#I can afford my bills... Food... I am getting payed from the government but now at least i am doing work for that pay

[mrfoox]

Um. I told Oliver that I'm... Genuinely happy/content with my life

And cried bc i realize that's like the first time I've truly felt that way? Ever. The one by one big thing I want is an life partner otherwise... I think my life is good?

[uglytrannymess]

I was just beaten, stabbed, and shot all in just the matter of a few days, each day a different incident or attack by an individual in my family and outside of my family by ppl around me, I had to get several stitches in my legs, arms, hands and even some in my face after being jumped and beaten and stabbed, I had a bullet pulled out my leg and my side, I was shot 8 times, 4 times in the legs and 2 times in my right lower abdomen and another 2 times in my left lower abdomen, I been in and out of the hospital including the mental hospital for suicide attempts as well as being harmed by transphobic ppl, I've been struggling paying for costs of a vet visit after my kitten was killed by my moms dog after she had her dog kill her, I've been raped, molested and abused by my family and ppl in my schools and neighborhood and I just get tired of being in this same situation surrounded by poverty, I live in a neighborhood where I'm constantly threatened for being a black trans woman and I have NO ONE TO TURN TO, I've tried getting help finding a new job but it's harder after constantly being fired for molestation at work and sexual harassment and constant work abuse I've been thru whether it was employees or managers targeting me with harassment and bullying within the workplace and it's been hard in general trying to get help with financial situations, paying for medical bills and get med assistance from the government and the city as well as mental health help for therapists, psychiatric help, and safe space havens or shelters, I've also been from mental health facility shelter to homeless shelters and been harassed, abused, raped and molested in EVERY SINGLE ONE, i am currently living in a rundown home surrounded by poverty and bad conditions, rusted bursted pipes, i have no plumbing, no water, no way to get anything to drink, to clean stuff with, i dont have water for dishes to be cleaned, laundry to be washed, or to bathe or shower in or to take a piss or shit in either and there are several dead cats in my basement as well as raccoons from all the holes in the walls, I had to freeze in the winter and was trying to get help from the city with some government assistance and I'VE YET TO GET ANY HELP, ANY THERAPISTS FOR MY MENTAL HEALTH I'M STILL ON A QUEUE, I HAVE NO HELP FOR MENTAL HEALTH MEDS, OR PSYCHIATRIC HELP, I can't seem to afford to get help with much even after succeeding my Gofundme goal because I had to use most of that money for food for me and my cats and keep cleaning products to get my home clean WHICH IS STILL A MESS. so what i need anyone to do for me if yall POSSIBLY CAN, is reblog this as much as you can and please share my links to donation help with pet food, water, meds, med help, mental health help, finding an apartment, getting a bed or mattress, and any daily needs and necessities IF YALL CAN.

My goal is to get at least $2500 to $3000, I know it's alot but rn I need as much as I can possibly get, yall can send anything, nothing is too small it's ALL APPRECIATED. IF PPL CAN SEND AT LEAST 25 OR 30$ EACH IT WOULD HELP OUT SO MUCH, BUT AGAIN ANY AMOUNT IS APPRECIATED. THIS is REALLY IMPORTANT!!....I'M TRYING MY BEST TO SURVIVE RIGHT NOW!

Cashapp: $Slasherstan91

Venmo: Negrophiliac (I know the name's wild 😭)

Chime: $MarsRayL

Paypal: paypal.me/MarsRayL

[sillysadduck]

I never wanted it to get to this point, but I don't have a choice. I finally made a paypal and I'm trying to set up a ko-fi.

Please read to the bottom and reblog, for the first time I seriously need your help, I mean it.

Hi again, context for my desperate behavior:

For those who know me from my dhmis or fnaf fanart, you know I have been around for years, and I was always happy to bring you free requests. I have never asked for money, it didn't feel right for me even when you were willing to donate to help me escape my living situation, but I am eternally thankful with those who offered ♡ having said this, you know I would never ask unless I absolutely HAVE to.

I'm studying -and pretty much living- with the money of a scholarship, but with the costs of food and books I cannot afford to live. I'm not being dramatic, I have spent more than one day without eating in the last few weeks.

I'm off my meds because I cannot afford them either.

I can't work because I'm the only one who takes care of my disabled sister at home, my mom isn't strong enough to pick her up and change her on her own anymore even if she tries. The days when I'm not home, I'm at college all day trying to survive while my elderly aunt helps take care of my sister.

Recently, what made me hit rock bottom was that my cat, Chimu, started peeing blood. My parents refused to help me pay for his vet bills, even when they're the ones who adopted him. He cries in pain everyday, he's a cat from the streets with a mental disability and I'm the only one who cares about him. The cat food for cats with urinary issues is $70, it may not seem like a lot but I'm surviving with $20 a month (in my country's currency, minimum wage is around $200) and I didn't care about suffering on my own but I won't drag him down with me.

Plus, this month, the government website has been glitching and I didn't receive the money I had been receiving so far. I need your help, if you can't buy then please reblog. I'm currently trying to set up a ko-fi too. I need you more than ever, even if I'm not as active as I used to be, as you can see now there is good reason for my absence.

TLDR: I can't afford to eat, study, or save my family cat, and my parents are pretending I don't exist. Please help me.

