Back to square one

[Exployer1234]

i thought I would maybe get some input on my situation. So I am almost a year out of discharge from my BK. Well my situation was going great. I was able to have some savings each month. Well now my job has cut back hours at work, I ended up in the hospital a month ago, and now my fiance' had surgery 3 weeks ago for nasal polyps and now they have started growing back. Yes in 3 weeks the polyps have come back. We have exhausted all of our extra money that we had saved. He has his own business, but due to all these issues his business is suffering, so this is even less money coming into our house. He now has to see a cancer specialist and we will be going from there.

I don't want to get behind on any of my bills. I have been working with the power company and so forth on working out payment plans. Does anyone have any advice on how to bring extra money into the house. Jobs are scarce in my area as well. I am on my last year of school, so there is not a lot of time to go and work 2-3 jobs outside of home. I have been with my fiance' for almost 14 years and long story short the medical problems he is dealing with is going to affect our income no matter what. Even in the long run if he BK's he is not able to work much.

Just when you think everything is going great life does happen. No matter how much we try to save and plan somethings can not be foreseen. I had saved in the last year 5K, which is now almost gone. I want to proactive and if anyone has some advice I am all ears!

[Exployer1234]

As an additional note I have not taken out any credit cards, I pay cash for everything, and I do use coupons and discount shopping. The problem now is the medical issues are draining the saving we had and less income is really hurting us.

[AbbeyA]

I don't really have any advice but I wanted to say I am sorry for all of the things that have happened. I hope the health scare turns out to be much less "scary" and that you are able to start saving again.

[tobee43]

ahhhhhhh Exployer1234!! so sorry to hear all your troubles.

if i were in your situation i would call and see what type of medical assistance you can get. i saw the people next door, both loss their jobs and now at least have food stamps and medicaid. i know that sounds extreme, and with many budget cuts in effect, but the county hopefully should be able to help with some of these expenses.

i can't tell you about how to make any money, wish i could. there are just no jobs here at all.

i hope it gets better soon for you!

[frogger]

if i were in your situation i would call and see what type of medical assistance you can get.

What you really want is to be able to get "indigent care". It's out there...

[tobee43]

What you really want is to be able to get "indigent care". It's out there...

exactly.

[IamOld]

I'm so sorry to hear about this...I wonder if it would help in obtaining "free" care that you are in fact NOT married to your fiance...

[Exployer1234]

Well he does have his own insurance, but I do not. So this hospital visit that I just had cost a pretty penny. I am looking into doing food stamps to help out with food.

[tobee43]

Well he does have his own insurance, but I do not. So this hospital visit that I just had cost a pretty penny. I am looking into doing food stamps to help out with food.

understand your circumstances hopefully you can get the hospital bill reduced or written off. just call the hospital's social services dept and see if they can help you.

[banca rotta]

Not sure of the type of business he is running but can he increase his sales thru the Internet???

Good luck to you both.

[Exployer1234]

He is an EE that does lightening work. The business is based on internet sales. Basically there is very little overhead. The only way to really do any increase in his business is to take out advertisements with specialty forums. He did this for awhile, but the prices have gone up. The prices range from 500-1500 per month. Since his illness we can not swing that now.

I am just so frustrated right now. It felt so good getting ahead, but now with all this going on it is depressing. You think that you are getting ahead and then BAM the really unexpected happens.

I will call the hospital on Monday and see what they can do. If anything maybe they can write off the debt. That would be a start.

We are planning on getting married, but for now it is about his health. We have to get him better and hopefully beat this disease. It is not normal for nasal polyps to develop this fast out of surgery. It is important right now that I find someway to bring extra money into the house. We are going to need it. It is a shame even part-time work is hard to come by, but I refuse to get back into debt, even if it is medical debt. I am trying to be proactive on the situation and come up with a solution. My own family has offered me money to help and I refuse to take the money from my parents who are 6 months away from retiring. I will find a way out of this, but it is going to take a lot of brainstorming to find a solution.

[papie]

In regards to your lack of health insurance- does your university offer health coverage? Most larger brick and mortar universities offer some type of plan for very cheap to active students. We couldn't live without insurance up in my house. It's part of the reason we filed bankruptcy. It's not highly advertised, but I'd encourage any student to check it out.

Also, most hospitals offer assistance and discounts on a sliding structure. They generally require that you verify your income by submitting tax returns, but ask them for assistance- they'll more than likely offer you something. It's highly doubtful they'll write the whole thing off, but every little bit helps. If nothing else, tell them you'll set the remaining balance up on monthly payments.

I would also visit my local office for public assistance. If you don't qualify for food stamps, find a food bank. I would also start scouring Craigslist and my local papers for part time jobs. I used to pick up the dirty part time jobs that no one wanted- they all involved cleaning or working nursing homes or something. Not pleasant, but the money helped.

[Exployer1234]

The university I attend offers insurance. I have looked into it, but they just raised the rates again. Something about they lost state funding and had to raise tuition by 9.5%, increased the maintenance fee by 500 dollars per semester, and the cost of insurance for students increased by 400 dollars semester. I honestly don't know if it would be worth even taking out the insurance since I am 9 classes away from graduating. We may have to move once I graduate so I can accept a job, but I am pretty sure the cost of insurance will be easier to handle once I have a salaried position. My degree is in secondary education with a minor in English. I also have about 20 years of management experience. It does not mean I will find a job after I finish school though.

I am certain that I would qualify for food stamps just on my income alone. Even if you add his income in to the monthly expenses it is still under the median. I really wanted to try to not have to ask for assistance, but when the only thing in the cabinet is noodles it puts a different spin on things.

[discouraged]

Don't feel bad about asking for help. That is what our taxes go for - theoritically. You paid for that assistance with every tax taken out of your salary.

[AngelinaCatHub]

Don't feel bad about asking for help. That is what our taxes go for - theoritically. You paid for that assistance with every tax taken out of your salary.

A truer word....... Food stamps and other help are for people like your situation. There are many "bleeding" the system and taking what you deserve without need for themselves.

Your parents are going to live a long time and so are you. I would gracefully accept their help with the assurance you will pay them back. All things equal, your fiance' has not BKed but you have. A solution to some things could be, get him fixed, Mary him and you too will have some insurance. Now I realize that no insurance will cover an existing problem, but perhaps some help if things do get worse. I too am a recovering big "C" patient. 7 years now. Does not mean a thing as our lives are guided by Faith and some wisdom, but I do not believe in "Luck". Destiny yes, and Faith. You must seize both, use the system as intended, see if he can get into a teaching hospital, have faith that this is not anything but a benign event. It is procedure that anything remove is biopsied.

You must realize you have a family here, and we all do care. Investigate all opportunities with what I mentioned, Faith and wisdom. The answer will come to you. We are all here to pray for you. God answers all prayers; yes, no, or wait. It WILL come. 'Hub