Money Problems with No Government Help

College costs money, right? Perhaps if you skipped the college, and spent the exact same amount of time babysitting for people, it would be a net gain financially, not a net loss.

Other areas that can be cut back: don't buy any beverages except milk, no junk food, no pets, no magazine subscriptions, no vacations. (I have personally done all this.)

Good luck!

I don't really know of any programs to help but here are some things I do as a single mom to help cut down on expenses:

1. Register store cards (like King Soopers, etc) on the store's website. I don't know about the others but King Soopers tracks your shopping and sends coupons for items you buy regularly.

2. Check websites like pgesaver.com (where you can have electronic coupons loaded on your existing store cards), coupons.com (where you can print coupons to clip), and coolsavings.com (also print coupons to clip).

3. Shop thrift stores. I've found that Savers is better priced, in general, than Goodwill and the clothing is often better organized and easier to find. Both have merit. I also like Mile High Thrift near Sheridan & Jewell. There are a lot of good thrift stores in the Denver area.

4. Participate in Share Colorado for groceries. My mom used them when we were growing up and it's totally worth it. http://www.sharecolorado.com/

5. When cooking any kind of meat, if you don't need the broth, freeze it for later use. You can use it in place of boullion or when a meat stock is called for.

6. Bathroom soap: Foaming hand soap dispensers use about 20% soap and 80% water. I invested in 1 foaming handsoap dispenser and now I mix water and soap to refill.

7. If possible, buy in bulk and freeze. Per pound, it's often less expensive to buy in bulk. If you have a freezer, you can divide food up into portions (especially meat) and freeze it for later use.

8. In the summer when people want to go out for lunch (planned ahead), I ask if we can brown-bag it and meet at a park. I just started that this year and not a single person has thought it was a bad idea.

9. I know that a number of places have food distributions that you can take advantage of. United Methodist Church in Englewood has a distribution day once a month on a weekend (sorry not sure which, you'd have to call them). There's a food and clothing bank hosted at Englewood Bible Church but run by a different organization but the church can give you the details.

10. I recently heard about this website to help single parents connect with other single parents for childcare exchanges, housing/roommates, and other resources. It might help. I haven't tried it out yet. http://forsingleparents.com/

11. Check out LEAP for utility help. http://www.energyoutreach.org/help-leap.asp

12. The Colorado Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program may help. They are billed as a welfare reform thing and supposedly open to all needy families not just those who qualify for traditional welfare. I just found them on the web at: http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CDHS-ColoradoWorks/C...

13. For school, scholarships.com and fastweb.com may help with finding additional tuition assistance. Since these are all private scholarships, there is often an application process that can be time consuming.

14. uPromise.com is a place where you can register your store cards and/or credit cards and various companies will give money back to you specifically for use with college. You can save for yourself and/or your children. You can ask family and friends to register and save on your behalf. I've noticed the accumulation is slow when I have been the only one saving for my children. But my mom and a friend of mine recently have agreed to register their cards and it is beginning to pick up a little. Not sure how much it will help you now but free money for school for you or your child(ren) is always good.

I commend you for sticking with it and going to school through all of this. The additional education will only help you in the end. Times may be difficult now but I am certain that the time will come when you struggle less because you took the time to struggle now. I wish you much success!

Hi Shelley,
You may be able to get WIC( food stamps),and assistance with child care costs through your county.Also your county will help you get the child support, if you can establish paternity they will create an order that is a court document , or the father can give up rights if he hasn't already. However, since you own your home and there are income limits you may not qualify. And I need to be honest, you should sell the home, if you can get out of it what you paid at least, home ownership is expensive, an apartment might be better until you finish school. I reccomend you look at Dave Ramsey's web site, he is a financial guy who give's good advice. Good luck!

Check with your school's scholarship office, if they have one. They should be able to help you find some grants and/or scholarships to help you fund your education. Colorado Scholars is a good one (it won't pay your full tuition or anything, but it'd help a bit) if your school participates in it and if your grades are good.

I didn't have kids then, but I understand you about the struggle to pay for everything w/o gov't help. Ugh, the system is so messed up!

I cut corners a lot on food. I'd get Top Ramen in bulk at Sam's Club and then use just the noodles (those flavor packets are really high in sodium & fat). I also made big batches of chicken & veggies to stick in the freezer. They were fantastic for lunch w/my Ramen noodles... all my co-workers used to comment on my gourmet lunches. If they only knew! ;) Bean burritos are also easy, fairly healthy & super-cheap. Ditto for a pot of rice & beans.

