DIPPING BELOW THE POVERTY LINE

March 26, 2012

This past fall my long term house helper moved out of the garage studio. This was followed by over $1,000 worth of maintenance and unexpected repairs. Now instead of occasionally rolling over some end of the month bills into the first of the next month, I was doing it every month. Christmas came and went and still no one had moved into the studio. I was getting more mixed up trying to juggle my bills around so I couldn't remember what was due when.

The next sign I had that I was slipping below the "poverty line" was I didn't have enough money to buy food the last week of the month. Going to the market was making me sick to my stomach and I could no breathe. The third sign was the high cost of home heating oil. I have always been able to get my tank filled up in the fall. I used between 21/2 to 3 tanks of oil a year depending upon the weather. Most of the time, I had it paid off by the 1^st of July.

In addition I use 2-3 cords of wood a winter for a wood stove. However, I have always considered my primary source of heat as oil.

I thought I would be cautious and order only a minimum delivery of oil because of the high cost of heating oil. That bill was almost $500. Now why my monthly payment plan was set at $70 per month is an unanswered question. By the end of January I had gotten two more minimum deliveries. This lead to my heating crisis in February. See my blog, "Disabled Senior Denied Heating Assistance"

Now I cannot order any oil until the bill is paid off. The warm winter and early spring has been an unexpected blessing. I had applied for energy assistance. But my working 3 ½ days in January made me over income by $160. The income guidelines for most of these benefits for poor people vary from state to state based on the poverty guidelines. I would have been eligible in a bordering state based on "Poverty Guidelines" for that state. The cost of oil does not change. These income guidelines are based on percentages of the poverty threshold from 125% to 200%. There is a $500 difference in the poverty guidelines between my state and the one six miles down the road.

SURVIVING POVERTY BY GETTING CREATIVE

MARCH, 21, 2012.

In the past I rented rooms to people. I found there was a tremendous need for housing for single men who were blue-collar workers and often had child-support obligations. I knew what their income was and their child support obligations. Even in our small town, apartments were becoming out of reach for these men.

At that time I thought of myself as living at a "low income level". However, the years of not working due to illness was taking its toll. In order to keep my house, I had to take in strangers to share my kitchen, my family room and living room, and even my bathroom. I knew it was not easy for the people I took in. Usually they were just grateful to have a place to live in their own private clean room. Later I will share the story of an old guitar playing hippie who was an alcoholic. He ended up giving me more than he received.

As for myself, I had lived most of my years as a single parent on the "low income level". We had a garden until I got too ill to keep it up by myself. It was my first border who suggested turning the room over my garage into a living area with a private entrance. This would give me more privacy and protection, while having some help paying with the utilities and insurance. Plus, I would get help with the yard work and some house maintenance.

This worked most of the time for while. Because my "income" was so variable and hobbled together to include a small disability check, part-time work, and help with house expenses from the housemate. The disability check was the only reliable resource that I received each month. Then there were too many months where the disability check was all I had. Yes, I received food stamps and sometimes, energy assistance, but the regulations are actually be a trap which can keep you in property.

POVERTY WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN: Poverty Thresholds and Poverty Guidelines

March 19, 2012

Since my blog is about living with a disability and surviving poverty, I decided to find out what poverty really means and who decides the income guidelines for the various Federal and State programs for low income families. Anyone who receives energy assistance, food stamps (SNAP), lives in HUD or Section 8 housing or gets Medicaid are getting assistance for families/individuals who live in poverty. I qualified for some programs and not others.

There are a lot of regulations with these benefits. To add to the confusion, these regulations are overseen by primarily two agencies. Believe it or not, one of these is the U.S. Census Bureau. The second one is the Federal Health and Human Services. Every fall the Census Bureau issues a report on poverty in the U.S. This information is used for the "Poverty Threshold" which provides the statistics on the number of people who are poor. In addition, this statistical information is disturbed by age, race and family type. A lot of people view poverty as a statistic. The Federal Poverty threshold for 2012 is $11,170 per year for one person, $23,050 for a family of four etc. Try these links for more information http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/12poverty.shtml# guidelines or http://www.famliesusa.org

The official definition of poverty uses money income before taxes. It does not include capital gains, noncash benefits like public housing, Medicaid or food stamps.

