All OT is cut

[HALEY]

Originally Posted by gja1000

I agree that the unemployment system is unfair - I wonder why one has to wait so long for benefits??? I remember when my husband got sick and could not work, it took him 8 months to get his social security disability approved and it takes many people much much longer to get it. I can sorta understand that it takes some time to determine that someone is completely disabled - but what the heck are you supposed to do for money in the meantime. Fortunately, I have a good job - but we were not accustomed to living on my salary alone - it's amazing how you can tighten your belt when you have to.

Then he had to apply for medical retirement and that took about 6-8 months too. He was also automatically eligible for some VA disability because he has type II diabetes which is directly connected to Agent Orange exposure from service time in Vietnam. It is an automatic disabililty - if you were in Vietnam and you developed adult onset diabetes, then you get the benefits. There was no question about him having diabetes - he'd had it for 10 years when we applied and it still took FOURTEEN MONTHS to get the benefits started. I still shake my head over that one.

I know you are supposed to have several months of salary saved for just this purpose, but it takes so darned much money to just live these days, I know many people just can't put back that kind of money. When we get our savings account built up, then invariably we have some unexpected big expense and boom, it dwindles down.

Sorry about the rant - there is just something wrong with the system!!!

gayle, your like me at one time i had 20,000 in my savings account, and now its almost down to nothing again, when Mike got his big raise and a company truck, i started taking out 100. out of my pays and automatic deposit into my savings, i don't see it , and i don't budget it in my bills, but if we need some extra money i have to dip in there sometimes, its so hard to save these days your 100% right on that one....

[judy]

Dear Gayle,

You're so right about the "system." My daughter has MS and it took five years and 3 appeals for her to get disability. The second judge was told by whoever was in charge to approve it for her, and he did not! Her third appeal took so much time, but the approval went right through.

She did get a hefty check though. They had to give her five years back disability!

I'd like to get my hands on that judge's neck, who denied her second appeal. What a jerk. I'd also like to get my hands on the neck of the judge who decided that $50/month was sufficient child support when her father and I got divorced! That comes to $12.50/week.

This is why I believe in taking care of myself.

Haley, I also just began to put $100/check into savings. I used to put $200 in, but I stopped. I think I'm going to up it to $200.

[HALEY]

Originally Posted by judy

Dear Gayle,

You're so right about the "system." My daughter has MS and it took five years and 3 appeals for her to get disability. The second judge was told by whoever was in charge to approve it for her, and he did not! Her third appeal took so much time, but the approval went right through.

She did get a hefty check though. They had to give her five years back disability!

I'd like to get my hands on that judge's neck, who denied her second appeal. What a jerk. I'd also like to get my hands on the neck of the judge who decided that $50/month was sufficient child support when her father and I got divorced! That comes to $12.50/week.

This is why I believe in taking care of myself.

Haley, I also just began to put $100/check into savings. I used to put $200 in, but I stopped. I think I'm going to up it to $200.

JUdy i'm trying so hard, i'm trying to save up for a bigger house for my son, our house was ok when it was Mike and I, but it is a small house, hopefully i get a good price for it, everything is almost remolded in that house, all updated...
i at least want 20% down, hopefully before Micah starts school we will have a new house for him... i want to move back to my home town, the new mayor is cleaning up the drugs there - there was just a big drug bust in the paper last week, so they know he means business, so hopefully the drugs will be gone by the time i move back, plus i want to be closer to my sister and mother...
Ever year when Mike and I get a raise i up it 50 bucks... i never budget in raises... then after i get the house i'll start my money markets... for retirement...

[HALEY]

i remember Mike was on short term disibility at one time, and we waited forever to get those checks, i remember i called his payroll office and asked for the phone number and called that lady up bitching up a storm, i had the check within two days. that is a bunch of bull, he paid into disibility for 16 years, and they want to hold his checks like that when he needed them! I told that lady off... i told her my bills were piling up, they needed paid today!!
Same with unemployement, you have a waiting week, what the heck is that for? your unemployed why should you have to wait for your money! then you sign up and wait some more.

[HALEY]

come to think of it- the same thing happen when i was pregnant, its not called maternity leave anymore, its called short term disability, i had all my paperwork filled out, called payroll to see if they needed anything else from me before i went on maternity leave, and then i still had to wait a couple days....

[Tiramisu]

A suggestion on OT: I grew up with my Dad working lots of OT and I vividly remember him telling me not to figure OT into a budget. He said you should never count on it as part of your income, so you don't miss it when you don't work it. I've been lucky, but I have burnt some midnight oil. I don't put OT on my timesheet. I keep count of the hours and take "comp time" off as I need it.