off topic- stupid fridge

Well, just when things were going well my fridge decides it doesn't like working all the time. Those sharp pains were apparently from food poisoning (nasty side effects on the intestines). So I am out a fridge and 2 weeks worth of food. Just when we can least afford it too. My fellowship monies are tied up for some reason no one can figure out. I am so tired of this. I really wish it had not happened but now that it has I have to find a way to replace the darned thing. None of my family will help or can. Hubby's family is too far away and unable. Social Services counts hubby's GROSS income and my SSI which includes over $400 a month for health insurance we never see and says we do not qualify for help. I hate living in a rich area because no one here donates money, time, or anything else to anywhere except the thrift stores. So unless you have money forget getting a fridge from a charity- cause the local thrift stores are charity run but do not give anything away to low income families. I hate how it all works. Heck the biggest local charity I cannot ask for help because hubby works for them and will be fired if I ask them for help (company policy). So we can either get help or have him work and have insurance. Sad when they are so embarrassed over the low pay to employees they don't want volunteers to learn about the pay scale or insurance costs. Oh well, I ususally pull something out of my rear in cases like these.

Thank you for the site. We do not belong to a local church, we tried but it was extremely uncomfortable given the fact neither of us owns any where near the kind of clothes they seem to want. Add to that how hard it is to sit through a service and it wasn't worth the stares and whispers of those who were already part of the churches we tried out. Sad to live in an area where the poor are made uncomfortable if they try and attend church.

The really sad part of this is the university is holding up 7500 in fellowship monies that I am supposed to use to help with living expenses while in my grad program. I worry that if I bother them more than every two weeks asking what is going on they will hold it up even more. It was supposed to be released the beginning of September. Kinda of a catch 22 situation since with that money buying a new fridge would definitely not be an issue. We actually went to around 15 local churches before we finally gave up. There are a couple more we could have tried but they are in an area of town where if we parked our car would be striped down within 20 minutes.

Is it being rude and bugging the person who is my only contact about my fellowship to ask a second time in a week what the heck is going on? I really hate to explain the situation as I am afraid she would say I should be working if I am struggling because of this kind of event.

Don't worry too much, I have found a solution a few times when I thought there was none. The biggest issues is that none of the local community based charity organizations have enough money to help people. One of the food banks collapsed from lack of funding, volunteers, and donations of food. Another has cut hours to 6 days a month for 2 hours each day. The third has lowered the income cut off for help to less than 700 a month. Yet the thrift store gets regular donations all because the people who can afford to donate money, food, items like clothes, furniture, appliances, etc... prefer the blank donation receipts they are given there- for some reason the place just hands them a validated receipt and lets them fill in the donation and value when ever they get around to it. Thus the tax break can be cheated on.

Sad that people have fallen so far in their gifts to charity. I really wish they did not restrict employees from applying for help through the volunteer run section that helps persons in need. For now I will make due with the fridge not getting anything that can spoil. Thank goodness I asked for the big freezer a few years ago. It may have been a cruddy birthday present but at least I can store some food. Plus I may be able to borrow one of those tiny fridges from my uncle the next time I get over that way. He has one that is about 1 1/4 feet by 1 foot. It will hold 1 gallon of milk in the middle and 2 cans in the door. It would mean having milk on hand. It will just be a while before I can make the trip. We has some issues with the plumbing eat up a large chunk of change. Well, I have babbled enough and really need to get my hands warm again. Next project is to get the furnace fixed- the wiring is messed up. At least hubby can do that. I still wonder who pulled those wires loose, I would like to slap them for it.

I look at craigs list and freecycle frequently unfortunately neither has a working fridge available at this time

I will be seeing someone tomorrow who can refer me to the local furniture bank. They will place me on a wait list for a fridge. The WIC office also referred me to a visiting nurse who can refer me for all kinds of services and help me get baby stuff. Ironically I found out that the funds being held up should be released either Wednesday or the 17th. It depends on how quickly it can be transfered to a different account. Silly people put it in the wrong one. I am hoping that some miracle has it released Wednesday instead of the 17th because then we can just buy a new fridge.