Thank you if you read this far <3

[seththemusehub]

hello, happy pride month! I'm Seth. I am multiple flavors of queer, physically and mentally disabled, and I have been waiting on disability to pull through for years by now. I receive food stamps. and I have no other income to speak of. internet and my phone are pretty much my only real windows to the outside world, since I'm kinda homebound.

recently the affordable connectivity program, which used to pay for my internet, shut down. I got enough for last month's payment and part of this month's (this month's will be due at the start of next month). it's $30, and I got $10 for this month's bill. phone is $10 a month. I had to switch carriers from the free government-provided cell phone service because none of them got any amount of connection inside my apartment.

unfortunately I also have dietary restrictions and don't get a whole lot in the way of food money as well. basically am down to pasta in the cupboard for food. I used the last of my mashed potatoes today, and I'd really like to get milk, cheese, lunch meat, another box of instant mashed potatoes, an actual bag of whole ass potatoes. maybe some chicken. cereal. things like that.

can I get a bit of help so I can get stuff to eat and pay off some of this stuff? I'd appreciate it. also boosts, those mean a lot to me.

paypal: paypal.me/seththemuse

[mathsbian]

You know what I was thinking about last night?

In the US, we pay into various accounts that are set up by the government to help us out later if/when we need it. These include unemployment insurance (UI), social security retirement benefits, and social security disability benefits (SSDI). These accounts are directly connected to how long you have worked and the amount of money you were paid, and are only for you to access.

We also pay into programs that are for anyone who needs them, no work required to get assistance. These include social welfare programs like SNAP (food stamps) and TANF (cash assistance for families with children so they can buy clothes for their kids and stuff that isn’t covered by SNAP) and SSI, which is another kind of disability insurance but is specifically for poor disabled people who are possibly still working but can’t afford their cost-of-living expenses which are higher than the average person thanks to their disability.

If you want to get money from SNAP or TANF, you have to prove that you need it. The government will be checking if you have a job and how much you get paid, they’ll look at your bank accounts to see how much money you have on hand, you send them copies of bill statements to prove your expenses eat up most or all of your income. Since SSI is a similar program, I can understand why there’s hoops to jump through to get money from that program.

However, if you want money from your UI account or your social security retirement account, you pretty much just have to tell the government you’re in the group that account is for now. For UI, you have to show you’re still looking for new work (at least in my state) but it’s a very lax requirement compared to the requirements for SNAP/TANF. I’m not entirely sure how one goes about collecting their retirement benefits but I assume it involves a similar process of filing with the government that you’ve retired instead of being between jobs, and they’re only check that that admission from you is true.

SSDI, though? You pay into that account your entire career. But then if you suddenly need the money, you have to go through a ridiculously complicated and drawn out process to be approved. UI approval takes a week at most in my state. I assume retirement benefits get approved in under a year at the very most. But getting approved for SSDI when you don’t have one of the limited diagnoses that automatically qualify you (and not even just a diagnosis in the list, a diagnosis with the right stipulations such as mental health conditions having to be present for over two years without much documented improvement despite consistent treatment)? That can take up to TWO YEARS because they can just deny you over and over again and force you to appeal the decision as many as like 5 times, and each appeal has a 6 month waiting period. And on top of that, once you stop working, the account starts counting down to self-destruction. You only have so much time before you lose access to the money entirely. If I am not found disabled on this application (I’m halfway through all the possible appeals), I will not be able to get my SSDI money AT ALL.

It’s fucking bullshit. I paid into that account so I would have money set aside for if I became disabled. I don’t have to prove I need the unemployment money, which I’m no longer qualified to receive, they’ll basically give it to me no questions asked. But when I’m disabled and barely scraping by for years I keep getting told that “actually from our review of your case it seems like you totally can have a desk job, go fuck yourself” despite me constantly including the detail that I cannot sit upright at a desk for more than an hour without needing to lie down completely flat for two hours immediately after. It’s MY MONEY. They’re not saving it for someone else, they’re going to just eat it if I don’t get it, why can’t they just GIVE IT TO ME???

[shrimplymoray]

I'm gonna use the little bit of traction I got with my latest posts to share this

I have commissions opened and I really need the money for it

A little bit of background on myself (no need to see if you don't want to, it is just explaining why this, so out of nowhere)

I am a disabled Brazilian artist with a focus on fanart. I am from a poor family, we use all the money we have and a bit more we get from the help of friends to live by. I am the oldest of 3 siblings, and I live with my stepdad, my mother, my grandma, and my siblings. I have Level 1 Autism and Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy. I am over 18, but I am not able to work due to my autism limitations. I am currently studying ONLY because of a university program that pays all my university fees. My mom is on a medical retiring license off work because she has panic attacks at work. My stepdad is the only one in my house who works, and we use all that money in bills, food, and medicine. My younger siblings don't have the age to work, and my youngest one was diagnosed with autism together with ADHD.

Nowadays, we spend over 800 BRS on medicines, not counting other medical bills we have like my braces or therapy. My brother is getting as much for free, but I'm not so lucky, as I am a legal adult now. My family has been trying for 2 years to get a benefit from the government that would help us, but it is stuck in the judge's table, we can only wait for it.

I don't have therapy anymore, nor have a neurologist. I am without one of my medicines and don't have the money to go to my Psychiatrist to find a way to get more. I've recently found out I was groomed since I was 16, and I also deal with the past traumas of domestic abuse, sexual harassment, bullying, and more.

All the money I get is to try funding therapy for me. Whatever I get besides that is gonna go for me to buy a better computer so I can study and do more commissions. I also am engaged, and would like to save some money for when my fiancé comes to live with me, we can get married.

My whole goal with my art since the beginning was to share stories, make people see characters that they can relate to, and spread joy. My dreams are to be a webtoon artist, get married, and be able to afford a good life for my family, where my siblings won't need to wear hand-me-downs, where my mom will not need to go to work risking having a panic attack, where my grandma can relax and finally enjoy her retirement, where my stepdad can make a barbecue like he loves, and with as much hot sauce as he wants. Where my fiancé can relax and not need to wait over 4 years to see me again.

Any help, be it commissioning or even reblogging and spreading this, goes a long way. I have not forgotten the name of a single person who has commissioned me in the past, and I don't plan on forgetting anyone who does so in the future.

