i lost my job

[barbtries]

on 8-1-06. I am a single mother of a 14-year-old who just started high school, and i don't know yet how the rent is to be paid. though i have an idea, which i have bounced off several people, all of whom agree that it's worth a try. It's this:

I have lived in this building for over ten years now, nine in this very apartment that i am so terrified we will soon be turned out of. In all the preceding years, the paint is the same, the carpet has never been replaced, the floor is disgusting...and so on. so here's my proposal. How about if i agree to take care of these maintenance items on my own, and the owner agrees to let us keep living here?

positive energy appreciated...a lot! After my daughter died in 2001 (following an early abortive attempt to return to work much too soon), i did not return to work for about three years. i collected disability for one year and the rest of the time i lived on the proceeds from a wrongful death lawsuit. when i returned to work in July 2004, i guess i gotta admit i was beginning to feel desperate. i mean that has to be it, because i agreed to commence working for $10/hour.

that was a very cheap boss, also abusive, and after ten months i left making only $12/hour. I got another job starting at $13/hour and was up to $16/hour on August 1, when my boss fired me for giving his ex-girlfriend's 12-year-old son his passport two hours before the child was scheduled to leave for a school trip to Japan. On the day Bekah died i was making $18/hour and had an agreement with my boss that my wages would go up one dollar an hour on Sep 1 of each year. oh, well

On the day Bekah died, my rent was $600 and the gas and electric were included. Today I pay all the utilities besides water and trash, and the rent is $900. Probably because of the years out of work and the tiny amount I'd been earning before i got fired, my unemployment award is all of $245/week.

When I was on unemployment in 1995-96, I got more than i do today.

so anyhow. i published a little book of poems on Lulu, and am posting for the first time on my DU blog in order to ask any poetry-loving DUers to check it out and consider buying it: Myth and Other Poems.

If you do, please know that i am grateful, thank you

[Warpy]

1. You might be paying more in materials than you would in rent

so price things before you submit your proposal to your landlord. If you've been a long term tenant with a good record, he may agree to it, but don't expect to live rent free for two months. You'll need to get the work done quickly and find something to cover the rent, even a bad retail job, or he'll rent the renovated apartnent for $1000-$1200.

Good luck. I hope things improve for you soon.

And throw the bums out in November.

[Coyote_Bandit]

2. Good Luck

I feel for you. I lost my job nearly four years ago and I've been collecting rejection letters ever since. It's tough out there. Don't blame yourself for things you can't control. And don't loet the b*st*rds get you down.

[wakeme2008]

3. kick nom and will order book :)

[villager]

4. hang in there and good luck to you....

It's clearly been a tough road, but here's wishing you the best on the terrain ahead...

[fed-up]

5. I made $24 in 1 1/2 hours recycling cans/bottles on the weekend-1st time

for everything...

Was a very easy thing to do. There were races in town at the fairgrounds and my flea market booth was dead on Sunday so when the hoards of race car fans left I went around to the dumpsters and snagged the cans/bottles that were on top. Next year I will put out boxes for recycling and should make a few hundred during the weekend. :)

I have never dumpster dove (gr?) for cans/bottles before, but I just couldn't pass up the "free money".

[suziedemocrat]

6. Dumpster diving helps the environment! n/t

[Straight Shooter]

7. Talk to people in maintenance business, get the facts, make a proposal.

Maintenance isn't an easy job. You may find, however, that with a spirited outlook, someone you talk to in the field might consider hiring you for their company. Heaven knows that working for yourself can be a big-time headache. Your landlord also needs to consider his tax situation when figuring out whether to swap labor for free rent. And what about the rest of your living needs, like food, clothing, gas, et cetera?

I don't know how much construction is going on in your area, but there's another possibility if you don't mind working hard. Get some nice business cards printed up, if you can find a friend to do that on their computer, great. Then visit subdivisions in process, leave your card that you'll do the cleanup prior to move-in. Having a pickup truck is helpful. You may need to make arrangements with the landfill. I'm talking here about the outdoor cleanup. However, you can talk to Realtors and developers and see if there's a market for people who want their homes cleaned prior to move-in.

Also, I don't know about your area, but I live in a small town and the people who clean houses, like washing windows, vacuuming, doing laundry, straightening up, yardwork, for professionals who are too busy to do it, they make good cash. It isn't pretty work and it's hard work, but it's honest work and you never know what kind of connections you'll make.

Best of luck. I know how hard it is to scrape by.

[mike_c]

8. looking forward to your book....

Damn, I'm sorry to hear that things are not going well. Keep us informed, please. I'm just a little bit north of you, in Humboldt County-- don't hesitate to PM me if there's anything I can do to help.

[barbtries]

9. actually, you're way north,

as is my son...not a biology major, he's into history.

by the way, i thought your letter to wollaston's commander was excellent and am looking forward to finding out what response you get.

thanks
barbara

[mike_c]

10. whoops, for some reason I thought you were in Santa Rosa....

God knows where I got that idea :shrug:

Is your son at HSU? If so, send him around to say hello and have a cup of coffee sometime. Maybe I can talk him into changing his major. :-)

[AnneD]

11. My heart goes out to you...

I was unemployed when the the oil biz went belly up, the savings and loan scandal, and the RE bubble burst in Houston, all at the same time. The December want ads were 1 page front and back in the then 5th largest city in the nation. Mercifully I was single but things were tough. I cut expenses to the bone. No cable (borrowed movied from library and internet), ate over at friends hit up church pantries. Sign up for all the aid you can get now. Swallow your pride you have a young kid to care for. Remember food, clothing, and shelter are your main needs. Have a garage sale. Throw a rent party (we did that in college-bought a keg charged a cover and voila 2 mos rent collected). Remember to tell friends that you need a job (word of mouth is great).
I am not so sure about the repairs, Sweat equity is ok but he may kick you out an rent your place to someone else and you will become another statistic. Talk to them now. Most landlords can be suprisingly nice esp to a long term tenant. Maybe do some other work and odd jobs for him
Sign up with a temp agency. Consider substitute teaching if you qualify (some college is usually enough). Get some cash flow going while you searh for a job. I did yard work...in the middle of winter (am I a sales man or what). It was just enough to survive until I got something.
Good luck.