I'd put it off a month or two just to get some breathing room underneath you. I assume if the car has ac that the ac is still going good? The serpentine belt also controls ac. (Our older car hasn't had ac since 2013, so ymmv also on whether that is a reliable check.)

 

[*LC]

Here are some food panties in your metro area. The ones I looked at closely did not have an income cutoff. I think the first one only needs an ID; others require a paystub.

https://www.cultureaidnola.org/

https://givinghopenola.org/food-pantry

 

Here are listings of more assistance programs in the area.

https://www.findhelp.org/food/food-pantry--new-orleans-la

The link may bring up one specific spot, but there is a map and a search feature that will let you see ones close to your home or to your work.

https://no-hunger.org/map/#googtrans(en|en)

 

This link includes free workout classes.

https://moveyabrass.com/fitness-classes-events

 

Edited August 15 by *LC

[KSera]

1 hour ago, heartlikealion said:

I make too much money as I’m considered a single family household.

Even after subtracting your child support payments? The applications that I have filled out have always had a place for people to include that.

[heartlikealion]

3 minutes ago, KSera said:

Even after subtracting your child support payments? The applications that I have filled out have always had a place for people to include that.

https://www.dcfs.louisiana.gov/page/snap-allotment-amounts
 

I don’t know which max column to read. SNAP will be at my building tomorrow. Maybe I can ask on my break. 

[heartlikealion]

I might need to include tutoring income though. 

[KSera]

6 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

SNAP will be at my building tomorrow. Maybe I can ask on my break. 

That would be great if you have the opportunity. My experience is that calling them takes forever and a day on hold, but perhaps that’s just my state. (But I have a hunch that’s likely typical).

It makes a little sense to me that income limits for snap are the same in high cost of living areas as they are in low cost-of-living areas. That might be enough to live in some places but wouldn’t cover any more than rent in many others. Then there’s also the issue of having to spend down any assets before you qualify which makes it awfully difficult for people to dig out of a tough place if they’re not allowed to start building some savings while in a tough place in order to get out. Frustrating system.

[heartlikealion]

I just know the last time I reviewed the chart I did not come close to qualifying. This chart may be different… 

[heartlikealion]

1:07 - video says most people must meet the 130% column. Sounds like the other column only applies if you have someone over 60 living with you. 

that would mean I must make no more than $1215/month. I definitely do make more than that. That’s 14-15k a year. 

like I said, don’t think I ever meet the criteria as a single household. 

these programs are always out of my reach. I got a whopping $30/mo in food stamps when I was unemployed because they think unemployment is enough.

Edited August 15 by heartlikealion

[prairiewindmomma]

1 minute ago, heartlikealion said:

1:07 - video says most people must meet the 130% column 

that would mean I must make no more than $1215/month. I definitely do make more than that. That’s 14-15k a year. 

like I said, don’t think I ever meet the criteria as a single household. 

The calculations include a housing allowance, utilities allowance, child support deductions and so forth in the “net column”. Not sure what column are looking at, but I would talk with the people tomorrow when they are in the building.

Likewise, your MS child support should be maxxed out at 20% of your AGI, not gross. If you are paying more than that, something was calculated wrong.

[heartlikealion]

4 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

The calculations include a housing allowance, utilities allowance, child support deductions and so forth in the “net column”. Not sure what column are looking at, but I would talk with the people tomorrow when they are in the building.

Likewise, your MS child support should be maxxed out at 20% of your AGI, not gross. If you are paying more than that, something was calculated wrong.

hmm. I thought it was just a flat rate income to qualify. I can ask questions though. 

When I was on snap briefly they didn’t care about my child support payments. It changed nothing. They only cared if I received them.  I don’t pay the full child support rate. I got a reduced rate in our temp orders and my lawyer got all parties to agree to keep it at that rate. However, I will pay it til dd is 21. Even after ds turns 21. 

[heartlikealion]

SNAP said just fill out the paperwork and they will have a case worker meet with me. I might qualify, not sure yet. 

I got the FL babysitting gig!! Flight is booked (sept) and they sent me my itinerary. Asked xh if he’d swapped an Oct weekend with me — might possibly get an Oct job, too. 

Friend said he can accompany me to drop off my car Sat to have alignment/tires double checked. 