[gravitysgone]

I'm a little frustrated. I have to figure out how to get through my life on $17,748 a year ($1429 a month). That is exactly all I get from disability (I added it up from my pair of incomes). All in. So needs and rent and food and everything. There is no other outside money. The government this year in April set the poverty line for a single individual as $25,252. My income comes from a government program that they control and set the amount for. And they also decide what the legal definition of poverty is. It is just insane. The average cost to rent a 1 bedroom apartment in Canada is $1,922 (May 2024 from Canadian Housing) or $23,064 a year. It's just impossible to make it work. While there is room for people to work part-time on disability, my health simply doesn't allow for that. I have thought about and researched all options and I simply can't make something go the way I would need to. And I have no true freelance skills. So I live on an amount that is well, well below the poverty line. And right now, the real frustration comes from the fact that what I get comes at the beginning of the month I get the funds and then that is it. No budgeting or finagling or saving can stretch out what little is left after I pay my rent, my cell bill and the cost of transport (I don't own a vehicle) and the OTC meds that make day to day life less miserable. And whatever else I can fit in along the lines of hygiene and self-care. Food if I have anything left (we have no EBT or food stamps in Canada at all) It is a hopeless feeling. Not a life ending hopeless anymore, but a feeling of being trapped. I am truly grateful for the fact that we have some semblance of a social security net. I know there are places where I person like me would be a beggar on the street who digs for errant potatoes on a farmers field just to eat. I know my privilege. But this situation is crummy. And I bummed out and broke and I got 18 more days to go. And all I want is to take a day trip to the city and maybe get some new boots for winter. Canadian winters in low cut hikers is no good. And especially for a ganky dude with a cane. Ah well. There are lots of people getting exactly what I am who simply can't find or afford even a room and are living underhoused and homeless. So gratitude is where I find it. I am grateful. So very grateful. I just needed to let this out instead of stewing on it. And also just share the reality I live with. There is a weird impression in Canada and the U.S., especially in right-leaning folk, that people on welfare and disability are living in some kind of hard working people's paid for luxury and that's just not true. There's no pot of gold at the end of the social service rainbow. So it goes...

[ludmithjacques]

I’m tired and I’m scared.

I like my job, I enjoy it(as much as one can enjoy toiling endlessly for eight hours towards eternally renewing goals).

But It’s far away, and gas is expensive, and I don’t get paid enough.

I’m part of a union now, because of this job, but the job has been union for a long time, and the pay is still what it is, so the union isn’t doing much as far as my immediate needs are concerned.

I’m going to have to quit and get a different job, a closer job, or one with garbage hours and higher pay and harder work that I will hate inside of a month.

Again.

is this just going to be my life? Working jobs I hate to barely scrape by with rent only to just be... Wasting my time in a chair, too tired to interact with my wife or child in any meaningful way? Destroying my body for pennies?

I’m so fucking tired.

I hate this country, I hate capitalism. hate hate hate

I don’t need to be radicalized by a single event, I am an adult and I have eyes and needs and pains.

I suffer from depression and adhd and maybe even some kind of low-level autism from what tests I’ve taken but medical insurance is so fucking expensive I don’t bother going to a hospital/doctor unless I am in non-joint related agony or actively bleeding from an open wound so I’ll never fucking know now will I?

I can’t afford it. I can’t afford anythign that makes me happy but I buy it anyway and suffer the practical cost of it and I’m so fucking angry and tired and scared that I’m just going to keel over and die one day because I can’t afford to go and questoin something that I should be worried about.

I’m tired of never taking my wife on Dates that are better than ‘grab some fast food and wander through a park and hope some festival we didn’t know about is happening’(which too be fair is something that has happened... often, for us).

I’m tired of never taking my daughter to fun places because they cost a fortune.

I’m tired of looking an HR person in the eyes during an interview and saying ‘Why Yes, getting paid a full ten dollars under what was the living wage two years ago sounds wonderful’ just so I can have money in my pocket.

I’m tired of needing to remember every detail of my life so a government agency can decide if I am despairing hard enough for help.

I’m tired of looking at something new and beautiful and right up my alley and then immediately deciding ‘I don’t really need that’ or ‘boy that’ll be fun to play in six years when it’s popularity has faded enough for it to drop ten dollars in price and maybe go on sale once’.

I’m tired and scared.

I grew up poor without really realizing it because we were lucky to live in my grandpa’s house and he didn’t really charge us more than a very tiny amount in rent just to help with upkeep of the place, and it was in a nice neighborhood so we never looked tv-poor.

I’m a 30 year-old man, married, a father, and I have never lived without aid. I have never even hazarded the thought that I’d be able to live alone, never dared consider the monetary implications of getting a place just for me and my wife that didn’t have at least one other person helping with bills.

I really like my job, I don’t wanna quit.

But this is why I can’t have nice things.

[itscoldinwonderland]

Job training might not be available, accesible, or even purposeful for you. Ex. you do not drive, you're disabled, you already have the skills ... I've been through job training programs and they can be helpful because they can offer a community and some networking, but if you're already tech savvy and speak english they might not be too helpful in actually acquiring a job.

Education is only free until you leave highschool, but some jobs require higher education.Here is info on states with tuition free community college. And since I'm from Massachusetts I'll let you know that MA offers free college to those over the age of 25. Pell grants also exist but if you are an adult who works a job and/or doesn't live with your parents, good luck.

Mental health resources like the rest of the US healthcare system isn't free. If you are on government insurance you may be able to pay nothing for mental health care. But generally speaking the only free mental health resources you will find are support groups usually run by peers.

Welfare is not one thing. Welfare includes all programs which help low income, poor and otherwise disadvantage people. Welfare programs include EBT(food stamps), Medicare, Medicaid, SSI disability, even federal pell grants for school and free lunch programs. Now I am a strong contender in encouraging people who are struggling to look into and applying to these programs. The problem is that they all have specific requirements and it always bars someone who needs help from getting help. With that said some of these things aren't even as helpful as they should be. I get EBT and I only get enough for a week-and-a half worth of groceries, that's supposed to last me all month. Disability in many states will not even pay your rent. Housing takes years to get on the list. All these programs have income caps which creates a divide between the "poorest class" and the "working class" this is why the poor can go to the er when they need to and the working class will do anything to avoid the trip.

