Working Single Mother Looking for Assistance

You have written, what i have been thinking about on the way to work. I pay $500 for childcare as well. We will make it. If you want to chat email me at ____@____.com. I am a single mother of a 2year old.

Where are you located and where do you work? My daycare offers discount prices to families that need it, you son would normally cost $120 a week, but you could probably get it for $100. The catch is it is in Arlington. Is it possible to rideshare, to save some money?

I am in the same boat with finances. Some of the moms gave me the advice listed below which you have already seen. I was also told about www.livingonadime.com and www.budget101.com You can also google frugal living for some great tips. We did the angel food this past month and my frezer is packed for a month for only $70, (I have a family of five. If you send me an e-mail I will copy and paste all of the things the other moms told me about. Also, let me know the city you are in and I will send you some other ideas to cut the cost. I will keep you all in my prayers and it will get better. :-)

Hi S.,
I applaud you for the sacrifices you are making in order to
raise your son...You sound like a great mom!
I'd like to give you the same info. I shared with another single mother whose story I saw on MamaSource, regarding
groceries. The Riverwalk Fellowship, a church in Haltom City(
corner of Denton Hwy. & Glenview Ave--not too far south of Hwy. 820) has a ministry EVERY Tuesday morning where they give out free groceries. You need to know that
their parking lot opens at 8 am on Tuesdays & I believe they
close the parking lot when it is full, say, around 9:15, although it could be earlier, and free groceries are given out. According to the staff person I talked to, these requirements are needed from the person getting food:1)residency in Tarrant Co., 2)picture id(such as a driver's license & 3) 2 proofs of address are needed(such as any 2 bills with your address on them)
She also told me of another program called Angel Food Ministries. They have a website, probably Angelfoodministries.com, where there is a monthly menu and you can preorder $75-$80 worth of restaurant-quality food for ONLY $25!! According to her, this ministry is open to anyone, however, they only accept cash, money order, or food stamps. Also, she thought you had to order by the 2nd Monday of the month and the food you preorder is picked up on the last Saturday of the month at the church. Hopefully, you will
be able to use these ministries & stretch you grocery dollar!
I will be praying for you & your son. You didn't mention where you live, but you may contact me at the email address below should you need a ride to the above church or if you have an emergency & need help.(I am a a 51 yr. old Christian
woman & former school teacher. I currently am involved with a
support group that offers help to women with fertility issues & women who have been through the pain of miscarriage.)
God bless you & your son!
Love,
C.
____@____.com

Have you heard of the Angel food ministries?
They offer food for families, its like 30 dollars for a ton of food.
http://www.angelfoodministries.com/
You might be able to get some different ins. I know that for my 2 sons we only pay 140 dollars a month for their INS through Unicare.
You could cut back on some of your cleaning supplies by using Vinegar and baking sodas. If a friend gets the newspaper clip coupons and couponmom.com offers the same information as the Grocery game.
It is a scary time. Keep your chin up.

Ps. Have you called the YWCA? YWCA.ORG
They might have some way of helping you too.

Try looking into CCMS- Child Care Management Services. They offer assistance with child care. Again, they will go by your income, but I'm unsure of what their guidelines are. You can get on their waiting list by calling ###-###-####. In about 5 min. they can tell you if you qualify for assistance or not. If you do, then like I said you will be put on a waiting list. They tell you that the wait can be anywhere from a couple of months to 1 year, but I got a call back in about 3 months. It's worth a try.
http://www.childcareassociates.org/childcareassociates/cc...

Have you looked into the YMCA for both employment and child care? They offer scholarships for childcare so you might be able to pay less than what you currently pay. My son has been at a YMCA daycare since he was 3 mos old and he just loves it! I also work part-time for a Y so I get a discount on his tuition. They provide breakfast, lunch and a snack, so that may help your grocery bill as well. Here is the webisite-www.ymcafw.org - all positions may not be listed on the different branch websites, so see if there is one near you and visit it to see if there are any employment opportunities. Good luck to you!

