Groceries is what we now have!

After we picked Kyle up from school, we stopped at home and then we ended up going to the post office, the bank, and then to Walmart!  I don't think we had that much fun at the store in a long time.  It's fun shopping for food when you have food stamps.  We bought a lot of extra food just because they are nice to have on hand.  We also bought food that Kyle needs for school (snacks and drinks).  We ended up spending over $225! 

I ended up returning some spices I bought the last time we went to the store because we used our own money.  Just 4 spices cost over $24, so it's nice to have that money back in our pocket.  I also brought a pair of Kyle's pants back with the receipt because they were marked at $8 but I was charged $8.92.  I bought 4 pairs.  Only one of the pairs was marked at $8 and the guy gave me back my 92 cents for all 4 pairs!  LOL  I should have said something, but we're both unemployed and I am not going to speak up when someone is giving me too much money back!

Just a bit of good news!

Yesterday, we received a bit of good news!  We received a notice in the mail that we are approved for Food Stamps!  We are so happy and relieved to be back on food stamps.  The letter stated our benefits are good between 7/11-12/11!  We have a month and a half worth of food stamps on the card right now! 

Last week, I bought 4 new pairs of pants for Kyle to wear for school, but I realize he will need a few more pairs!  He has a total of 6 pairs of pants but 1 pair is kept at school.  I also want a few more shirts for him. 

Food Pantries

About a month ago, I was emailed a list of local food pantries from the main food bank of North Carolina.  I found at least 5 churches that are located in our zip code and made a list of their information including website and when the pantry is open.  Two of the churches on the list didn't have a website, so I need to call for more information on their food pantry. 

We went to Walmart last night and spent close to $200 buying groceries, school clothes, and school supplies for Kyle.  I think it finally hit Shannon that we need to turn to food banks for help.  I asked him about it a few days before he said we should wait another 2 weeks before we even consider that (I have a feeling it was a pride thing).  However, on the way home from Walmart, I brought up the food banks again and he agreed that we should definitely look into them. 

Unfortunately, we are still waiting to be approved for food stamps.  It's frustrating having to wait so long. 

Almost Back to School Time!

It's almost "back to school" time for Kyle!  We have open house on Tuesday night.  I want to go so he can "meet" the teacher and "see" his classroom.  I don't want to send him to school on the first day and have him spend the day with strangers!  I think it will help a bit if he can see his teacher and the classroom before the first day. 

I also plan on applying for the free lunch program at the school for Kyle since I'm pretty sure we qualify!  I still don't have all of his "back to school" supplies but I am not going to stress over that. 

His first day of school is Wednesday.  He's going to be a bus rider, so I need to double check with the teacher.  Otherwise, we have a neighbor who will be taking the same bus to school that Kyle will be riding.  The one thing I don't like about this year and this school district is that they don't have a bus specifically for special needs children.  Kyle must ride the big bus with every bus rider (K thru 5th grade)!   And there won't be a second adult on the bus to help strap him in, so I guess I will be doing that.

We're still waiting to hear whether or not we are approved for food stamps!  I hope we get the answer soon! 

It's been nice!

The last few days have been so calm around here.  I love having our 928 sq ft apartment to ourselves again.  Hubby and I have gone over what my brother could have done to be a part of the household.  He chose to act the way he does and that's gotten him kicked out of Grandma's house and now our place.  Unfortunately he doesn't seem to get it. 

I hope we get approved for food stamps soon!  Using our own money to buy groceries is really taking a toll on our bank account. 

I am also slowly working on Kyle's back to school supply list!  I don't think we'll be able to get everything on the list so I'll just talk to the teacher and hopefully she can refer us somewhere that helps low income families with school supplies.  Since I don't see school supplies as a necessity for us to survive, I am putting those purchases on the back burner.  I am also waiting until I can find them on sale or a really low price!  I am now making the effort to limit my purchases at Walgreens to the things we need.  We have plenty of toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, and shampoo/conditioner to last us until the end of the year.  It's just so easy to get all of those things super cheap with coupons matchups!  Just today, I bought 12 rolls of Cottonelle toilet paper for $3.25 after coupons!  I plan on buying another 12 rolls this week since I have the coupons! 

Applying for food stamps...never-ending saga

Over two weeks ago, we went in to the Social Services office to complete our food stamp application.  Unfortunately, we were told we needed additional paperwork.  We also had to call the county we used to live in that we have since moved and to please close our file.  I made that call the next day.  In addition, we needed my husband's college to fill out a form (and return it to us) and also a copy of our lease.  Well, it took over two weeks for the college to finally fill out the form and email it back to us.  First, they sent it to the wrong department and then told us that they have since forwarded it to the right department. Then they wrote us back saying he needed to fill out a form giving them permission to send the form out, to which he had to email them back explaining what exactly he needed!  It was a confusing process and I am disappointed it took this long for them to return the form to us.