Shelters all have their own requirements. Some shelters won't let you in if your (visibly/admittedly) trans, or even gay. Sometimes you're a man who's only surrounded by female-only shelters. Some shelters will try to push religion on you. Shelters commonly don't allow pets. Shelters may require you to be sober. Shelters have a cut off time, this can be detrimental if you have a job or any obligations past like 4o-clock.

Drug-abuse and addiction centers are not free. And yes hospitals and rehab will throw you out if you can't pay past the legally required holding time. And even if you have insurance they may not cover it all. This will leave you with bills in the thousands that might make someone feel depressed or anxious and turn to using again. Here's what I'll tell you, don't pay your medical bills, don't do it. Ignore, delete, throw that mail away. You will not go to jail and nobody is going to come to your house.

Food banks, while I'll say this is the first really good resource on the list as it is always free and many places that offer free food will deliver to you. The one issue I have with this is that, many places will not deliver to you, this means you need to go there on their hours and this may not be possible if you have a job or other obligations.

Food stamps (see, welfare)

Rental assistance, let me tell you something I use to qualify for a program that helps pay first last and security, now I make too much money, but I can't afford most studios in my area. If you qualify for rental assistance of any kind you should take advantage of it because rent is outrageous.

The issue with most of these is that they are not federal, they are state and sometimes even city-town oriented. The food banks I can find in Boston are going to be different than the food banks in nobody-knows town in western MA.

But yes steamboat jimmy, I do think everyone should get a form of universal basic income, and I do think universal food stamps, universal college, universal healthcare, and yes even universal housing, should all be a thing.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk or something.

[teruterujiru]

New Goal and yes it’s a lot!

I suppose I could start at the beginning, but that would mean going back to the start of the pandemic and how I lost my job and had to move home. It’s a long story and one that many people experienced, so instead I’m going to start with my current state and what’s going on now.

Okay, so actually I’m going to jump back a couple years but that’s because I’m still dealing with the main issue, my thyroid. Without any warning signs, it went berserk and I couldn’t work while we figured out what treatments were needed. It ended up being irradiated and I’m still recovering, but I’m am able to work now, but there were about two years there before I was strong enough to have a job.

It’s easy to see how in that time, between the pandemic and my health, that I basically ate through my savings. Not to mention I was still paying off some bills from school after moving home with the completion of my Gemology degrees.

Last summer during some of the debacles of trying to keep the government from shutting down, I found myself stuff with a new bill. I have very limited EBT benefits and it had been reduced even more and new requirements were added in one of the deals to keep the government running and during those changes when I thought I was using my EBT card, the system was actually charging my credit card. It took months for them to realize this was happening and in the end the Feds basically said “well we can’t refund you and then charge it all to EBT because the prices of food fluctuates and it won’t be the same as when you made the purchases”. In other words, sorry, you owe this money now. So in the time it took for the problem to be discovered I had $3000 that was now all on my credit card.

Now health wise I only have state issued insurance and it doesn’t cover anything when it comes to mental health services, so in order for me to get my ADD, Anxiety and Depression medication, I have to pay out of pocket for my psychiatrist.

Most recently Teru, my Dachshund, had to have an emergency tooth surgery because she had a couple puppy teeth that never came out, and one was actually broken up in her gum.

Can you see why I ate through all my savings? And unfortunately the industry that I work in, is really struggling still. No one can afford to employ a Gemologist, especially one with my set of certifications. That means I’m working a basic retail job for minimum wage.

My dad has done what he can to help me with some of the bills but even so, that means I’m still not really making any money. My paychecks go into my account and then right back out to pay whichever due date is coming up.

So there you have it, a general overview of why I’m still living at my mom’s, which is not a good situation -that’s a whole other story- and why I’m in the hole.

Any help is greatly appreciated. I don’t have any to offer at the moment; perhaps I’ll be able to do something eventually and I would like to.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you have a wonderful day.

[renniferno]

You know what I don't get? Why some people have such a hard time realizing that the purpose of society, of community, is to help one another so life is easier for everyone. People like to help others. It feels good. I know you feel warm and happy when you do something that someone else is like 'wow thank you!' about.

Really hate how the government (i'm in usamerica unfortunately, i am talking about the United States Government, tm,) does it's best to squash any resources that would be normal in a healthy, happy society.

Starting with the fact that so many of the resources we -do- have are hard to find, harder to -get- and nearly impossible to use to actually make a significant enough difference in your life that you can eventually move away from using them....

Oh, you're having issues with food? Well, prove you're poor, we're going to give you too little money to afford anything, and tell us if someone so much as offers you a french fry.

You're having issues with housing? We're going to make it super difficult to find a way to get help with that, and also if you dare even live with someone else, fuck you.

Oh, you have a bunch of health problems? Hope you were working before! Oh, wait, they started up as a teenager for you and now you're making yourself worse by trying to work to get any sort of meaningful coverage? Well, that's a 'pre-existing' condition which means we're not going to help you with it, because it was there before you reached out.

I would be so thrilled if I could go back to college (expensive, not designed for people with Brain Problems, like me and my likely but not yet diagnosed adhd, plus the. anxiety, depression, ptsd...) and become a teacher for like. highschool level writing. please. I want to teach people reading comprehension, I want to teach people how to expand on and explore the ideas they have, how to pull inspiration from everyday life! I want to teach people how to have wonder!

But I'm here, with a broken body and bills to pay, and no idea how to ask for help.

Maybe that's what it is, no one knows how to ask for help.

