How can I support my 4 children as a single mom. I make $18.00 per hour and found out?

Question

that I do not qualify for assistance. How can I pay rent, daycare, food and medical bills on $18.00 per hour with 4 kids. I feel like quiting my job because then I would be living better than I am now. I am trying hard to work for a living and cant make it. No child support. What do you do when you fall in between the cracks and cant get help?

I have been at my job for 12 years and it is a very stable job and also go to college.. My kids are 1, 9, 13 and 18 (college student at home). I am buried in bills, car insurance, $200.00 medical premium for insurance, over $400.00 in daycare, $300.00 month in credit cards (I consolidated) dental bills, food, rent, electric. I only bring home $2100 per month and my bills exceed my income.

Answer 1

Not to encourage to seek charity, but a temporary remedy might be found in private food banks. Generally they have less strict requirements. ALSO, seek child support from the father(s) of your kids. If there are deceased father(s) you might be able to apply and get Social Security benefits for the minor children. Review how you are filing your income taxes, you might need to change the number or type of deductions you claim as to dependents. Move into a less expensive domicile, even if it means selling the house you live in, you can lower the monthly amount for rent/house payments, and could realize a bit of cash too. Your income level is over $37,000. Certainly not a huge sum for five to live on, but you are far away from being in poverty. Learn to live within your means, that is hard for some, but you have sufficient income to live comfortably, not with a lot of extras and 'toys' or 'wants', but you are not in all that bad of circumstances.

Answer 2

my mom had 2 do that when i was a kid n she made way less then that she was lucky to even get 500 a month. u can always try a budget class maybe get help there. Also try like churches n things. See if someone can watch the kids while u work. Right there would save u some money. im not sure how old the kids r. But, there are programs around that maybe able 2 help u. Have u tried all the programs around you? some go based on income. if all else fails im sure there r churches n food banks that may help u. As long as u show where all ur money is going. Or try shoppin at a lower price market. Only buy what u need not what u dont, use coupons for discounts n stuff. good luck 2 u.

Answer 3

Idea #1:
If your adjusted gross income is less than $36,348 for 2006 - filing as single/head of household (with 2 qualifying children), you may be eligible for an earned income credit from the IRS. If you are, you can get it setup where you have a small portion of the total credit added into your paycheck each month...to give you more disposable income each month.

Idea #2:
Liquidate all of your unnecessary assets (junk in the garage / attic that you haven't touched in over 6 months) - put this money in an "emergency" fund...only for use when you can't pay the mininums on the bills - or unexpected expenses. Then, reduce your monthly bills to the minimum amount possible (no cell phones, only dial-up internet, no cable)...this can make a big difference everything month. Then, apply for an student loan (you can borrow money for tuition and bills)...this will enable you to "covert" your current credit card debt to "student debt" - you can avoid payments on this debt until you graduate - and then you can enjoy a tax advantage while you pay the loans back, with government enforced restrictions on the interest.

Hope this was helpful.

Answer 4

At full-time, that is $37,584.00 a year! I would consider that to a very good income. I still "help" my two surviving sons and that exceeds my income! Where do you live that you can not provide with that high an income?
If any of your children have special health concerns, you might be able to get a waiver from the local health department where they will pay all or part of the bills.
Another solution would be to move to where expenses are more reasonable. Believe me, there are a lot of single parents out there with children getting by on a lot less income, so if you can't cut expenses (are you certain?) or increase your income, it is time to re-think, re-group, whatever it takes.

Answer 5

Double-check your eligibility for food stamps with your income (which is decent but not when you are trying to support a family of 5) and 4 children you should qualify. You should also qualify for WIC for the baby. If you qualify for food stamps, you will automatically qualify for publicly run food pantries. The private food pantries are much more lenient. Get on the internet and research - you should be able to find a list of food pantries in your area, their hours and requirements. Getting as much help with your food bill alone should make a huge difference in your budget. Lots of places will also help out with clothes and toys for your children.

