Roo, it sounds like you’re a classic western democracy welfare trap. Your disability payments are creating a real disincentive to work. But if what you are saying is true, there is little risk to trying various forms of work you can handle. Worst case, you work a bit, don’t make a lot of money, and only a small amount of your disability is taken. Best case you end up making more than your disability and are materially better off for it. Unfortunately, I’m betting its not that simple. I’m betting if you report a little bit of income, and the job doesn’t work out, you’ll face a mountain of paperwork and other bureaucratic bulls~~~ to get the old payments flowing again. Is this on the mark?
I’ll throw a couple things out there to you. True, working for low wages is seldom rewarding in the short term, especially if you could just not work and have a like amount of money given to you, but that work history is a gateway to a better job in the future. Also, when you work, you meet people and build connections that could also open the way to more lucrative future opportunities. Also, any form of work will build you up, increase your self confidence, and make you a no-kidding better man. In the end, the disability check is just money. The work you do has additional intrinsic value. As a side note, if you tell any employer you interview with that you want a job because you’d rather earn your money than take an assistance check, you’ll be communicating a kind of grit, self-respect, and independence that will make you a more attractive potential hire.
But dealing with the immediate future, we’d having to know more about your living circumstances to offer any useful advise on how to stretch out your money. Even at very low incomes, most people are burdened by numerous expenses that fall into the category of ‘wants’ vice ‘needs’. What is your living situation? I think it was mentioned above that if you have the room to take on a roommate, that could help out a lot. What utilities are you currently paying for? Smart phones typically represent a large, objectively unnecessary expense. Cable/Satellite and internet are another. I don’t know how much time you spend on the internet, but public WiFi is becoming near ubiquitous and there are almost certainly places near your home with free access. I know cutting those expenses may seem daunting, but if you did take on work, your daily requirements for this sort of thing would decrease significantly.
We’re living in a new age of connectivity. I don’t know how old you are, but I’ve found younger people have never been offered the option to live their lives ‘unplugged’. I’m only 35 and can still remember a time where none of that stuff existed, so for me, I know life is very livable, in many cases richer and more rewarding, with the cell phone, TV, and computer all turned off. Now, I don’t know where you live, but in the U.S. the public library is an awesome and wildly under-utilized resource for people with low incomes. Books for free, DVDs and even video games for rent for pennies if not for free, internet access, etc. When I was younger and strapped for cash, when I needed those things, that’s where I went. What I’m inviting you to do is reevaluate the digital side of your life and give doing without some of it a try. Depending on where you live it could save you several hundred in hard currency per month.
Another big expense is food. How much money are you spending eating out? For most the answer is too much. Cooking is a huge money saving skill. Take something like a curry – you could make your own and probably get 8-10 feeds out of one pot for the same price it would cost you for one serving at a restaurant down the street. Same goes for most anything else you could think of.
Clothing is another. I make $150k USD per year between my job, rents, and investments. I still buy second hand. A second hand shirt can even be taken to a tailor and cut to fit you exactly, and will still cost only a fraction of what it would take to buy it new. Other than one or two good suits, buying high-end clothing is a huge waste of money.
Anyway, you’ve got to make an accounting of where you’re spending your money. Once you’ve got your ledger, you can begin rationally cutting the fat.
But for long term work, given your limitations, there’s still plenty your could explore. Music, writing, resale, IT certifications, etc. You have talents, no doubt, and they have value. Pick one and pursue it. And good luck. Any success you experience will be all the sweeter for achieving it while fighting through the pain you’re in.
Mantelar 4 years, 7 months ago.