[kierancampire]

I don't like talking money, but eh, stress and i need to vent

So i get £689.19 a month, last month i spent £881.08 in total. My essentials came to £161.56, the girls with the vets totalled £349.57, food shops came to £282.48, then i got added extras which came to £91.19. Removing the vets and other extras, i think i coulda got it down to 558.37 maybe

Thing is, some of those "extras" were the window nets which i literally need to be able to open my windows, and the spice rack and shower unit, which i have been in desperate need of. So that was prices added that i coulda removed but not really. But on the flip side, i was only paying like £15 a month for gas and electric, well that's jumped up to £70, and if i don't sort out my internet soon, that's going from £25 to £50

I was kindly given £300 extra from the government this month as a "cost of living" payment, but the thing is, that's already gone, it was literally instantly in and out of my bank, i still have a whole month to pay out for, including the increased utility bill. I think if i am even more selective i can bring the food shops down a bit, i dunno if it'll be much, but it'll be something. And i would say there'll be no extras this month, but i already spent roughly £70 on all that mould stuff

I'm just stressed cause i am struggling so much to keep costs down while being able to afford everything, especially as the girls won't eat a cheaper food, so i am still having to buy the expensive food but just feed them half as much. But then yeah, i now have a drastically higher utility bill to pay, and i need to sort my internet out. Hopefully if nothing goes wrong this month, which shit keeps going wrong so I'm not holding my breath, hopefully I'll have a better idea what things really are looking like and i can tryto work it all out, i just need to sort this internet out

I'm getting so worried i have to give up the girls. I can't, for them and for me i can't do it, i lost Roxy, i can't lose them too, I'll be so alone without them, I'll hate myself and my life more than i already do. But especially while they refuse to eat a purely cheaper food? I can't cut their costs more than i have, i can't cut my bills any more. I am just scared my hand will be forced if at the end of this month i am still way over budger, as i am severely losing wriggle room to play about now

[hardynwa]

Naira scarcity: Kogi Sex workers reject transfer, introduce POS

Sex workers in Kogi State say they are not left behind in the biting scarcity of naira notes in Nigeria. Inquiries by DAILY POST show that they now carry POS to avoid being defrauded by their customers when they do bank transfer. Since the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) announced February 10, 2023, as the deadline for the swap of old naira notes to new naira notes, many Nigerians have found it hard to do transactions, even though they have money in their bank account. The naira became an emergency gold in Nigeria, as anyone in custody of the new 500 and 1000 notes is treated like a king. Just as many people in the country, including residents of Kogi State are obeying President Muhammadu Buhari’s pronouncement on the usage of new naira notes, business owners, including sex workers (prostitutes) have now opted to collect transfer or use POS machines to sustain their businesses in Kogi. In Lokoja, some of the popular hot spots where prostitutes gather between 7:30 PM in the evening to do their business are Nigeria Television Authority, (NTA), roundabout, Jackins, Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) road and 16 Hours drinking spot. Other prominent spots where sex workers gather in Lokoja include Lounge 1, in Phase one Lokoja, Federal Medical Center, (FMC), road, Ganaja Junction by flyover, Felele axis, and many more. In these flash points, the sex hawkers wait for their customers to patronise them, with both parties agreeing on an amount before sex. DAILY POST gathered that, in these areas, some of the sex hawkers who do not have a specific hotel, or their customers can’t afford one, decide to have quick sex outside in a dark place. In a chat with one of the sex workers in Jackins, identified as Zarah, (not real name) she explained to DAILY POST that she has been in the business for more than one year. According to her, she lost her parents and does not have anyone who will cater for her needs, hence she decided to go into prostitution business. When asked how she is sustaining her trade with the naira scarcity quagmires, Zarah responded, “it is not easy at all. It is difficult to buy food or even do anything because of this naira scarcity. We just have to come here every day to try our luck so that we can get something to eat on a daily basis. “If I don’t sell my body, how will I get food or pay my bills? I am an orphan who has nobody to run to. Any person I meet, especially men, they will want to have my body. So I had no choice than to go into this. For now, if I can’t get physical cash, my customer will transfer. If I see an alert, then we go into business”. Scarcity of Customers The sex workers lamented over the scarcity of customers in the last two weeks. According to them, since the issue of naira scarcity, their customers have continued to drop on a daily basis. A sex hawker in NUJ road, Queen, who spoke to DAILY POST said she hardly makes half of what she earned before. Queen, who noted that she is still finding it difficult to come to terms with the cashless policy introduced by the Federal Government, said she hardly gets two or three clients in a day. “I don’t trust the cashless policy we are into right now because it does not favour me and my business. Before now, I normally had at least eight men before daybreak. But right now, it is hard to even see two. “They keep saying they don’t have cash but transfer. I don’t have a bank account, so how will I now receive transfers for my business? This is really hurting my business, I must tell you. As I speak to you, I normally collect N2000 for a short time, while for daybreak, depending on the client, I collect nothing less than N7,000. But now my brother, things have changed. If I see who will give me physical cash, I normally collect N500 for a short time and N3,000 for daybreak. Transfers/Fake alert DAILY POST gathered that the sex workers are battling with fake transactions from fraudulent customers who patronise them. According to them, they receive alerts from customers but at the end, the money does not hit their account. A sex worker along Lounge I in Phase 1 Lokoja shared her experience to DAILY POST. Princess, who thought DAILY POST correspondent wanted to patronise her sex trade when she was approached at about 10:30 PM on Monday evening spoke in pidgin English saying, “Bros, I take baba God beg you, make you no come tell me say na transfer you go do ooo if we talk price. I know una type. All these yahoo boys, una go dress fine like say una be better person, but if person gree for una, una go do the person strong thing. “As for me, I no go form mugu again for this Lokoja. Una think say to they sleep with different men, he easy. Una get sister, she go tell una how far as he they go. If I go collect transfer from you, I must see the alert and confirm for my account before we go go anywhere. If you hold cash I for prefer am. “He don pass four men in the last on week we sleep with me in the name of transfer. Till today, I no see anything for my account and I get fake alert. I no come Lokoja come look Uche face. I come here come hustle. Just because say naira scarce, una go come they use another means to dupe us where we they hustle genuinely and no want go thief for road. If you they game, make I know. Day break na N10,000 while short time na N4,000”. (Sic). Sex workers resort to POS to avert fake transaction Following their numerous financial experience in the last two weeks some sex workers in Lokoja, especially those in Felele, NUJ axis have resorted to carrying POS to avoid being cheated by fraudulent customers. DAILY POST gathered that the sex workers put the POS in their bags in case their customers have no physical cash. Precious, a single mother of two who has been in the sex business for over seven years, said using a POS machine will guarantee her money in her account. According to her, it reduces the incident of fake alerts and ensures that she has money in her account to pay her bills at the end of the day. “Some of us in this business have decided to get our own POS machines to avoid fake transfers. If you observe, there is scarcity of naira notes in the country. Although our daily customers have dropped, we decided to start collecting transfers. But this is not favouring us. “That is why we carry POS. If we agree on a fixed price, you will insert your ATM on our POS machine. When the transaction is successful, then we can go and have sex,” Precious added. Read the full article