[mommyoffive]

21 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

SNAP said just fill out the paperwork and they will have a case worker meet with me. I might qualify, not sure yet. 

I got the FL babysitting gig!! Flight is booked (sept) and they sent me my itinerary. Asked xh if he’d swapped an Oct weekend with me — might possibly get an Oct job, too. 

Friend said he can accompany me to drop off my car Sat to have alignment/tires double checked. 

I must have missed this.  Congrats!  When are you going?  Hopefully it is some pretty part of FL and you get a "vacation" and make money too!  How cool

[Spryte]

That’s so cool! Dying to hear more about the FL gig! 

[heartlikealion]

Orlando! But I don’t have control over flights and I won’t have my own car so no time to vacation really. I’m still excited! Maybe the other sitter that’s on my flight will want to hang out together after our scheduled hours. We are babysitting 2 days. 

[heartlikealion]

Spoke to different Firestone employee and he insists the same thing about you need new rotors with brakes. 

I don’t want to sit here and argue with mechanics (I did suggest you don’t need them everytime and he disagreed). It’s frustrating when I don’t know what’s a “need” and what’s not. Since they are obviously a bit biased. 

I at least got them to confirm they will check the alignment & tires before closing on Sat. 

I’m picking up BOTH kiddos tonight. Excited about that. 

[heartlikealion]

Also, employee thinks shaking could be related to ABS system… I said that you can’t trust the censors… they aren’t accurate. He of course pitched spending money on a diagnostic. 

That ABS light has been on forever. 

[heartlikealion]

Ds showed up without his tennis shoes even though I told him to bring them (for gym). He is wearing crocs. 
then he said his current shoes are old and falling apart and stink lol 

I said well I don’t know if I can buy you any but I can at least let you try on some. I asked if his dad is aware and he said yes he told him a few days ago. Dd said ds exercises every day after school and ds said he runs like 2 miles. I said you definitely need new shoes soon. But we don’t know how soon xh will get around to it. I’m trying to see if he’ll let me just subtract shoes from Aug child support. I can probably get my dad to help with the initial purchase if necessary. My parents were always advocates for us to have good shoes. 

[prairiewindmomma]

4 hours ago, heartlikealion said:

Also, employee thinks shaking could be related to ABS system… I said that you can’t trust the censors… they aren’t accurate. He of course pitched spending money on a diagnostic. 

That ABS light has been on forever. 

The ABS system prevents tire lockup if you spin in slippery conditions and slam on the brakes. Rather than the brakes locking, the ABS system will pulse the brakes on all four tires. Most of us are all old enough to have driven vehicles without ABS. It’s generally not essential to have when finances are impossibly tight. A bad sensor could cause wobbling on slick roads if you lose traction, but mostly you’d feel an issue when you are breaking. It does not explain wobbling in the way you shared above. 
 

While the ABS light could indicate brake fluid or hydraulic pump issues, and thus shouldnt be entirely ignored it sounds like you’ve been braking just fine, so I, personally, would choose to ignore the issue. I wouldnt pay for a diagnostic given all you have going on.

I would be curious about running codes on your car. Autozone will generally run the codes for free. They call it their “fix finder service”. Go at a time when they arent busy and they will help you do it. 
 

If you dont know much about cars, there are lots of good youtube videos out there. You might find it helpful to read up a bit in your downtime even if you dont become a weekend grease monkey yourself.

[prairiewindmomma]

1 hour ago, heartlikealion said:

Ds showed up without his tennis shoes even though I told him to bring them (for gym). He is wearing crocs. 
then he said his current shoes are old and falling apart and stink lol 

I asked if his dad is aware and he said yes 

May your ex get bitten by 100 mosquitos in all of the awkward places. He really sets the bar for parenting on the ground.

[heartlikealion]

5 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

May your ex get bitten by 100 mosquitos in all of the awkward places. He really sets the bar for parenting on the ground.

I asked when ds told dad and he said just a few days ago. I texted him and asked about waiving it from child support if I buy shoes (I’m sure he won’t like the idea). He ignored my question kinda; said ds has other shoes at the house. But ds claims nothing he currently owns is good for running. 🤷🏻‍♀️

He picked out a pair tonight. I said I could buy after midnight when my empty cc won’t add interest and use rakuten + website for lower pricing then pick them up tomorrow. xh claims if ds doesn’t like the current Nikes he’ll buy him some. I think he’s stalling and full of crap. I’ll make sure ds leaves with shoes this weekend and gets to the gym. 