We finally have everything we need and will be mailing it out in tomorrow's mail.  Let's hope they approve our application by the end of this month, even though they have 30 days to decide whether or not we are approved. 

A difference of $27.30

We just received our electric/energy bill today and it was $27.30 more than last month.  First, when we called to set up service, we were offered the option of "equal payment plan" and it would be around $80 a month.  Since our bill was more than $80, I called and asked why.  I was told that we weren't set up for the equal payment plan, but she was able to change it for us.

We're in the process of re-applying for food stamps in our current county.  We just need additional paperwork to send to our local office.  Since we are without food stamps, we are forced to pay out of pocket.

Just a few things

I am always looking forward to Sunday -- to get the Sunday paper for the coupons.  I found a few in the Walgreens ad that I wanted to get.  I took Kyle with me and thankfully it was cool outside!   I used coupons for every item I bought and ended up saving over $19! 

We went to Walmart today for a few groceries. 

I applied for food stamps last week and we received a letter asking us to come in to "interview" so that they can determine our eligibility.  I guess they require all applicants to come in (unlike the former county we lived in where we did everything via mail).  The letter also stated that we may qualify for "expedited services" so hopefully we can get our food stamps as soon as possible!

Food Stamps update

When we went grocery shopping last Sunday, our food stamps had already been re-approved, but we were unsure how much it had changed.  We received a notice in the mail of our new amount in food stamps...it's been DOUBLED!!!  

The snow has been crazy here.  It hasn't snowed in the last 2 or 3 days and the snow on the ground is slowly melting, but it's also icing over.  School was canceled on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and now today (Thursday). Since it hasn't snowed, we plan on taking Kyle to therapy today!  He hasn't been to therapy in about a month now! 

Since Shannon and I are both unemployed, I decided to apply for full coverage of Medicaid for us.  Kyle is already covered on Medicaid.  Shannon and I are already covered on the "family planning" side of Medicaid.  I mailed our application in yesterday's mail and they should receive it today.  I am not sure how long it takes for them to process the application. 

All I wanted was ONE chick'n patty!

I went to make myself dinner today.  We had two leftover meatless chick'n patties, baby carrots, and couscous.  I went to put one chick'n patty on my plate, along with a handful of baby carrots and my MIL walked up and said, "Oh, that's my husband's plate."  Of course, I was pissed but didn't say anything and just put everything back.  Why am I pissed?  Last night, my FIL came home with burritos from Taco Bell and had four, if not five burritos in the fridge.  And no, I have no intention of eating any because they are all made with meat.  My MIL also brought home some Turkey soup that her friend made.  After I put the plate of food away, my MIL noticed that there were extra baby carrots and couscous leftover and I said, "No, it's okay, I'll just make a pizza."  Then she said, "Oh, I was going to say, you could have the Turkey soup, but you don't eat turkey."  DUH, Bitch!!!!  All I fucking wanted was ONE chick'n patty, some leftover baby carrots and couscous.  I am also pissed because it was our food stamps that paid for the chick'n patties and the couscous, both of which we bought at BJ's!  It was actually about 95% of our food stamps that paid for all of the food we bought that day. 

I have decided that if we ever have food stamps leftover, I am going to do my best to spend it all at the end of each month or just tell Shannon we don't have any money left on the card.  I don't think our food stamps should go to pay for my in-law's food!  If they need help with paying for food, they can apply for it.

Also, Shannon has been talking about going to Disney World if he gets some money.  He wants to rent two cars (one for us and one for the in-laws), rent a big house (so they can stay there too), and give them each $1000 spending money.  I have decided that if he does go to Disney World, Kyle and I are not going.  It's bad enough I am stuck living here, but to go on vacation with them?!   Instead of going to Disney World, I want to take Kyle to California to visit my family, many of whom he has never met! 

Of course, Shannon says I am overreacting.  He can't even be a supportive husband and blames this on me.  I told him that I have been thinking about the Disney World thing for awhile and this crap pushed me towards my decision! I am already pissed from this morning when my MIL told us not to flush the toilet. 

All I wanted was one chick'n patty!  Her husband has plenty of food to choose from to eat: 4 or 5 burritos from Taco Bell, Turkey soup, and a plate of food minus one chick'n patty!