[fatter-in-real-life]

Disability

TW: Ableism, pain, government assistance, queerphobia, fatphobia

Becoming disabled has been one of the most challenging experiences of my life. Several years ago, just before the pandemic really hit, I was battling constant, excruciating low back pain. As time wore on, the pain worsened immeasurably, requiring me to use mobility aids to get around. I currently use a rollator and a shower chair, and the reality that I may end up in a wheelchair at some point is always at the back of my mind.

That’s not to say that being disabled is, in itself, such a bad thing. The bad part is society. Disabled people are forced to live in poverty (if we’re even lucky enough to qualify for government assistance), and there’s no way to get ahead. If we don’t work, we get the bare minimum. If we are somehow able to work, they claw back our benefits so we can’t properly save. They give us pennies to pay for shelter and a nickel to cover bills, food, and other expenses. Most of us are forced to live with family or roommate(s).

Independence is a luxury that we are not afforded, because any bid for it is quashed by a penny-pinching government that always seems to have infinite funds for corporate bail outs, but nothing to pay for diabetic supplies, mobility aids, or housing. After years of battling within the system, we get tired. We get worn down and wrung out. Do you have any idea how endlessly exhausting it is to have to constantly advocate for yourself?

Add in other marginalized identities and things get worse and worse. For example, I am disabled, I am fat, and I am queer. And yet, I still benefit from plenty of privilege in that I’m white, and can pass as cishet if needed. (I am aware that my identity being erased for my own safety is hardly a privilege, but it does afford me some semblance of safety that other trans/queer people don’t have access to. And that’s not even discussing the problematic nature of having to “pass” to not be harassed and worse.)

We need an immediate and extensive overhaul of our social safety net, because the holes in this one let too many people slip through. I’ve had to advocate for myself since I was 11 years old, after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. If I hadn’t spoken out for myself, I never would have been diagnosed by my psychiatrist, my doctor never would have found my uterine cancer, and I would still be blaming myself for not being able to just “push through the pain”. 

Just last night, a man asked what I do for a living. I told him that I work one day a week in a kitchen, but I’m on disability. He asked what exactly my disability is (which is invasive and rude and absolutely no one’s business), but I humored him and explained my mobility issues. He told me, “My back is fucked up too but I still work manual labour.” And like, good for you for buying into this capitalist hellscape, buddy. Good for you for destroying your body to make someone else rich. Now, I didn’t say any of that, but I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to disclose something so personal and frankly devastating, just to be told, “It’s your fault for not working harder.” Like I haven’t told myself that every fucking day since the pain began.

I guess I’m just tired of being treated like shit by society at large. For my disabilities, for my weight, for my gender/sexuality. And I’m lucky that my skin tone doesn’t play a role in further marginalizing me. All this is to say, be kind to yourself, tell society to shut the fuck up, and FUCK CAPITALISM.

[arcticfox007]

Suptober Day 1: Harvest

This is my first time doing Suptober and I probably won’t do every day (and am already a day late) but I thought it would be a good creativity boost and looking through all the other work it seemed like a lot of fun! Thanks to @winchester-reload for organizing this :)

Check it out on AO3!

Castiel hadn’t meant to overhear the conversation. He was supposed to be on break, but had volunteered to reset room 5 for the next patient because he knew his friend Alex had been in dire need of a break. Cas was only a volunteer, spending his junior year of college shadowing various medical professionals to get a better idea of what a career in medicine would really be like. When Alex had suggested shadowing one of the doctors she worked with, he’d readily agreed, knowing that his friend spoke highly of both Dr. Barnes and Dr. Fitzgerald.

He’d already spent the past few hours shadowing Dr. Fitzgerald (or Garth as he insisted on being called) and had seen enough to realize that Family Medicine was understaffed and struggling to do the best they could for their patients given the absurd constraints on their time. Garth was currently seeing a patient who didn’t want a stranger in the room, so the doctor had told Cas to grab some lunch. Cas had intended to do just that when he saw Alex making frantic phone calls at the front desk. When she’d hung up, she’d looked at the end of her rope, explaining to Can that one of the other nurses called out and she couldn’t find anyone to cover for them.

Which is how Cas ended up in room 5 wiping down the surfaces and pulling a new paper cover over the bed. Cas knew all about patient privacy, but really, the conversation easily carried into the room when the man who must be one of Dr. Barnes patients had decided to continue talking to her out in the hallway. The man had a compelling voice and by the time Cas realized he was eavesdropping it was too late to avoid it as leaving room 5 now would have only made the unsuspecting patient realize he’d been overheard.