It is the Federal Department of Health and Human Services that issues the Poverty Guidelines. They are issued each year. These Guidelines are a simplification of the poverty threshold and are used to determine financial eligibility for the above Federal programs. Poverty thresholds are a measure of need or the average dollar amount it takes to provide a family with basic needs of food, shelter and clothing. Even though it is adjusted annually, there are too many things that are not taken into consideration. These same thresholds are used throughout the United States as a statistical yardstick. They are not considered a complete description of what families need to live on.

Poverty is more than a statistic or income guidelines, which has little to do with reality. It is what happens when you lose a job, lose a primary breadwinner, lose a house to foreclosure, or get critically ill without health insurance.

I see and experience poverty as a substitute teacher. I don't work every day. However, I could work more than the 4 1/2 days per month if they were available. I work often enough to see students who are experiencing poverty. They qualify for free lunches and breakfasts. Often, you can tell by the condition and type of the clothes and shoes they wear. This may include clothes that are a dingy gray to dirty or threadbare. Students may wear clothes that are the wrong size and don't fit properly. Poverty might show up as a physical factor. However, poverty is often complicated by drug and alcohol abuse or domestic violence.

I see poverty in the food markets and the shopping carts. They are filled with inexpensive highly processed, high carbohydrates, instant food boxes. There are cases of soda and loaves of white squishy bread which contains questionable if any food nutrients. Following along, are overweight and obese children toting boxes of sugar saturated cereal.

Our eating habits have deteriorated along with our waistlines. The size and number of obese shoppers with obese children seem to go up with the increase in the cost of food. There is something wrong with the economy when fresh fruits and vegetables are more expensive than processed boxed foods or McDonald's big Macs for that matter.

I prefer to purchase as many organic foods as possible, but the cost of is becoming more and more prohibitive.

NO KILL ANIMAL SHELTER

March 14, 2012

I finished up training at a local animal shelter: not that I need to learn how to clean out a cat box.  However, I was amazed at the logistics of multiplying one or two cats times over 100.  There is a lot more than just the cat box.  Everything from being able to read the moods of the "stranger" cats to doing the laundry.  The shelter uses gallons of bleach to sanitize.  Some cats will do anything to get your attention -most of it is comical.  The part I like is to provide some TLC to these wonderful creatures.  Even the dogs are rated as to who should handle them.

There was a middle age woman there using a cane, as opposed to a flock of college coeds whom I wondered how many times they cleaned a cat box. I struck up a conservation with the woman.  She was from Scotland and had met a man from the local area online.  She's lived most of her life in a city.  Even after 2-3 years in a rural area she admitted she has had a hard time adjusting.  I sensed she has had a difficult time making new friends.  Well we really hit it off and hung around the shelter just talking.  It seems we both came to the training for the same purpose - to meet new people and to help the animals.  When we left we traded phone numbers.

Living alone with a disability can be deadly.  But meeting new people and making new friends is almost as challenging as the disability itself, especially if you are bit on the shy side.  The message I have for friends and family of those living alone with chronic illness and/or disabilities is to check on them regularly.  As we get older we have a tendency to stay home more and maybe whine more.  But life is what you make of it with whatever cards you have been dealt.  It is better to get off your duff.  Volunteering is a win win for everyone.  Start with a place where you feel comfortable such as a family reunion.  Check out a local church for their outreach programs.  Try the local hospital or senior center.  There are never enough volunteers.  I have found being around people who enjoy the same things I like makes for good medicine (pain, anit-depressant etc.).  On the other hand it is ok to have days where there is too much pain, fatigue or just being over whelmed.

YOGA

January 19, 2012

I have started taking a YOGA class at a local Community College. This would not have been possible without the generosity of some family friends. I originally signed up for a "Stretching Class" which I had taken in the past. However the class got canceled. Hoping I was not too over the hill, YOGA was all I could get into. Then of course I was the oldest person in the class by 15 years or more.

