It could have been worse.
I find myself having fallen into debt because of some purchases I had to make today. Fortunately, the "crisis" wasn't really all that bad, and thanks to two random acts of kindness the end result was relatively minor. Unfortunately, I likely won't be able to pay it back right away and so the interest will add up.
What was the "crisis"? Mrs. Poverty Guy reminded me that if I wanted to have clean clothes or clean dishes then I had to stop sponging off the family in this regard and get my own detergents. I know, right?!? She can be a hard ass occasionally . . . but a lovable hard ass. The exchange went something like this . . .
Mrs. Poverty Guy: Honey, what are you going to do about laundry detergent and dish soap?
That Poverty Guy: What do you mean, Sweetie?
Mrs. Poverty Guy: I mean . . . shouldn't you have your own, Darling?
That Poverty Guy: I hadn't thought about it, Snookums. (now frowning) Couldn't we just treat it like they treat going to the bathroom on TV?
Mrs. Poverty Guy: What are you talking about, Snuggle Buns???
That Poverty Guy: Baby Cakes . . . on TV you know the characters go to the bathroom, but it's just not talked about.
Mrs. Poverty Guy: I don't think so my Little Penny Pincher.
That Poverty Guy: You do realize that everything I buy which can't be eaten uses up money for buying food, my Little Brown Eyed Dictator.
Mrs. Poverty Guy: Not my problem, Smoochy Poo.
That Poverty Guy: (through clenched teeth) Yes . . . Dear.
I hate it when she's right, especially when it means I have to use my precious dollars to buy something a little bit pricey and unexpected. To be perfectly honest, I hadn't even thought about these items. Of course, buying detergent is just an itsy-bitsy problem in the big picture . . . it wasn't a car repair, or an emergency with the kids, or anything like that. It was tiny, and yet it's impact is clearly being felt. That is what happens when you are low income and have no buffer whatsoever. The little things can push you over the edge.
Thankfully, I received two surprises that took a bit of the sting, and some of the cost, out of this situation. First, when I got to work this morning the church secretary told me that she had a "chickie tickie" for me. Huh, a chickie tickie??? Yes, the store was out of rotisserie chickens the other day and because she had asked for one they gave her a rain check for a free one . . . a chickie tickie. Excellent, that's dinner for at least two nights! Second, less than an hour later, one of the parishioners who is leaving on vacation tomorrow walked in with a bag of items from her fridge that would have gone bad while she was away. There was a block of cheese, a couple of apples, half an onion, and a lemon. Fantastic! I benefited greatly from the kindness and thoughtfulness of these two ladies, and best of all it didn't cost either of them anything.
There's a lesson there for all of us. Every day we come across little things that may mean little to us . . . a free giveaway . . . things that would go bad in the fridge while away on vacation . . . things that can mean a lot to someone else. We just need to ask ourselves . . . who could really benefit from this?
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Phase II - Struggles of the Working Poor Daily
Report
Day 7 (November 7th)
Day 7 (November 7th)
Weight at Beginning of Project: 233 lbs
Weight at End of Phase One: 216 lbs
Weight at Start of Phase Two: 221 lbs
Weight at Start of Today: 218 lbs
Available Funds: $0.00
(leftover) + $11.50 (new) = $11.50Weight at End of Phase One: 216 lbs
Weight at Start of Phase Two: 221 lbs
Weight at Start of Today: 218 lbs
Funds Spent Today: $9.50
Remaining Funds: $2.00
New Loan: $0.00
Outstanding Loan: $3.95 @ 1.5% per day . . . $4.01 due on Day 7
Loan Payment: $4.01
Loan Remaining: $0.00
Items Purchased: $2.00 Ham Sandwich Meat, $3.49 Gas, $4.01 Loan Repayment
Free Stuff: Nil
Gas Purchased* & Remaining: $3.49 (i.e. 3.09 litres @ $1.129 per litre . . . 30.9 km @ 10 km/litre) + 1.20 litres (gas remaining) = 3.29 litres (32.9 km)
Driving Today: 10 km (i.e. 1.0 litres)
Gas Remaining: 2.29 litres (i.e. 22.9 km)
*Will not include any fuel or driving related to work that is paid for by work.
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You forgot to post your chickie tickie and fridge finds under "free stuff" ...
ReplyDeleteOn another note, are you and/or Janet coming to Ultreya on Friday? I signed up for some free samples (you can get yours here: http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.ca/index.jsp) and I am allergic to the laundry detergent (just one load worth, but hey) and they sent me a men's razor, thought I'd pass them along :)
The daily report is actually correct as it always relates to the day before (you'll note the date). I don't post the daily report until the following day, so the one with the blog is always for the previous day. The chickie tickie and fridge finds will be in the report for today that will be posted tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteSorry, we won't be into Calgary for the Ultreya. We have to have special detergent for allergies as well, and I'm not shaving so perhaps there will be others that might benefit from these. Thanks for thinking of us though!
Hi friends,
ReplyDeleteI loved all of these posts. A lot of these things we have, but I got some really great ideas.Thanks
Ahhh I get how the daily report works now ;) I'm a bit slow when over tired... May your day be blessed!
ReplyDeleteAwesome, Skip . . . and thanks, Carrie.
ReplyDeleteLife is about "sharing the load" with each other. We shouldn't walk alone or, worse, set ourselves up to be self-sufficient.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Darlene.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that we are all one and in this life together, and therefore sharing the load is vital. We are communal creatures, each with our own unique set of gifts and talents that can benefit others. While I don't mind if someone has the good fortune of being self-sufficient, it is important that they don't just think of themselves. We all have a responsibility to each other. If we want our human rights protected, we must ensure the human rights of others are satisfied as well.
Two things; first I, like you, always get the last word in a discussion with my wife, and like you it is always, "Yes Dear" :)
ReplyDeleteI just now got back from the Grocery store and in line behind me was a gentlemen with heavy old clothes and a rough beard buying two potatoes; I wanted to just take the bag and put it with my syuff and pay for it BUT I didn't want to insult him, what if he was not in need??
How do we help on a personal level, like that, without stepping out of line? I quess we just act, or at least ask if we can act ...
Thanks for the comments . . . and I have my wife's permission to tell you so. :)
ReplyDeleteThe situation you describe is a dilemma for sure. A balancing act between helping and respecting the other's pride. Of course, there are other scenarios when the line is more clear, and we can definitely help in those situations. But as for the guy with the potatoes . . . it's a personal call.
One of the things we need to get over in our society is fearing insulting someone by offering help OR being insulted if mistakenly taken for being in need. Come to think of it, maybe it is a cost benefit analysis that you could do with potato dude. Is the benefit of helping someone greater than the cost of potentially insulting someone because you tried to be kind? I'm thinking it's better to help and be wrong than not to help at all.