[heartlikealion]

14 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

The ABS system prevents tire lockup if you spin in slippery conditions and slam on the brakes. Rather than the brakes locking, the ABS system will pulse the brakes on all four tires. Most of us are all old enough to have driven vehicles without ABS. It’s generally not essential to have when finances are impossibly tight. A bad sensor could cause wobbling on slick roads if you lose traction, but mostly you’d feel an issue when you are breaking. It does not explain wobbling in the way you shared above. 
 

While the ABS light could indicate brake fluid or hydraulic pump issues, and thus shouldnt be entirely ignored it sounds like you’ve been braking just fine, so I, personally, would choose to ignore the issue. I wouldnt pay for a diagnostic given all you have going on.

I would be curious about running codes on your car. Autozone will generally run the codes for free. They call it their “fix finder service”. Go at a time when they arent busy and they will help you do it. 
 

If you dont know much about cars, there are lots of good youtube videos out there. You might find it helpful to read up a bit in your downtime even if you dont become a weekend grease monkey yourself.

I don’t know what you mean about the codes. An autoshop I really trusted said they couldn’t fix my wacky dashboard warnings. To fix that it’s very difficult and expensive, at least on my car. So I don’t take the warnings to heart. Today the ABS and emergency brake light were both on. I’m not driving with the emergency brake on. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Uh, I am going to try to explain this. When something in your car breaks down, it usually sends a five letter/digit code to the vehicle’s OBD—on board diagnostic system. The OBD-II is not the little lights that light up on the dashboard. The code is not necessarily specific to the make of your car. You can buy your own scanner, but I am cheap and just go to autozone and have their machine read it. You can look up the code and see what it says.

This is actually what a mechanic does when you bring your car in, in addition to visually looking at stuff. If, for example, one of the codes that showed up is P0304, then I would know that my car reported a misfire on cylinder 4. You could then research what could cause a misfire and go from there. In my case, I had some bad spark plugs that caused the misfire. I replaced them and moved on after ruling out other potential causes.

Once the repair is done, mechanics clear the code off of the OBD.

[fairfarmhand]

9 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

I don’t know what you mean about the codes. An autoshop I really trusted said they couldn’t fix my wacky dashboard warnings. To fix that it’s very difficult and expensive, at least on my car. So I don’t take the warnings to heart. Today the ABS and emergency brake light were both on. I’m not driving with the emergency brake on. 

Codes on the cars computer cause certain lights to come on. So like my dds car had a check engine light come up. Ran the codes and it was that her gas cap wasn’t on right. The codes can tell you different diagnostic problems with some parts of the car (not all parts) so you can research which things are a big deal and which are not. We ignore a lot of check engine lights because on older vehicles there’s so many things that aren’t in perfect order but running the codes can help distinguish some of what could be causing problems.

[heartlikealion]

**small update** 

Firestone looked at the car. They said they made a minor adjustment to the alignment. Told me to update them if car is acting up and exactly what is happening (accelerating etc) when it shakes. It is random so I won’t know if the shaking is truly gone til after I drive it further. Today I only drove it back to the house so far. 

We picked up ds’ shoe order. He’s happy. And if not today then tomorrow I’ll get him to the gym. My friend took us all out to breakfast. We’re all hanging out (they are playing the Xbox) and we’ll go on the ferry later (I’m trying to get dd interested). I’ve never been and really want to go. 

[heartlikealion]

Got ds to the gym twice (Sat & today). He said his stepmom just joined a gym with a plus 1 pass so he might be able to go with her sometime. 

No ferry. Dd didn’t feel good at that time. But we did a lot. Friend took us to laser tag, park and frozen yogurt. We ate dinner at his place. I wanted to watch IF with the kids but I’m number 16 in the queue at the library for the DVD. He saved me a lot of money and we had a nice day. He’s still trying to secure an oven for this home. This Facebook user said he should be able to get it this weekend when her new one arrives but I think she flaked out. 