Also, once you qualify for food stamps you should be able to get other help like fuel assistance which would qualify you for reduced rates on your utility bills.

Go after the father(s) for child support.

Be persistent, you are fighting for a better life for you and your children. There are programs out there - don't be embarrassed. Congratulations on trying to improve your life by going to college. That is a powerful example for your children.

Answer 6

How old are your kids? Maybe if you have older teen agers - they can get a part time job - or help out with the younger kids.
Look into alternative places for assistance? Food Banks, etc. Don't take it on alone -ask for help... maybe at the kids school - someone would know where you can get some help.
Don't quit - they will be older soon and the work experience will help you then!

Answer 7

You may not fall between the cracks with everything. Just because you dont qualify for food stamps doesnt mean your kids wont qualify for medicaid-the cut off line is pretty generous on that. As for daycare, check out home daycares of hire a babysitter for all of them, might be cheaper then regular daycare. And for food- have you heard about the Angelfood Ministries? Once a month you can get real good food and plenty of it, for $25.oo, which ought to help your budget.

Answer 8

Hello I thought that I would write to you and tell you about a great deal 2 sites that I know of have great offers for you to take surveys from your computer just look under get paid.Also they have a Mystery Shopping forum in which you can do and none of them charge for this so if you run across one that says to pay steer clear of it. Also Work At Home Moms WAHM,she is very honest and lists jobs you can do at home if you are qualified to do them.Wish you luck!P.S. Voltion is the site where the mystery shops and surveys are,)http://www.wahm.com/

Answer 9

I'm going to be completely realistic here so if your one who gets affended don't read any further. 1st figure out how in the hell you ended up with 4 kids and single. Try a psychologist, generally people who create these sorts of living situations, grew up in one. Try to correct that problem. 2nd call your lawyer (I'm sure you have one) and ask who he can recommend as a CPA. Have a sitdown meeting with the CPA and tell him/her everything in order to get a financial goal set. Next, join a cheap gym or buy a used running machine and get into peak physical condition. Excercise every morning it will keep your spirits up and give you that extra jolt you are going to need everyday. This is critical for one of the next steps (but will affect each one). Third, if your job is somewhat based on commission stay there and pick up 2 books that explain how to pick up a better tip ( there are 100's, also don't be afraid to glance at the section on how to make your man happy). If you are at an hourly job, quit and find one that pays commission. Once you have a commission based job get into either Mary Kay or Avon as an after hours and weekend thing. Single mothers tend to talk alot and thus perform very well when it comes to selling cosmetics to "the gals." Lastly, go online and enter yourself into as many online dating services as possible. Check your results every 4 days!!!! not sooner, because if one bites you don't want to look desperate. Also don't keep in contact with the guy(s) that interest you. Following your (heart) got you into this situation to begin with. Look for the semi-needy intellegent looser with a solid 60k a year salary, no wages. Expect him to be heavy and settle with that idea knowing you did whats best for your kids. A good angle wood be that you are a single mother that works out everyday who is missing just one last thing in her life, love. Make sure to act busy all the time but every once in a while give the dog a treat to let him know you are still interested. Its a full-proof plan, read it, learn it, live it, love it. In that order

Answer 10

Technically you could legally tell her to take it out of the $1000 you already gave her. There is no court on the planet that will make you pay half of extra curriculars. That is the theory on child support. What you're paying each month is supposed to be your "share" of everything that they child would have needed had you two stayed together. Extra curriculars included. They can make you pay half of unisured med/dental bills, but that's different from soccer. If your court order does not specifically say that you have to pay 1/2 of extra curriculars you have no "legal" obligation to do so. If you do pay 1/2 of the soccer fees directly or "reimburse" the mother for them, it will be considered a "gift" and cannot be deducted from your next support payment or anything like that. So, it's really up to you, do you want to pay them or not??