“Um, and, I’m really sorry about this doc, but I probably can’t afford the bill for today’s services right away.”

“Dean, just call Meg like I told you. Our pharmacy here is amazing at finding co-pay cards for these types of medications.”

“I will talk to her, I swear. It’s just when we had to switch insurance plans the new one says the co-pay for that grade of medicine is $100 a dose. I’m honestly not sure I can make that work Dr. Barnes.”

“I understand, but you need this medicine Dean. Your RA will flare right back up without it. If that happens you eventually won’t be able to work at all. Even skipping doses is ill-advised, letting the inflammation persist could eventually cause permanent damage to your joints.”

“I get it doc, I do, but $400 a month? It’s basically choosing between eating and my ability to move without pain.”

“Dean, just talk to Meg. We will figure something out. At least promise me you’ll take the Humira every other week. I know it didn’t manage your symptoms well at the lower dose before, but it was still better than letting the RA go untreated.”

Dean must have responded to Dr. Barnes in some way Castiel couldn’t hear, because after a few moments the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway, fading as they moved towards the front desk. Cas hurried out of room 5, the trash bag hanging unnoticed from his wrist. His heartbeat sped up as he worried that he wouldn’t catch a glimpse of “Dean” before he left the office. Cas didn’t really know what he was planning on doing, just that he couldn’t stand the thought of this man resigning himself to pain all because the healthcare industry was such an awful mess that it would burden someone with choosing food over medicine. Something about the way Dean had sounded reminded him so much of his sister, Anna, right before she had left Castiel forever. That feeling drew Cas forward to meet a man he didn’t know. Cas couldn’t solve Dean’s money problems, Cas couldn’t force the government to change how healthcare was run in the country, Cas couldn’t even make Dean’s medical issues any better – but he could meet this man and maybe make him smile for a moment. Maybe, if he was brave enough, he could offer him some sort of friendship so maybe he would have one more person to help him through his struggles. Cas had been too young to understand how alone Anna must have felt but he knew more about it now. Helping people like Anna was what had drawn Cas to medicine in the first place.

Turning the corner Cas was startled to see what could only be a 6-foot flannel-wearing freckled god. The man was Hollywood beautiful and for a moment Cas forgot what had brought him rushing around the corner in the first place. The sound of Alex pointedly snapping her fingers brought Castiel back to reality as he broke of his inappropriate staring. He felt his skin heat up rapidly as he blushed.

“Did you finish room 5, Castiel?” Alex stared at him expectantly. Silently, Cas handed over the trash bag and muttered something about taking his lunch break outside. Too embarrassed by his very obvious admiration of the man that must have been Dean, Cas didn’t think he could talk to him in front of Alex. He rushed out the front door in the hopes that the autumn air would help him pull himself together. He didn’t know why he’d felt so compelled to talk to a man who’s private and very personal conversation he’d overheard. He was almost glad that his humiliating gawking had saved him from speaking to the guy. After all, what would he have said anyway? The air alone wasn’t helping Castiel’s composure, so he began pacing in front of the building.

“I mean how do you go up to a stranger and tell them they aren’t alone and that good things do happen? It’s not like it wouldn’t embarrass the guy to know I overheard him talking about his money problems…” Cas froze as he heard someone clear their throat behind him.

“Uh, hey man. I actually came out to ask you something else, but I think this just got awkward.” Cas took a deep breath already knowing it was Dean standing behind him. Cas’ habit of muttering to himself when anxious had gotten him into trouble on more than one occasion, but never quite as badly as this felt. Sadly, his fervent wish to turn invisible on the spot was being ignored by the universe and he found himself staring into striking green eyes while wondering how he could possibly salvage this situation.

“H-hello Dean. I’m Castiel, and I can’t apologize enough for overhearing your conversation with Dr. Barnes. I swear it wasn’t intentional, I was cleaning out the room you were standing near and – “

“Whoa, hold up buddy. I’m not mad or anything. I mean, it wouldn’t be my topic of choice to start chatting up the hot new guy at my doctor’s office, but you clearly work in healthcare, I’m sure you’ve heard the same thing from lots of folks.” Cas’ brain froze a bit when Dean referred to him as hot, but then it caught up with what he was actually saying.

“Er, actually I’m just shadowing Dr. Garth for the day, but yes, I have heard stories like yours. My sister, Anna, went through something similar. That’s why I wanted to say something to you but wasn’t sure what. Then I actually saw you and, well, you saw. I’m not really good with subtlety. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.” Dean threw his head back with a barking laugh and Cas found himself staring at the beautiful man yet again.

“Having someone like you checking me out definitely doesn’t make me uncomfortable. If it makes you feel better, I came out hoping to ask if you’d be interested in going to the Harvest Festival tonight. I have to work for a bit at my store’s booth but if you were free around 7, I’d love to talk with you more. Even if it’s just whatever you wanted to talk to me about before.” Dean smiled flirtatiously at Cas, and there was no way to resist that.

“Yes, I’d love to! Where should I meet you?”

They exchanged information quickly, and parted ways with matching smiles. Cas would get his chance to tell Dean how his sister gave up her fight with cancer because she knew her treatments were bankrupting the family. He’d tell him how he’d was hoping to be a doctor himself one day to maybe help someone else like Anna win their fight despite the shitty healthcare system. He’d also tell Dean that he’d chased him down the hall because he’d desperately wanted to tell him that maybe they were strangers, but that he hoped Dean didn’t give up and that he’d be willing to be there for him if having a friend would help.

Now though, Cas thought maybe he’d already made Dean’s day a bit brighter, and he looked forward to getting to know the handsome man better. Maybe his impulse to offer his friendship to a stranger wasn’t as insane as it first seemed, and if Castiel was reading things right perhaps friendship wasn’t the only thing they had to offer one another.

