DanaNVa

I am assuming that both of you are retirement age. My mother is 86 and coping pretty well. She qualifies for the PA $5 prescriptions based upon her income. She still works sometimes a 4-hour shift twice a week and more often near holidays; she sits with a lady in a nursing home, talking to her, making sure she gets dressed in the morning, and eats breakfast. She went to the couple's house before he died and she moved to a nursing home, and she did similar things there. There are a lot of elderly who need assistance, and many of their children still work are are able to pay something for help. She also volunteers for visiting nurses and food bank and makes contacts through those activities. Perhaps you could contact some nearby churches or subsidized housing to offer your services. Also determine whether oyu qualify for PA prescription subsidies. Hope this helps.

Ramona Byrd

Ever try for Government Grants? Seems to me that lots of big businesses and a lot of small people have gotten such things, but of course it's not advertised well, that's not the way our government works. But I'm sure it's out there, I think that I'll spend some time working on it because I'm so old and live alone.

IrelandDragonQuilting

oh yea, I just remembered what my brother did once, he walked dogs and cleaned up yards. I know it is hard for you to stand, but how are you at training dogs? perhaps you could do that? Or dog sit, run a doggy daycare, or a kiddie daycare, always need daycare.

Quilter2B

We've been in the same boat - my husband became disabled in 2007 and I lost my job in the real estate industry in 06/09 - Thankfully unemployment kept us afloat for a while but that ran out too. We had rental that helped us out with our mortgage payment but then we got some crappy tenants that cost us a slew of money. We spent two years at my husband's elderly grandmother's taking care of her and when she passed we were blessed with an inheritance that paid for our home. We have no car payments so that was a good thing! Lots of coupons, shopping the ads, local utilities may have energy assistance programs, life line for the phone, if there is an extra few bucks picked up stuff that is on sale. Shopping thrift stores for clothes, barter for services needed, grow veggies, food boxes from local churches and charities or gleaners, Sell unneeded stuff at yard sales, flea markets, consignment shops or ebay. It is tough but it is doable. After 4 years, my husband finally got his first SSI benefits. Best thing to try to remember is that you are all in it together so bond with your families and friends - they'll help you find the strength to carry on. Bless you all.

sunni

Not both of us :) I am the young wife LOL My DH is 64, but still works full time, and will for at least another 3 years, that will give him 10 where he is and a nice additional pension to the one he already has.

He takes a few meds and we get them mail order from our insurance company. A couple are free and one we pay 12 for a 3 month supply. I don't take any meds.

I think maybe my original question got stretched alittle bit. Thankfully we aren't destitute, but after monthly bills and necessities there just isn't anything left to "save" if something important comes up. Like I've said that is my worry. I can deal with not buying fun things, not going out to dinner and thankfully when I was working full time I filled my sewing/stitching closets full of everything I need to keep me busy for a long long time :)

robin

jbj137

That is what I have to do Day-to-Day
because of a very small S S check.
Just live within your means and use
whatever is available to you.
J J

sgardner

Our diet goes south. Hamburger gets stretched into several meals. We do a pasta and see how far a single piece of chicken will get spread in small pieces, versus serving chicken as it's own entree per person. We use coupons and eat what's on sale, no matter how awful it is in sodium or calories. Shopping becomes a chore of how little one can spend, or a challenge to see how many coupons you can match to a sale item. Saving money becomes it's own demanding chore.

Greenheron

Use the local library. A source of information, entertainment and, often, social opportunities.

serenitybygrace

Here, there are at least three food give-aways/month. It is usually hosted by a local church and the food is through Harvesters. There are no questions asked. They will let you pick up for more than one family so people can take turns picking up the food. This is just an idea. Hopefully, they make deliveries in your area also.

arimuse

omgosh,reeskylr, I did chacha and freelance, too! I thought I was the only oneon the planet doing that! I also wrote at a few other places and for an individual who I think took on too many assignments cus I wrote a LOT! for not much, but it paid the bills. I also did ghostwriting on blogs - thats why I dont do facebook etc, you cant believe half the c*** you read on the net, and I did it while I was a live in watching a lady w/ later stage alzheimers. I had a man before her. I only did that for these 2 people - no more - its very very stressful and in the end depressing.
between help from my brother, a small pension (it was half what I should have collected at 65 but I took it at 50) from my longest job, the live in help job, and the writing I made all my bills.
oh, and I did this thing called cash for keying. It was a job where you just did data entry at home, they pd by the key stroke, I made money at that too. But, they took money off for "mistakes" (they would dump you for too many)and slowly upped the amt of strokes for pay and if I werent so in need I wouldnt have bothered w/ it, but I stayed up many nights to daylight keying. sharet