November 25, 201

This is a new blog about the journey of one person into poverty and how she survived and what she learned. How debilitating illnesses stole almost ten years of her life. This is a journey of moving through stormy seas and learning to find peaceful islands along the way.

No MBA does not stand for my initials, but rather a business degree- Master of Business Administration. Matter of fact I have three college degrees. This journey into poverty didn’t just start with the current economic events. In this blog you will read about current struggles, as well as background events or how did I get into this mess in the first place.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has past.  It’s been a long time since I had to fix a turkey, let alone a whole Thanksgiving Dinner.  I am an extended “family” member of close friends.  We all eat potluck.  The abundance of food overloaded the table as well as our stomachs.  I am thankful for this family of friends.  I do miss getting into the fridge for leftovers after dinner. It is at this time that the men start talking hunting and the ladies talk shopping as in “Black Friday”.  Never have done “Black Friday” shopping and hope I never will.  But what I miss is the excitement of looking through all the sales notices and catalogs and making my list for Christmas.  By this time in the past I would have had half of the shopping done.

I have not  figured out where I am going to get money for Christmas gifts for my granddaughter, daughter and son-in-law.  I’d like to give a small gift to a few close friends who have helped me in far greater ways than I will ever be able to repay them.

Going to Work Hungry

During the last four months by the last week of the month I have had to choose between money for food and money for gas to get to medical appointments and my part-time job.  It has been almost 20 years since I’ve worried about having enough food to eat.  So I eat less and drive less.

Keeping the Lights On

Things are getting a little better.  I am picking up more substitute teaching jobs.  However I am still only getting about half of my bills paid on time.  Instead of rolling blackouts I have rolling bill paying - hoping to stay ahead of any blackouts this winter.  To keep my utilities from being disconnected, I keep the utility company updated on my situation. Thankfully I do have a long history of paying these bills on time.  The electric company told me not to get more than 2 months behind or I could face a shutoff.  Right now I am one month behind.  Luckily I qualify for a winter time electric 20% discount program.