The car isn’t fixed from the alignment check and it’s possible the first time the mechanic worked on the car (when I got brake pads and front hub bearings) he affected it but I really have no idea. Firestone suggested that.

Overall the drive was ok so I’m not gonna stress over the car too much. I’m gonna stall repairs. No pun intended. 

Ds runs in his neighborhood and said will likely stay at dad’s next weekend and just workout there. That’s fine. I’m not taking it personally. And I know he really likes the shoes so that makes me happy. 

[heartlikealion]

Pushed my next therapist appt til after Labor Day/another pay day. 

I have to wait in line to get gas at Sam’s but maybe there’s a time of day that’s less crowded. 🤔

Friend's rabbit had fleas. It was treated at the vet but I think brought some into my house. I noticed my cat scratching more. I combed her with a flea comb and found a few that I killed with soapy Dawn. Spread food grade diatomaceous earth on the rugs using a dispenser. Dd appeared to have ring worm this weekend (I put cream on and told her dad). Stripped all the beds. Gosh I hope I nip this in the bud. As I’ve said before, cat can’t easily get back on a flea med as I don’t want to use the OTC version and the ones from the vet require me to come in for an office visit, get her shots blah blah. 

Friend is dealing with flakey Facebook marketplace sellers and might resort to purchasing a new oven. I just hate the off gassing of a new one. It took like 8 days of running the oven on high to get those chemicals out at one rental I had. 
 

[Rosie_0801]

My mother put ground up garlic tablets in food for fleas.

[KSera]

13 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

As I’ve said before, cat can’t easily get back on a flea med as I don’t want to use the OTC version and the ones from the vet require me to come in for an office visit, get her shots blah blah. 

You can use capstar to kill adult fleas quickly without a prescription. https://www.amazon.com/Capstar-nitenpyram-Fast-Acting-Vet-Recommended-Medication/dp/B07Q1TKTP9?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

It won't work for prevention like a prescription one,  but it will kill existing fleas and you can use it multiple times. Other than that, vacuuming, vacuuming, vacuuming is the name of the game to get rid of the eggs in the house and stop the cycle.

[heartlikealion]

4 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said:

My mother put ground up garlic tablets in food for fleas.

Hmm I’ve never heard of that one 

3 hours ago, KSera said:

You can use capstar to kill adult fleas quickly without a prescription. https://www.amazon.com/Capstar-nitenpyram-Fast-Acting-Vet-Recommended-Medication/dp/B07Q1TKTP9?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

It won't work for prevention like a prescription one,  but it will kill existing fleas and you can use it multiple times. Other than that, vacuuming, vacuuming, vacuuming is the name of the game to get rid of the eggs in the house and stop the cycle.

Yeah I’m familiar but I’ve heard such mixed reviews about potency/side effects, even death. Made me nervous. 

I’ve fought fleas before. So far this is mild compared to before but I gotta get it under control. I just found more on the cat. I couldn’t easily vacuum the area rugs that were left here. They don’t lie flat, they wrinkle up. I just tossed one in the washing machine on high heat. I’m supposed to put DE inside the vacuum so if eggs hatch they will die in the vacuum. I rubbed some DE on the cat’s fur. It’s food grade, it won’t hurt unless she inhaled it and irritates her throat. 

I’m hemming & hawing over Capstar. 

[heartlikealion]

Gave the cat a bath this morning. That was easier than getting her to swallow a pill. After a few attempts I finally got her to take a capstar pill. 

Apparently I’m staying at an air b&b on the job so scratch the free hotel breakfast idea I had. I’m not sure how easily I can pack snacks. I don’t want to waste money on an Uber to go grocery shopping. 

[Frances]

2 hours ago, heartlikealion said:

Apparently I’m staying at an air b&b on the job so scratch the free hotel breakfast idea I had. I’m not sure how easily I can pack snacks. I don’t want to waste money on an Uber to go grocery shopping. 

It’s not unusual for short term rentals to include snacks, pantry staples, coffee, tea, some random meal items, and sometimes even full breakfast baskets. You might be pleasantly surprised.

You could also see about free or low priced grocery delivery to the rental. But a backpack as your personal item would also hold quite a bit of food if you want to pack snacks and breakfast items.

Edited August 21 by Frances

[Shoeless]

Don't give garlic to your cat. It causes aplastic anemia and can kill them. 