If I am overreacting, why can't my husband just be understanding and take my side...for ONCE?

More Good News!

First, Kyle is not sick!  He started feeling better shortly after he threw up yesterday!  So he is better, but isn't eating much these days.  I guess he doesn't have much of an appetite.

Today we found out that we were approved for Food Stamps!  I am so surprised that we were approved so quickly.  It's only been a few weeks since I sent in our application!  But I am not complaining.  The Food Stamps will definitely help with groceries!  We are still waiting to hear whether or not Kyle is approved to receive SSI.

Earlier this week, Shannon bought Kyle his first remote control car!  It's a police car and he's been playing with it indoors for now.  At first, Kyle was not interested, he would run away from it.  But then he saw his Daddy playing with it and making the car move.  When he's not playing with it or when he's done playing with it, we put it away.  It's more exciting for him to play with it when he has to look for it.

The other day, I used my Amazon gift cards to buy two motivational posters!  My entire order came to $0!  I can't wait to receive them and put them in frames!  It was really difficult to select these posters, since there are so many to choose from!  The first poster reminds me of Shannon, he is always coming up with new ideas and ways of doing things.  It reads,  "It takes only a single thought to move the world"

This one reads, "It is not the position you stand, but the direction in which you look" 

New Video, Therapy, and Groceries

I posted a new video the other day.  It can be viewed here.  I can't wait to make more videos, I love sharing the products I use!

Kyle seems to enjoy therapy!  He has Speech and Occupational Therapy every Tuesday.  The therapists are really nice and he seems to get along with every therapist that has worked with him.  While Kyle was in therapy yesterday, Shannon and I went to Walmart.  We did a quick trip and bought all the non-perishable foods on our grocery list. I also bought a little box of baking soda for cleaning, I use it to clean/scrub the tub and bathroom sink.  While we were waiting in line to checkout, I picked up two workout tanks.  I hope to start a new workout program soon.  I've been wanting to change up my workouts since rotating my workouts is getting old. Plus new workout clothes adds to my motivation!

We recently applied for food stamps, so we probably won't be approved (or denied) until mid-September.  We are still waiting to hear whether or not Kyle will be approved for SSI.  We turned in all the necessary paperwork, so now we wait.  Shannon had to reactivate his unemployment, just like everyone else who was on unemployment.  He was not approved for unemployment so he is in the process of trying to get that reversed.  We had a little issue with our Medicaid, to where Kyle was denied.  When I called to ask why (knowing that I had sent in the necessary paperwork), I was told that our caseworker is no longer there.  It sounds like she made a lot of mistakes and she forgot to renew Kyle!  LOL  It sounds like there are many other cases like ours because the lady told me that she had a lot of other files to go through. 

Kyle goes back to school on August 25th!  I can't wait!  We haven't had a chance to get more school clothes, but I do know he will need additional pants and shirts since he will be going 4 days a week. We are limited to doing one load of laundry a day and my MIL and I take turns every other day.  But when it rains, we are unable to do laundry because it floods their septic tank to where they are unable to flush their toilet.  Their septic tank isn't working properly, to get it fixed would cost $20,000 or so they've been told.  When we use too much water, such as doing too many loads of laundry, the septic tank overflows and it starts to smell like raw sewage!

I got lost at Walmart!

Today was Kyle's Occupational Therapy evaluation!  It lasted about 2 hours!  The first hour or so was for the therapist to ask Shannon and I about Kyle and going through the survey we filled out.  Meanwhile, Kyle had a chance to play in the room!  It was a nice size room with a padded floor (like you would see at a gymnastics studio).  It also had big plastic balls, cardboard bricks and all kinds of things to build with.  It also had a soft swing that Kyle was playing with.  He was pushing it so it would swing back and forth.  He would push it to make it swing and then duck so that he would swing over his body and head!  He loved running around the room and play with the swing. He had so much energy too!

The last 45 minutes was for the therapist to do some "standardized" tests to see where he was at with motor skills so that she could set some goals to work on with him for future therapy.  Shannon and I decided to leave property and ended up going to Walmart.  We had Subway and then I went shopping and bought Hanes underwear, slippers, and liquid plumbr. I ended up getting lost in Walmart because it had a different layout!  It was a beautiful store, but I had to ask where something was! 

Next week is Kyle's Speech Therapy evaluation at the same location!  Once that is done, we'll set up weekly therapy sessions one day a week.  They are going to schedule his Occupational and Speech Therapy back-to-back so that we don't have to go there twice a week.  I am really excited for him to have Occupational and Speech Therapy.  I look forward to seeing him improve and hopefully start talking more with us!  I would love to be able to communicate with him.  I am so glad that this therapy is covered by Medicaid too.  We're still waiting to hear whether or not Shannon and I will be covered with Medicaid too.  

