I could use some family prayers for the next several days.

We are broke.

This month, I've had to bail out my parents so hard, that for the first time, I gave them more money than I get in disability for the month.

We cannot afford groceries. I had to buy them myself, penny-pinching where I could, having to swallow my pride and get the cheap-ass stuff at Aldi, which I know we're supposed to be boycotting right now.

And then we nearly ran out of gas on the way home, and I had to get them some of that too.

As of this writing, I have less than $150 in the bank, and while the next check comes in less than a week, it is extremely inconsistent on when it's sent to me. I hate being disabled.

Oh, and to top it all off...we just ran out of propane. Can't dry clothes, can't run the dishwasher, can't cook on the stove, and we're forced to take very cold showers. Until their own Social Security/retirement check comes in on Wednesday, we have no gas for heating.

Things will clear up in several days, yes. But this next few are going to be rough. God be with us.

On a side note, I also have a request for some digging:

My parents finally decided to do something about their credit cards, and asked some group called American Debt Relief to "settle" (like, out of court?) with the credit card companies and get their debt down, since that's what's really leeching us every month.

Can someone please find out if this company is good? My gut says these debt-relief companies are like loan sharks, in that they'll bite you in the long-term. But they signed on before consulting me.

UPDATE: We have propane now. They accepted a back-dated check with orders to not cash it until Wednesday, thank God.

I could use some family prayers for the next several days.

We are broke.

This month, I've had to bail out my parents so hard, that for the first time, I gave them more money than I get in disability for the month.

We cannot afford groceries. I had to buy them myself, penny-pinching where I could, having to swallow my pride and get the cheap-ass stuff at Aldi, which I know we're supposed to be boycotting right now.

And then we nearly ran out of gas on the way home, and I had to get them some of that too.

As of this writing, I have less than $150 in the bank, and while the next check comes in less than a week, it is extremely inconsistent on when it's sent to me. I hate being disabled.

Oh, and to top it all off...we just ran out of propane. Can't dry clothes, can't run the dishwasher, can't cook on the stove, and we're forced to take very cold showers. Until their own Social Security/retirement check comes in on Wednesday, we have no gas for heating.

Things will clear up in several days, yes. But this next few are going to be rough. God be with us.

On a side note, I also have a request for some digging:

My parents finally decided to do something about their credit cards, and asked some group called American Debt Relief to "settle" (like, out of court?) with the credit card companies and get their debt down, since that's what's really leeching us every month.

Can someone please find out if this company is good? My gut says these debt-relief companies are like loan sharks, in that they'll bite you in the long-term. But they signed on before consulting me.