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

This is a pretty good service. just remember to bring your own box laundry basket or something to carry it home in. This website tells you where the closest location is that offers this.
God bless!

I am curious about possibly a less expensive babysitter or childcare. I dont know where you are located, but I used to work on campus at Southwestern Seminary and their prices were less than what you are paying. Also, I wonder about an in home daycare. I have kept kids in my home for less than that as well. It may be possible to find something like that.

Stephanie,
I understand how difficult this is, as I was once where you are. I remember having only a can of green beans to feed my daughter for dinner. She thought it was "fun" to have green beans, but I cried because that was all I could offer her. She is now grown and a mother. When I think back of those times I know that it was God that brought us through that. My daughter has NO bad memories of that time. She didn't even know times were hard.

I would suggest saving some money on your medical. Have you checked out AmeriPlan? It is a discount medical plan, that will provide discounts of up to 80% on dental and 25% to 50% or more on medical expenses and you can join for only $39.95/mo for your entire household. If you don't spend more than $300 on medical care/mo, why should you pay an insurance company that much? Check it out at www.Dental80off.com

Hang in there...this WILL pass and possibly be some of the best memories you have with your child. ~ N.

Have you tried Angel Food Ministries....you can pick up food each month at a local church..Not sure where you live but if you go to the web site you can find a location. You get about 78-80 dollars worth of food for $30.00 and you can order more than one at a time..We go to a church in Euless and pick up our food. It is quality food and you don't need to qualify.. Also have you tried Christian Connection they are thru Catholic Churches. Also Catholic Charities helps people in need.. Hope this information is useful for you!

I have also used the angel food ministries in the past. It is a really good deal. Depending on the area you live in, there are different options for child care. $500 a month seems a little high for a 2 year old. Have you had a chance to look around? Also, recently there have been several ladies looking for housekeeping here on mamasource. When my husband and I seperated, early in out marriage, I found I could not make ends meet. I cleaned houses in the evenings and on weekends for extra income. I agree that if you try to help yourself, there is very little help from the government...Feel free to email me @ ____@____.com depending on where you live, I may have more options for help for you. God Belss you and your son.

Depending on where you live - I have a friend who does Daycare in Bedford. I believe she charges around $100-125 a week depending on age. Also there are several stores hiring right now. I had a part time job at a clothing store to get ahead, I just quit. I know she's looking for some quality help - it's in Keller though. And also check into Angel Food Ministries - we've been doing it for years. $30 for a load of food - just bring your own box. Again depending on where you are - there is a church in the Watauga/Haltom City area that participates in the program! It helps out tremendously!

Stephanie- how strong are your legal assitant skills? If you are good at drafting letters and pleadings; organizing files/discovery materials and billing you may be able ot find some contact legal work on the side. With this economy there are a lot of solo attorneys that are struggling to make ends meet, too. Some are letting staff go and trying to do everything themselves. Contract labor is a good option for them because they don't have to pay payroll taxes. Depending on who your employer is, they may let you use some of their software or saved pleadings on your off time or the attorney who is contracting you may have some options. A friend of mine does this to supplement his income. He charges per document and also has set fees to come in and organize an office or a group of files, do routine filing etc. You could start by contacting a few solo attorneys by telephone who work in fields you have experience in and offering up your services. I would also recommend Angel Food Ministries. Good luck- you WILL make it!

Hi S.,

I work with a single mom's ministry in my church (Fielder Road Baptist Church in Arlington). We get help a lot from Mission Arlington and Catholic Charities of Tarrant County and Angel Food Ministry. They can help you with food, electric bill, rent, prescriptions and various other things.

Also, I would love to invite you to our church. We would love to minister to you and your son.

Have you tried to apply for WIC? They allow a higher income than food stamps. Also I would look into CHIPS. It is the goverment medical insurance for kids when parents make to much for medicaid( http://www.chipmedicaid.org) There are income guidlines, but again they are higher than for food stamps and it is usually a big difference if you use that for your son and take him off of your insurance. I know that the process for even getting information about these services can be fustrating, but its worth it if it can help. Good luck.

