The threat of disconnection hangs over all of us poor people daily, especially as we may not be able to pay our full utility bill... or any of it on a given month.
My electricity was set to be turned off by Duke Energy next week. I owe a total of $178, which includes several months of non-payments, partial payments, and late fees. Thankfully, I was able to negotiate a 6 month payment plan for the past due amount, where I pay $30 a month + whatever the current charges are.
So I started today with over $150 to my name and that $30 payment brings me back done to $120.
My internet is very behind as well. Usually, I carry a month past due and end up paying the minimum amount due to Time Warner, which is half. That 'half' increases every month as new late fees are added into the total I have to at least pay half of.
I called Time Warner to make arrangements and they were much less flexible. My total bill is $228, of which, a minimum of $154 must be paid to keep the service from being disconnected... which is supposed to happen today or tomorrow. Should I fail to pay that amount before they pull the plug, it will cost an additional $36 to have the service scheduled for reconnection.
Remember, I now only have about $120, so... not enough for Time Warner's minimum payment.
I called Time Warner and navigated their prompts until I got someone in billing. I told her my situation and said I would like to set up a payment plan. The only payment she could accept was the minimum $154.
So I may not be on the internet for a while, except for a friend's WiFi. I currently use the internet for job applications and Netflix($8/month). No internet, no job applications. No job applications, no interviews and no jobs. No job, no money for the internet.
It's very hard using a friends internet to apply for jobs because you have to upload resumes that usually reside on my iMac. Also, I have to go to his place to use the computer, which means it may be several days before I can check on emails regarding jobs and do the follow up I need to be competitive in the job market.
I'm noticing in your blogs a lot of the habits I had when I was jobless and poor or next to it. All I can tell you is that the little magic (PAYPAL) button is not going to be your savior out of this. I lived off of friends for a little bit but then when the chips fell, I was out in the cold on my ass. When your out in the cold on your ass, a JOB IS A JOB. I walked into the first McDonalds I saw and got hired, First two weeks of my life sucked but after that I was living meagerly......WITHOUT a family plan cell phone, WITHOUT internet, WITHOUT a computer, I had to use those two things at the bottom of my legs to get around and get job applications.
ReplyDelete"I'm a horrible combination of smart, unfortunate, and lethargic."
That alone tells me you don't need donations. What you need is to be faced with a challenge that no one will be able to help you out of. You need to be dropped on your ass with everything taken away to teach you that A JOB IS A JOB. You have to humble yourself and take something. I did, I didn't stay there long because I used it as a spring board to get somethign better, and better and better, I'm pulling in 15 an hour now doing absolutely stupid things and getting CASH on top of it. I made $120 before taxes and took home an extra $150 in tips on top of that. I went from a life stile of LESS than paycheck to paycheck to now having $18,000 in the bank and another $20k in CASH in a safe in my closet. (Of a 2700 sq. foot home I'm paying for.)
I get it, Life's a bitch, Everyone has their problems, I have my own. But from what I've read, You dont seem to take the need for job hunting too serious. It sounds cruel, but maybe you need to be kicked out to the cold to learn something. I got my ship straightened out RIGHT QUICK when I was put out. That's a pretty humbling experience.
I hope you find what your looking for.
You can get free WiFi at most libraries. You can get WiFi at Starbucks and McDonald's too. I would usually buy a coffee or something from the $1 menu when I used a restaurant's WiFi out of consideration. This is good to know if TW disconnects you.
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect, why are you still paying for Netflix at $8 a month? I feel like you should begin to cut out all unnecessary expenses (such as netflix because to be honest, you can watch everything for free on the internet). Also your internet bill is way too high. Does that include cable? If not, you have been paying way too much. Unfortunately you can't renegotiate a better deal while you're unemployed. But I pay $120 in total for internet and cable. I am sure there are cheaper options where you live.
ReplyDelete