In 2010 my daughters and I moved away from my husband, a year later I was divorced. That was a huge step for me. After seven years I had to leave that place and ended up living with others for awhile.
In 2020 I moved into my apartment, at the age of 49 years old I moved into my very first apartment. I have lived other places of course but this was the first place that I applied for and got into on my own. I was married for 20 years, had two kids and two grandkids and I was just getting my very first apartment.
Having the house with the kids was different than what I have now. This place has allowed me to do things without the input of others, I've never had that before, it was very scary for me and also fun.
A few other things I have learned since I have been here is that asking questions and asking for help is just as important as when you live with a spouse and have extra help. This time it is just me, I do not have a back up income for tough times.
Financial things; Pay off debt and save money. When I moved in I was still receiving some unemployment money to go along with my job pay, but was it going to be enough to cover all my bills? Before moving in, while I had the extra pandemic payment money coming in I spent 2020 paying off old debt, medical bills and my car so when I moved I would have "normal" monthly bills and nothing else to worry about. I knew the pandemic payments would end so I was preparing for that.
By October 2020 I had all the old debt paid off, medical bills paid off and my car lease was paid off and the remaining balance owed to own the car outright was paid off. I was able to move into my brand new apartment. I spent the months before moving preparing for the move, financially and with things I would need that I did not have in storage. Due to the pandemic I also began stocking up on some non-food items as well. I wanted to move in and not have to worry about running to the store all the time.
This is not an easy thing to do, paying debt and saving money. See the importance in what you are doing and why and stick with it. Financial freedom had eluded me for years and in 2020 I finally found it. While still receiving unemployment I continued to prepare for the future. I purchased money orders for future payments and eventually ended up with five months worth of rent ready. This allowed me to cover other things during those five months.
Jumping forward to the summer of 2021 and I signed a new lease for my apartment. Unfortunately during this time the unemployment was cut down and the extra stopped, though they still owe me money from 2021, not sure when that will come in. My hours went down at work.
October 2021, due to low hours and unemployment ending and not hearing from any of the numerous jobs I applied for I was feeling the pinch financially. I ended up getting a call, doing a phone interview, then an in-person interview and the next thing I know I was starting orientation. The pay was less then I was making with my first job but it had steady hours so it was sort of balance out financially.
In October I spoke with the building manager, she helped me apply for a program to get help with my rent. December 2021 I finally heard back and I was approved help. They covered three months of back rent, the late fees, three future months of rent (Jan-Mar 2022) and a very nice amount to my electric which has covered three months of electric and I have enough for one to two more months. This helped so much, the extra time was needed to better prepare for the future, again.
I ended up getting a call, doing a phone interview, then an in-person interview and the next thing I know I was starting orientation. The pay was less then I was making with my first job but it had steady hours so it was sort of balance out financially. I've been with my new job for four months now and I am doing well.
Fast forward to now, February 2022. I have reached the point where my work hours are steady, and I can pick up extra hours if needed. I maintain 24 hours per week, not a lot but like I said, I can pick up more hours if needed. Due to system problems I have received back dated pay from the beginning of this year and I also received a raise that was also back dated from the beginning of this year. Now I begin to prepare for the future again, with rent at least. Money orders for rent will be purchased and I will be able to get ahead on bills and what not. I'm feeling pretty good.
Pay off debt, look for a new job/second job, if that will help you, pay ahead on bills when and where you can and stock your house with things you go through. I started restocking food and non-food stuff, giving myself at least enough to get through two or three months. I will still purchase more if/when I find it, to keep up my supply up for times when I may not be able to buy for a little while.
That's about it for now, I have a few things to do today and need to get ready.
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