I also mailed in our application for food stamps yesterday.  That whole application process will take about a month to be approved or not! 

Yesterday, I received a surprise in the mail.  Somehow I am on Marlboro's mailing list and I don't even smoke.  They sent me a metal water bottle thing.  It's really nice and a nice color of red!  It was funny that I got this because I thought about buying one from GNC because they had some on display on their "clearance" table. It looks like the one below without the keychain clip. 

A nice break!

Today was my day off from the job I hate!  It was a nice, quiet, stress-free, and relaxing day off!  Earlier in the week, I made a list of everything I wanted to do today (my day off).  I accomplished everything on the list, except I still need to fax over our application for food stamps, but the application is completed! 

First, I called the our Medicaid person back, since she called yesterday.  She needed some additional information from us and I wanted to get her that information so we can get that going!  It sounds like Kyle will remain on Medicaid, which we are glad to hear.  She is trying to make sure Shannon and I can get on Medicaid as well! 

Then I called the place that offers Speech & Occupational Therapy and set up two different appointments for Kyle.  Both appointments are expected to take approximately 2 hours each because they are the initial evaluations!  One appointment is for the Speech evaluation and the other appointment is for the Occupational evaluation.  Since I am working, I may not make either appointment.

Third, I returned the phone call I received from Walmart.  The lady in personnel had a question about my availability.  I am hoping I hear back from them because I would really like to be re-hired there. 

Fourth, I put together our food stamps application.  I still had our application from earlier this year and just printed out the pages that needed to be updated with our information.  It's all filled out and ready to be faxed over on Monday! 

We went to Walmart today for some groceries and other things.  We didn't buy our usual amount of food since my in-laws only have one refrigerator, we don't have as much room to put our stuff in there.  My MIL just went to the warehouse store a few days before and bought a bunch of food for the freezer and refrigerator.  I did buy additional snacks for work to eat on my lunch or break (if I can get one). 

I really want to get a DVR for the TV in our room so that I can record my favorite shows.  I am always working and may not be home to watch my shows, and not all shows can be seen online either.  There are also movies I would love to record.  I found a DVR online that looks really good, plus there are no monthly fees associated with it. 

Slow Day

Today I worked 9:30am until 2pm.  It was a slow day and time seemed to go by so slow.  I hate the job!  I miss Walmart because it was usually busy and that made the time go by fast. 

We ended up not going to Walmart after I got off of work.  We are going to wait until my next day off, which is Friday to go. 

Shannon's unemployment hasn't been renewed yet.  Meanwhile, we are going to be "surviving" on my pitiful minimum wage paycheck.  I really think unemployment needs to be changed to encourage the unemployed to go out and get jobs!  I don't know if more incentives need to be offered to employers to hire those who are current unemployed or incentives need to be offered to colleges to encourage people to go back to school.  Something needs to change!  I already know that the people on unemployment are turning down job offers if it pays too low.  Why get a job when you can make more on unemployment? 

On Friday, I plan on doing some catch up.  I need to call the company that offers Speech & Occupational Therapy and set up an evaluation for Kyle.  I really want him to get into this therapy that can help him learn and thrive.  He is really trying to "talk" and communicate.  He knows how to say "no" and even uses it occasionally.  Other times, he likes saying "no no no" in a sing song voice.  I also plan on filling out the application to apply for food stamps!  We miss being on food stamps and that really helps us financially.  We are now waiting to see if Kyle will remain on Medicaid.  This time, I also applied to add Shannon and myself on it. 

So much to do, and so little time, especially with having to work so much.  I can't rely on Shannon to make the phone call or fill out paperwork because he will always make up an excuse or take 8 weeks to finally get to it. 

Much needed trip to Walmart

We went to Walmart this afternoon.  I printed out some coupons as well as brought the coupons I received in the mail.  We ended up saving about $5 with the coupons. 

We bought our usual groceries.  In addition, I bought Kyle a package of toothbrushes and mouthwash for Shannon and I.  As for school, I picked up some dividers and a 3 hole puncher.  I have all of my school papers, notes, calendar, etc. in a binder.  I feel more organized having my things in one place. 

While we were waiting in line to checkout, I found some short sleeved tops for only $5.  They are stretchy and can be worn while working out.  I don't plan to use them for my workouts though.