[heartlikealion]

1 hour ago, Frances said:

It’s not unusual for short term rentals to include snacks, pantry staples, coffee, tea, some random meal items, and sometimes even full breakfast baskets. You might be pleasantly surprised.

You could also see about free or low priced grocery delivery to the rental. But a backpack as your personal item would also hold quite a bit of food if you want to pack snacks and breakfast items.

I’ll need to read the airline bag policy to see how many bags I can bring. I did plan to bring a backpack as my carry on. I have one. I can shove my small purse inside the backpack. 

[heartlikealion]

Friend secured a used stove after a couple marketplace flops. He plans to deliver tomorrow while I’m at work. I don’t know if it will be hooked up and running when I get home but I’ll be able to use it soon. 
 

The cat is still scratching. I know the pill isn’t 100% effective but I hope it helps. The pack came with six. I’ll probably need to administer one each night, vacuum, comb her. 

Edited August 21 by heartlikealion

[Frances]

6 hours ago, heartlikealion said:

I’ll need to read the airline bag policy to see how many bags I can bring. I did plan to bring a backpack as my carry on. I have one. I can shove my small purse inside the backpack. 

Most airlines, except the discount ones, allow one free carry on and one free personal item. So I always take a small rolling suitcase to put up in the bin and a backpack to put under the seat in front of me. While my backpack is pretty small, I’ve seen people put some pretty large bags under the seat in front of them.

[Harriet Vane]

3 hours ago, Frances said:

Most airlines, except the discount ones, allow one free carry on and one free personal item. So I always take a small rolling suitcase to put up in the bin and a backpack to put under the seat in front of me. While my backpack is pretty small, I’ve seen people put some pretty large bags under the seat in front of them.

Same. 

[heartlikealion]

I’ll receive a SNAP appointment letter by Sept 4

I applied for a substitute teacher job (someone dropped off flyers saying they are hiring). The pay varies from school to school. The ones near my house offer $120/day if you have a bachelor’s. 

No fleas on kitty last night but she was scratching this morning so I’ll probably have to continue with the OTC pills. You get 6 pills for $37. 

The oven is in the home but requires a new outlet. Friend is trying to book electrician. 

[heartlikealion]

I attended the orientation meeting for the school job. Basically if I submit all my documents within 24 hours I’ll move forward and they’ll assign me a place to get my drug test. I can’t work many days a month so I thought I’d be disqualified but given my FT job conflict they will work with me. 

[*LC]

Good luck. I am glad they will accommodate your schedule; I hope this works out for you.

 

 

[Scarlett]

4 hours ago, heartlikealion said:

I attended the orientation meeting for the school job. Basically if I submit all my documents within 24 hours I’ll move forward and they’ll assign me a place to get my drug test. I can’t work many days a month so I thought I’d be disqualified but given my FT job conflict they will work with me. 

This amazing.  Have you ever thought about getting your teaching certificate?  

[heartlikealion]

I don’t want to teach. I know they spend long hours on their feet, make little income and often take work home. My sister is a public school teacher. 

I think I will enjoy subbing though.  

[Harriet Vane]

1 hour ago, heartlikealion said:

I don’t want to teach. I know they spend long hours on their feet, make little income and often take work home. My sister is a public school teacher. 

I think I will enjoy subbing though.  

A friend has had a really good time subbing. She loves the flexibility and the variety and not having take-home prep to do.

[katilac]

On 8/22/2024 at 12:33 PM, heartlikealion said:

 but she was scratching this morning so I’ll probably have to continue with the OTC pills. You get 6 pills for $37. 

We discovered that you can order flea medication from Canada that is prescription-only in the states. We get Revolution Plus from canadapetcare.com. 

 

 

[heartlikealion]

1 hour ago, katilac said:

We discovered that you can order flea medication from Canada that is prescription-only in the states. We get Revolution Plus from canadapetcare.com. 

 

 

I wonder if the doses and contents are exactly the same 🤔

[KSera]

5 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

I wonder if the doses and contents are exactly the same 🤔

I don’t know with flea medication, but we had a pet on a different expensive medication and our vet specifically gave us instructions on ordering it from Canada to get it much cheaper. So now I’m actually totally going to look into doing that with our flea medications. Good tip!