[rainbowloliofjustice]

So I didn’t want to touch one of the posts that came across my dash and I had a much longer post than this before it got erased but..

Why is it that people are demanding that someone care about them, and their wellbeing but not being demanded to offer the same thing in return? How can you honestly demand people give a one way street of care about you, but you can’t be bothered to do the same thing in return or if you’re that kind of person, just tell them something that amounts to going to die and saying their issues are their problem. 

Last I checked, the same thing “Your issues are your problem”, “You are responsible for your own health”, etc. can be applied to those of us who are at higher risk of death from complications of covid. I have asthma, no one else is responsible for that. Yeah, I get annoyed and mad when people who are fully capable of wearing a mask refuse to do so because they think covid is a hoax, that its no big deal, etc. 

But wanna know something? I don’t decide to tear people a new asshole or tell them to “suck it up” if they cannot wear a mask for medical and physical reasons and haven’t been able to afford or get a face shield. I have asthma, so I already have a hard time breathing. But I wear my mask when I can, why? Because my health is my responsibility. Yet even still, I cannot wear my mask 100% of the time unless I want to be found passed out in the middle of the street or store so I have to take it off in order to breath (and ya know, not pass out) when I’m able to. 

I don’t sit around telling them they should stay inside, just die anyways, etc. or do everything online because online services such as curbside delivery, doorstep delivery, etc. may not be offered in their area or if it is, it may cost them 30+ dollars more than it would have just going to the store to buy them. Yeah, for you 30 bucks may not be a lot but for someone else it is. 

Like, me ordering one meal from doordash (something for one person) cost me like, 25 bucks. The delivery fee, service fee, and tax on top of what was a 10 dollar meal. Not everyone can afford that, hell I cannot afford that. I paid more in fees and taxes than I did for the actual meal. For 25 bucks I could have just gone up there and ordered the meal and a second one.

And another thing... last I checked, bills haven’t stopped. The government hasn’t sent out a second stimulus check and most likely never will. Why is it that someone has to care about my health, my wellbeing, etc. and that “their health is their responsibility” yet “my health is their responsibility”, etc. when it comes to them wanting to go back to work so they can keep a roof over their head?

Wanna make this pandemic worse? Keep a bunch of people out of work, in debt, have them become homeless, go hungry, etc. and you’ll have an even bigger and worse pandemic on your hands than if you had just let them go to work without demonizing them for being “plague rats”. If it bothers you that much that others are going back to work, stay ya ass at home like you’re telling everyone else to do. Why is it that giving a shit about you and your health has to come at the expensive of someone else’s health and wellbeing?

Are you gunna offer to pay their bills? To pay for food? To pay the car note? Are you gunna do anything to help and encourage them to stay home or are you just going to demonize them for being (rightfully I might add) afraid, worried, and wanting to keep some type of income so they aren’t left homeless in a pandemic?

How the hell can you demand that people care about you and your wellbeing, but you can’t even offer them dogshit in return without being one of the most self centered, selfish, and narcissistic people in existence?

AND ANOTHER THING why is it that mega corporations like Walmart, Sam’s Club, Cosco, etc. are allowed to stay open and operate within certain limitations and guidelines while small businesses, therapists, independent practices, etc. are forced to remain closed? Why is it that small business owners and independent practices are demonized to hell and back for being concerned with their wellbeing for wanting to do the same thing that mega corporations are allowed to do? Why is it that Walmart can operate under reduced hours but a small business can’t do the same damn thing? Why are we not questioning the fact that mega corps are allowed time and time again to get away with doing things that other businesses are demonized for doing? and I’m not even talking about unethical shit like wage theft. 

Why is it that governors and politicians are allowed to attend birthday parties and celebrations that are “socially distanced” but god forbid someone want to spend Christmas with their family? Why are they not equally if not fucking more considering they came up with the guidelines and rules than a regular, average person? Why is it that they’re allowed to break the rules and guidelines they came up with but a regular person faces fines and jail time in some extreme cases?

Anyways back on topic... Last I checked, caring about other people was a two way street. To demand that it be a one way street is to basically say how entitled you are to people giving you things but giving nothing back in return. 

Yeah, having asthma and being at higher risk of covid fucking sucks, esp if people decide to not wear a face mask or socially distance for stupid reasons... But it also sucks being at risk of losing your house, going hungry, the decline in mental and physical health, etc. that comes from being out of work, quarantined, etc.

I actually understand that even though that I am at higher risk of dying from complications of covid, this pandemic won’t get any better (and in fact, will only get worse) if people are kept without work because they’ll be at greater risk due to being homeless, a weakened immune system from hunger, stress, etc. and you’ll have far more cases of covid than those “plague rats” could have brought by practicing social distancing and wearing a mask while at work. 

Cause now, you have people homeless, not able to afford masks at all, etc. contracting covid and dying in the streets which brings upon even more diseases that can kill you than just covid.

So until the government decides they’re actually going to take care of their citizens until the pandemic is over and pull their thumbs out of their asses, the harsh reality is that people will need to go back to work. It isn’t that people who are at higher risk are “worth sacrificing” for “the economy” its that with an economy in shambles, people who are already at higher risk and those who previously weren’t before will be at even greater risk because now things have grinded to a halt, people are homeless, etc. 

The pandemic won’t be made better by forcing a total shut down of everything while the government doesn’t send out any money or aid to it’s people for the protection of those at higher risk for covid complications because now you’re dealing with people being homeless, starving, more spikes in cases, etc. and similarly, the pandemic won’t be made any better by freely allowing people to do all the same shit and congregate like they were able to before the pandemic because then that will result in more spikes in cases. 

It’s almost like an extreme of either will result in more people dying and demanding people care about you while offering dog shit in return is how this pandemic got as awful as it did in the first fucking place.