Well I surprised myself. I could still do most of the positions. The class included a lot of breathing techniques. I am going to stay in the class because it has helped me to release a lot of stress even if for a day or two. Another surprise benefit was that YOGA appeared to tighten up my varicose veins. However, an even more important benefit is being able to get out of the house and being around people who enjoy some things you do (even if they are much younger).

Being chronically ill and /or disabled plus living alone can actually make you sicker and more depressed. If you have friends or family who live alone with a chronic illness or disability plus are out of the full time workforce, check on them. Better yet involve them in family activities or just invite them to join you for lunch or coffee or a movie etc.

A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD BUT NO FOOD ON THE TABLE or OIL IN THE FURNANCE

March 3 2012

After a disastrous event, how often have you said or heard someone else say; "At least I have a roof over my head and food on the table", so we will get through it. In our normal daily lives we don't think about not having that roof or food or heat. We take it for granted. What I have learned is these basics necessities are the emotional and physical foundation in our lives. So for the past six months I have felt like small earthquakes have rumbled through my life shaking my foundation.

My prodigal son came through and a heater arrived today. In the midst of this crisis a long term prayer has been answered. My prodigal son and I have been estranged since 2007. He was shocked to hear about my living situation. Now he is starting to talk about what sent him out of my life in the first place. The heater is a tower affair that osculates 180 degrees, has two different settings plus a programmable thermostat and 7 hour timer. It includes a multifunction remote. So far it is working pretty well. I also have a smaller ceramic heater in the kitchen. When I get home from work or get up in the AM, I can turn them on. This way I don't have to run the oil furnace as long to heat up the house or have to drop and run to get wood to get the fire started. All of this is a very temporary fix. For the long term will it save me any money? How much will my electric bill go up? The truth is I would need a heater upstairs during the really cold days of winter or my water pipes might freeze. Heating with wood is hard work and dirty. It has never been my intention to heat solely with wood which is not cheap. A senior citizen who is disabled should not have to worry if they are going to be able to heat their home. It is bad enough to worry about how I will pay for the heat. What else will I have to give up or what repairs will be put off again?

I have had in my mind for a long time to sell my house with 4 bedrooms and buy a small 2 bedroom cottage with a small yard. So maybe this mess will motivate me to get more done. But right now I feel like a shape shifter. It is difficult to focus and pay attention to task of getting rid of stuff.

INFRARED VS CERAMIC PORTABLE HEATERS

February 26, 2012

I have been researching portable heaters. They vary in price from $50 to $300+ but will using one save you money on your heating bill? According to an article "Making Cents of Small Heaters" in This Old House, it depends on the price of fuel in the area, kind of climate, the size of the house, age and efficiency of the furnace and how well the house is insulated. The number of people who live in the home and how they spend their time is also a factor. There is a simple formula that can be used to figure the cost of running a portable heater. Multiply the wattage of the unit by the cost per KWH from the electric company. That number should be on your electric bill. However, I could not find it on mine. That is when you call the electric company.

I picked out four different space heaters and emailed them to my prodigal son. He said he would take care of it. The other back door child who said he would not help unless the other one does called back and said that they would not let me get cold or go hungry. I personally do not see the need for an attitude. It has been in the 20's at night and in the 40's during the day. Heat is a necessary thing.

Infrared heaters include Duraflame, Edenpure, Amish heaters and others. The prodigal son wants to check out specifications. I had to go on line for this information. The smaller units' heat up to 600 Sq. ft and the larger units up to 1,000 sq. ft.. Watts used is dollars spent on heat. The heat output is measured in terms of BTUs just like a regular furnace. These portable heaters range from 3,400 BTU to 5,500 BTU. Compare that to your furnace. Some of these heaters have a blower rated as air flow such as 50 cfm or 50 cubic feet per minute. These heaters are also known as radiant heaters and heat people or things.

Ceramic heaters are also known as convection heaters which warm the air. These feature temperature controls that can adjust the heat to maintain an even temperature in a room. These can be fan-less or have a fan. These include Pelonis Sate-T-Furnace, Lasko Ceramic Tower heater, or the fan less radiator-type heater which are oil or water filled. For more information try these links;

    http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article

    http://bestspaceheatersinfo.com

http://www.electricfireplacesdirect.com/powerheat

www.realsimple.com best space heaters