If you want a parttime job I would suggest trying to work at a gym or YMCA in the childcare dept or at a dropoff childcare facility like AdventureKids in Southlake. You will be allowed to bring your son with you so you won't have to pay additional childcare and you can still spend time with him while making a littl extra money. I would also try finding a different childcare facilty for your son while you're at your fulltime job. There are places that offer a sliding scale fee. I had a friend that took her son to a childcare sponsored by United Way and I think she only payed $50/$60 a week. That was in Dallas, but you should contact them. They may have a location around here. I may know someone in Keller that would be willing to watch your little guy for less than what you're paying now. If you're interested send me an email and I'll get you her contact info. Good luck!

I know what you mean no matter what you do its hard to survive.

You might look into Tx medicaid if you don't qualify, you might also check Tx Chip www.chipmedicaid.org
Its apart of No Child left without insurance low income insurance for kids in Texas.
You can check out there website for income requirements.

If those don't work out and if you live in Tarrant county you can apply for insurance through JPS Heath for both you and your child.

Even when both my husband and I are working we qualified
for the Tx Chip Medicaid and my kids had a reg Dr.
However I didn't have coverage but we were able to get coverage for both my husband and I for 1 year.
we only have a Co pay for Dr visits.

We were having $900 mo in insurance since my husband worked for a small company.

Good luck !
www.jpshealthnet.org

Have you actually filled out an application for medicaid, foodstamps, and gone to wic? List all expenses and income. I mean all, rent, phone, cable, medical expenses, daycare expenses, power *txu*. Make copies of all of those to have with the application. If have insurance on house list it, list insurance on car, need to list car as well and if paid or
owe on it. I made to much for foodstamps yet my daughter had medicaid. Wic is worth a try, if yes, they do help with a bit of food for her *milk, cereal, eggs, juice* to list a few. If no, you did not waste time in finding out. Again, they need a list of income and expenses like welfare. Call United Way for a list of helpful places. They have several with different areas they help with. *rent, food*. It will take a a month with welfare from start to finish, be prepared for stress. Tho with all the copies you turn in with application, will reduce time doing that later. You need to be prepared for 4 to 6 copies of paycheck stubs as well and the same time frame
of daycare. I mean detail your income and expenses with proof.
Call around to churches and see if they have leads for help as well.
Do you have anyone you know that you can babysit swap with?
You have one day free that they work and vice versa. And on that day you watch their child in return for them watching your child and the one day they are free when you work? Family, friend or coworker wise. May be worth looking into. One day daycare swap saves a little on expenses.

Sweetie,

Been there done that - can I suggest something that sounds totally nutty? Go to Church. The Church - Those who believe Jesus is the Christ -the son of God - This is a place where you will find support- God has some devine connections for you - Go to Church- notice I am not suggesting any particular one - I subscribe to the non denominational congregations- i will pray that the Holy Spirit draws you into a family that is ready and joyfully hoping to meet your needs - If you don't ask for help you are keeping someone from fulfilling their calling as a giver - I bless you with provision and a Spiritusal awakening in your home!

I might have an idea for some help but You didnt mention where you live. I have a friend that lives in bedford and she babysits for cheaper that daycare.
P.

Apply for CHIPS. You will likely qualify for your son's insurance w/them (they have an income tier). At the same time you apply, on the application you can also request additional help such as AFDC (food stamps). If your child is in public school & you qualify for CHIPS, you will also qualify for the reduced or free lunch program & reduced before/after school care. You can get the application for this, as well as information on all of it through your son's public school or directly through CHIPS.
What kind of legal work do you do? I am a solo attorney, and although I rely on Prodocs, at times I need contract paralegal/legal assitance.
You'll get through this fine.

S.,
I don't really have any advice. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. I am a single mom to an amazing 9 yr old boy. I work three jobs and it's still not enough. I too have waited until he has eaten to make sure there is enough for the both of us, yet I make "excessive income" and don't qualify for any assistance. I have faith that we will all make it through this and that it will help us become better mothers and examples to our children.
Hang in there and know that I'm hanging with you. =)