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We have three kids, two in the home, ages 15 and 12.
Our choices -
1. Send kids to California to live with relatives. Which would be my brother and mother. They both work full time and live together. There are two months of school left. I would worry about their grades and their ability to adjust. I'm not even sure if there is bus service or how they would get to school. I don't know how difficult it would be to enrol them. They would fly so my brother or mother would have to take care of it.
2. Stay in a hotel for two months.
3. Stay in a camp ground in a tent for two months.
I do have a job. I make about 2000.00 a month. My husband is unemployed waiting to see if he qualifies for unemployment.
I have 1500.00 cash on me plus 360.00 I would use for expenses (gas, food, ext.) Until my next pay day which is the 27th.
I would not stay in this area, rural Arkansas, once the kids are out of school. My job is not secure and I worry about losing it.
If I keep the kids until school is out I would then send them to CA for a vacation. Husband and I would move to Florida and save money to bring kids back after summer. I have a job in Florida I have worked at before making 2000.00 to 3000.00 a month.
It's a given we will lose everything, probably even the family pets.
I would stay around until the kids get out of school. It would be too much of a disruption to send them to California right now.
Ask around to find out about a local church that is good to help people out who are temporarily down on their luck. They may be able to help you find low-cost of free housing for the duration of the school year, besides also maybe helping with groceries.
Since hurricane Katrina, our church has put in showers so that people who are fleeing hurricanes, or in some other such situation, can use them while they are staying at the church. Probably churches in Arkansas responded to Katrina in the same way. I would say a church would be your best bet for help.
What part of Arkansas are you in? Can your husband pick up part-time work, or can you take a second job? Can your fifteen year old or your husband mow lawns once the grass gets started? Could either or both of your children help people clean up yards, plant spring flowers, do odd jobs? Can you have a yard sale? Sell something on Craigslist or eBay?
Is there a food bank in your area? I agree that checking with local churches is a good idea - also, talk with your local government and with your children's schools to see if there's other assistance available. I expect your kids would qualify for free or low-cost lunches.
Can you give us more info about your present situation? Are you losing your home due to unpaid rent, unpaid mortgage, or is your landlord just kicking you out? Is there other rental property in your area to which you could move? Apartments? Do you qualify for subsidized housing? Ideally, you would do best to stay in your area until school is out, but living in a hotel/motel adds up, and a campground isn't great, either, especially during Arkansas springs, with the tornado danger.
Do you have access to a car? Two cars? If one is fairly new, would it help to sell it and get a cheaper car?
I hope some of these ideas will help -best wishes to you and your family.
I don't know where in AR you live but I am sure there are churches that, if nothing else, have food pantries that can help with meals. Our church has one, people are limited to one visit a month, but there are so many others avail that you should be able to get enough food to help you out.
The idea of hubby or 15 year old doing things like yard work it a great one. We had a lawn guy a couple of years ago in a similar situation. He didn't charge us much, did a decent job and it helped him get through the summer.
I would not move the kids right now. It would be a horrilbe adjustment for the older one particularly so close to the end of the school year. Going through rough times is hard enough for kids, disrupting them would just add insult to the trama...
If at all possible, keep the kids in their present school for the rest of the year because changing can be very traumatic. Been there done that - six schools in 12 years.
Location: Went around the corner & now I'm lost!!!!
1,544 posts, read 3,597,735 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CraigCreek
What part of Arkansas are you in? Can your husband pick up part-time work, or can you take a second job? Can your fifteen year old or your husband mow lawns once the grass gets started? Could either or both of your children help people clean up yards, plant spring flowers, do odd jobs? Can you have a yard sale? Sell something on Craigslist or eBay?
Is there a food bank in your area? I agree that checking with local churches is a good idea - also, talk with your local government and with your children's schools to see if there's other assistance available. I expect your kids would qualify for free or low-cost lunches.
Can you give us more info about your present situation? Are you losing your home due to unpaid rent, unpaid mortgage, or is your landlord just kicking you out? Is there other rental property in your area to which you could move? Apartments? Do you qualify for subsidized housing? Ideally, you would do best to stay in your area until school is out, but living in a hotel/motel adds up, and a campground isn't great, either, especially during Arkansas springs, with the tornado danger.
Do you have access to a car? Two cars? If one is fairly new, would it help to sell it and get a cheaper car?
I hope some of these ideas will help -best wishes to you and your family.
Yes, we need more information; not to be nosey but help with suggestions. Can you all move to a mobile home? Can you trade in a car and other items to live in a small affordable RV? Does anyone have an above garage apartment you can rent? Can your husband and child barter services for rent for a couple of months. Everyone who is able needs to pick up a job or second for now. Meals need to be soup based instead of full meals right now. If your 15 year works at a restaurant, maybe he could pick up some meals. Fast food restaurant throw away food everyday...fairly good food too.
First thing is to find a very cheap apartment, if your in a house and the mortgage is killing you walk away, $2000.00 month is possible not fun but possible. next is food stamps (like it or not your situation is what they were made for, not life time benny's like most people use them for), have your husband take any job available, sell any car with a payment or walk away from it and buy something old and repairable learn to fix it yourself ( youtube is awesome for this ) teach your husband to cook from scratch it's much cheaper. YOU CAN DO THIS, and you and your family will be stronger for doing it!
bill
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