I hope someone turns up here with some programs for you. Good for you for working on your education (you are teaching your daughter so much just by doing that!). You might also look at some web sites like lowermybill.com or couponmom.com. I know people who've saved lots of money with those.

Best of luck to you!

I don't know of any specific programs, but here are some places you might look. Have you talked with your school to see if there are grants for students? That might help you with your costs there. You can also talk with the Salvation Army, as they help people in just your situation. Does your church have any programs that they offer? Have you considered Angel Food Ministries (www.angelfoodministries.)? They offer a monthly food shipment for just $30 that is usually about $100 worth of food. There's no income verification and everyone is welcome.

Hi Shelley,
I really don't have any great advice but I just want to commend you for trying so hard. So many people don't work hard & rely on our government for help. So good for you, you are a wonderful example to your daughter & everyone around you! I just want to tell you that I prayed for your situation & for things to get better for you. Are you involved in a church from your area? Do you have any good friends or family that might offer a little assisistance? Don't pay full price for anything, shop sales for groceries, etc. Super Wal-Mart has the best grocery prices. Sell anything you don't use even your daughter's old clothes & toys at Once Upon a Child (they give you cash) or on Craig's List. This might get you some Christmas money. Try to stay positive! I wish you & your daughter the best!
T.

Hi Shelley,
Good for you. Too bad our govt rewards people for doing nothing versus trying to do the right thing like you.

Couple suggestions:

1. Consider getting a roommate. I've known several single women with a child or two struggling to find affordable housing. The great thing with this arrangement is that if you get someone good, you could share childcare too.
2. Check with your local churches. Almost every church I've been a member of has funds set aside to help people (and usually you don't even have to be a member).
3. Consider a Plan B business that you can do around your current crazy schedule. I can share with you two businesses that I do not just because I'm passionate about helping others, but because the extra money is nice. I can give you more info if you email me. It could become your full time job as well.
4. Talk to an attorney about child support. The father of this child should be helping to raise her even if he chooses not to be involved in her life. Granted, there may be all sorts of reasons why you have not looked into this in the past. Check out www.greatlegalhelp.com to learn about a service that would give you unlimited access to attorneys for all your personal and business questions for as little as $17 per month. Plus, if you are like 70% of people out there without a will, it will give you that as well. If you don't know your rights, you don't have any. Contact me if that makes sense to you.

Good luck. You are setting a great example for your daughter.
S.

I don't know if you are paying for insurance for your little girl through your work, but if you are you might want to look into the CHP (CHiP) program. It is a state provided insurance program for children and pregnant women. We went without medical insurance for a long time because we just couldn't afford it, now we won't ever be without it. I would look into it even if you don't carry insurance. It is a great peace of mind to know that if your child gets sick or ,Heaven forbid, injured, you have help paying the bills.

I am a SAHM of 2 girls and a 3rd little on due in January, so I know how tight finances can be. Having CHiP has really given me peace of mind for when they get sick. I remember how stressing it could be to worry about how we were going to pay for medical bills if an illness resulted in a doctor or emergency visit. Of course you go anyway, no question there :o).

You might also look into Share Colorado. It is a food bank that has great buying power. They offer food packages a lower costs than you can get in stores. I have never found them to be of much help for me. Their packages just don't have the stuff we eat.

The ARC is a great resource for clothes and house hold items. Between hand-me-downs and the ARC I have clothed my girls for the winter for about 35 dollars.

Hope this helps. Can't really think of any think else right now.

-M.

Do you know about WIC? It is a food assistance program for kids and pregnant moms.

Shelley - you can email me at ____@____.com and tell me a little about your mortgage situation. There may be programs out there to reduce this. I am a realtor not a broker. K.

GET YOUR DAUGHTER CHILD SUPPORT!!!!! First and foremost, that will help you. It is not you being selfish, it is to help raise your daughter. You can also apply for LEAP for your heating and electric bill. That will relieve some financial stress. Beyond that, I don't know of any programs. I hope you find this helpful.

Hi Shelley, you have received some great answers. I would also recommend Share Colorado (google it - it's run through Catholic charities but you don't need to be Catholic or provide any income verification) for food. You can cut several hundred dollars a month off of your grocery bill by using their program. Also, I find GREAT clothes for the kids at Goodwill Stores. The kids clothes are just grown out of, not worn out like the adult clothes. For $0.99, I buy my kids Baby Gap, Children's Place, Gymboree, Janie and Jack, etc. There are great deals to be had on almost new clothes. Forget the government for assistance.