I love when we have food again.  We have so much more to choose from compared when we are almost out of food.  During that time, we have very little to choose from to eat.  Shannon always likes to wait until we are completely out of food before we go to the store.  I bought some some cheese in the shape of Mickey Mouse, which only lasted about 2 hours after we got home.  He loved the cheese so much, that he ate all of it!  We also bought him a different kind of cereal, instead of the usual Malt-O-Meal brand "honey nut cheerios."

We plan on re-applying for food stamps after July 1st, since that is when the income requirements change in everyone's favor!  Here is an article that explains it further.  I am sure we qualify now (considering we are both not working) but our caseworker never got back to us, even though we faxed over all the needed documents!  So we decided to wait until July 1st.

In the 70s

What a difference the weather is today, compared to the rest of the week!  Today we're in the 70s, yet on Monday and Tuesday we were in the upper 80s.  It's definitely a nice change!  It's overcast and a slight breeze. 

I called Kyle's speech therapist last week and she advised me to call the main office later this week and talk to a particular person.  She is unable to take Kyle on because her caseload is already full!  I called the office and left a message, hopefully we can get Kyle a new caseworker and get him going on speech therapy! 

In February, we tried re-applying for food stamps.  It turns out, they needed additional documentation from us.  At the time, we were unable to provide one piece of paperwork needed.  Today, we finally received what we needed to send to them.  However, we were unsure if we could qualify for food stamps since we just received a nice chunk from Uncle Sam, aka the US Treasury.  I called our caseworker to see if it would affect our application and she said it wouldn't, as long as we could prove that it was indeed from our taxes.  I gathered all the paperwork needed and had Shannon fax them to DSS (Department of Social Services).  Now we wait to see if we are approved

Tax Free Weekend

Our State is one of the states offering a "tax free weekend" on certain items, such as clothing, school supplies and some electronics. I was able to get 2 pairs of pants (one khaki and one light brown) and 2 [different shades of] blue shirts for work, without being charged taxes! I am only starting our with 2 of each for now. I want to wait until I receive a check or two before I worry about expanding my wardrobe.

We also bought groceries! I used our one of our WIC coupons to get a few things. Walmart was pretty busy, especially with all the moms and kids shopping for school supplies.

Shannon has a busy day tomorrow. The car is being towed to Tire Kingdom between 2 PM and 2:30 PM by our insurance company. The tow is covered by our insurance, which a bit of a relief. He also needs to call Medicaid to find out if Kyle is still covered in our county. We received a notice stating he was no longer covered in our previous county. I don't remember receiving a new Medicaid card for this month.

County Job

By accident, I found a job opening with the county in which we live in! I just happened to look on the county job website today and found a position that I am going to apply for! I even told Shannon about it and he's very supportive and encouraging me to apply for it. I hope to mail in my application tomorrow. There is no "closing date" either, so that worries me. The job ad states that the job is opened until filled. The ad was posted almost a week ago.

We went to Walmart today for groceries! We bought food for the entire household. I had a list for us and a list from my MIL since she needed some things as well. It was fun! Kyle behaved, as he always does. He loves car rides and loves looking out the windows to see the world! When it's time to get in the car, he loves getting into the car by himself and sitting in his carseat by himself (Shannon buckles him in)!

We had to do two separate orders, since we bought a few things with our WIC coupon.

On our way home, Shannon said that I may have made the cashier's day, that she seemed appreciative! I asked him what he meant, to which he explained... She would bag our groceries and she would hold the bag up for me, she was nice enough to wait until I put the bag in the cart and then reach for the next bag from her. I would say "thank you" to her each time. By the third time, she responded with appreciation, "well, you're welcome." He said she may have realized that she needs to check her attitude and start smiling. We both talked about being in the customer service industry. Sometimes you get into a mood of just helping people over and over again, and not realizing that you aren't smiling or cheery! I really hope I made her day and helped her in the end!

We've Been Stamp'd!

We found out last night that we were approved for food stamps! Not only that, we have a big spending budget, it will be more than enough for us. I feel much better now that Kyle is covered on Medicaid, we have WIC, and we're on food stamps!

Shannon received notification that they scheduled a hearing for his unemployment appeal.

Shannon also received a call back for a management position in North Carolina, on the coast. The property is about 6+ hours away!

Lately, I've been making sure Kyle is watching a show called Between the Lions on PBS. It's pretty much a mix between Reading Rainbow meets Sesame Street! They read books, teach words and sing songs. I also try to turn on Barney for Kyle. They sing songs on that show too. He's never really watched much of Barney when he was younger. I never really paid attention to Between the Lions until another mom told me about it.