I was very down yesterday due to the money stress. It’s something I’ve tried not to focus on and it’s kind of all hit me at once over the last several days. But yesterday kind of led me to the breaking point and I really broke down. My husband and I did some research and figured some things out and by the time I went to bed I was feeling better. When I woke up, I was determined not to get upset but to trust that things will be OK.
That lasted about 2 hours.
I had decided to apply for WIC. The kids and I were approved for Medicaid which automatically qualifies you for WIC. So despite my utter humiliation at the very thought of taking more public assistance (not that I think people who do so are wrong, I was just raised in a manner that made me think it was *just not done* by “good” people…something I realize is not true and I do believe that this situation is exactly why these programs are out there) I took a deep breath and went to the health department. Signed in at WIC services at 9AM and sat down. I was finally called about an hour later and told that they don’t see people except by appointment. I was slightly irritated at the fact that I’d sat there for so long before anybody gave me this info, but figured it was just a slight delay. Fine…I’ll take the first appointment, right?
The first appointment isn’t until the end of October. Over 5 weeks away. No, I am *not* kidding. I started crying right there in the waiting room. I felt so defeated in that moment. Food costs are killing us right now. We’re saving money where we can, but it’s not enough. I thought that the milk, cheese, eggs, peanut butter, cereal, and dry beans that WIC provides would really, really help us. We are going through a lot of these foods right now and with just a few extra ingredients I can make those items stretch. All of the confidence I’d gained the night before vanished. The humiliation came back. I felt like I was starting back at square one.
We still have credit cards, so I guess those will have to pay for food until things start to turn themselves around. We won’t starve, or even go hungry. We’re trying to talk to our bank and see if we can get a short reprieve on our mortgage. I’ve cut back monthly expenses to bare minimums or shut them off completely if they’re non-essential. We both have resumes out to several places right now and I have faith that something will turn up soon. Tomorrow is another day, and maybe it will go better than today did.
