#idk. i guess i won't be able to get a cat in my current living situation

[tkbrokkoli]

help :(

[Begin ID: Picture one is a screenshot of a search bar with the phrase "open home prevent cat from getting out of door".

Picture two is a stock photo of a 3D floor plan of an apartment where the kitchen and living room are not separated and the front door leads right into this space. A cat is poorly drawn into the room. An arrow leads from the cat out of the door. End ID]

[infiniteglitterfall]

For real. $17k is poverty. The poverty line in the US is always lower than it should be, but...

HOLY SHIT, as of March 2024, the federal poverty level (FPL) in the United States is $15,060 per year for an individual and $20,440 per year for a married couple.

What the PENGUIN-SHARPENING PURPLE FUCK.

As I was about to say, it doesn't draw a line in the sand where "poor" ends and "rich" starts. Guess that's even more obvious now.

I live in one of the most expensive parts of the US. I can't even apply for jobs that pay $65k, because that's around $4000 a month after taxes, insurance, whatever.

My mortgage is hella low for where we live: I got an inheritance right at the rock bottom of the housing market, which was the only way I was ever going to be able to get approved and buy a house.

It would still take half my income to stay in my house. I don't know how I would pay back the $14k I currently owe on the mortgage, which is in foreclosure for the third or fourth time.

I have my kid full-time because my ex's disability stuff is too much right now for them to do weekends. And extra full-time because our kid's sensory stuff plus anxiety is too intense for him to tolerate school, which we're working on.

But it means that I can barely do any work. And it means I have to be able to afford food and clothes and stuff for him. Saving for college, retirement, or emergencies would be really difficult if I only had $500 a week left to spend. That pays, let's see... If I were paying all my bills, another $800 or so would be going to bills. Not to mention the debt on water, trash, and power.

Then we'd have uhhh $1200 left to pay for a month of groceries for two people, cat food, cat litter, any vet visits, any repairs around the house I can't do, gas, any car repairs, kid clothes, kid fun (birthday presents for him, for friends, games he sometimes wants, he needs pants, etc), and all the things we've just been doing without but really do need. Like hand towels.

Obviously nobody's retiring around here and he can just go to community college for the first two years, but also, shit is gonna happen and I won't be able to pay to deal with it. And I'm already doing that... Under the belief that it will get better.

If I was making $65k long-term, I would be almost as screwed.

I'd be losing the food stamps I now get, the ones I should be getting that have been going to my ex, and the cash aid for needy families that has also been going to my ex, who's now on disability.

I'd be replacing that money out of my salary, and not making enough more to cover all the predictable, recurring, but random expenses that come up all the time

And I wouldn't have time to look for better-paying work.

To me, people seem rich when they can save up for anything they might need, pay their bills, have extra income for whatever they want, and have extra savings for whatever they want.

I've done the math. Around here, and with a kid, I need to be making more than $100k to cross that line.

I'm lucky because -- omg, I just realized that millennials and Gen x have a shittier version of "baby boomers were lucky because."

We're lucky because you used to be able to rent a place with roommates and afford to live if you made like $15 an hour. (Idk what that number was anywhere else. But here it was about 1.5x-2x minimum wage; maybe it was similar or lower elsewhere.)

I've seen tiny, tiny apartments near me go for $1,600 a month. For one bedroom or a studio. In someone's backyard.)

Now, idk how anyone would afford to not live with their families during their 20s.

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

[justapurrcat]

73 questions

on a scale of 1-10, how excited are you about life right now? I would say 6.

describe yourself in a hashtag? #iftheworduncomfortablewasaperson

if you could do a love scene with anyone, who would it be? Tom. But I would be super awkward about it.

if your life was a musical, what would the marquee say? "Wrong Person, Wrong Time."

what’s one thing people don’t know about you? That I write fanfics.

what’s your wake up ritual? Don't have one. I just check my phone, regret not dying during the night, get up and skip breakfast.

what’s your go to bed ritual? I do my skincare routine, come up with many brilliant ideas I will not follow the next day, read/write on my phone until I pass out.

what’s your favorite time of day? Evenings (especially is the sunsets are pretty) and nights.

your go to for having a good laugh? Oh dear, I laugh so rarely I honestly don't know.

dream country to visit? Japan, absolutely. Now that I mentioned it, I might need to brush up my Japanese...

what’s the biggest surprise you’ve ever had? People not getting annoyed by my presence and saying they genuinely enjoy it and actively search for it... what's your plan?

heels or flats/sneakers? Sneakers, but I love heels and those who rock them.

vintage or new? Vintage.

who do you want to write your obituary? My best friends.

style icon? I... don't know, actually? Do the models in dark academia moodboard pics count?

what are three things you cannot live without? My phone, my cats, my friends.

what’s one ingredient you put in everything? Oregano/Mint/Paprika, it depends, but mainly these three.

what 3 people living or dead would you want to make dinner for? Mmm... my mom (because she hates cooking, but she's being doing stuff for other people her whole life), my grandma (she's from the place where lasagne were "invented", so it would be a huge test), and my grandpa (who loved to cook, so I would love to hear his opinion).

what’s your biggest fear in life? Being useless and unworthy of love.

window or aisle seat? Window.

what’s your current tv obsession? I don't have one at the moment.

favorite app? Tumblr.

secret talent? I can sew and sing a little, I guess?

most adventurous thing you’ve ever done in your life? Meh, everything makes me uncomfortable, merely existing is adventurous enough for me.

how would you define yourself in three words? Dreamer, afraid, over-thinker.

favorite piece of clothing you own? Anything that's purple or lilac.

a must have clothing item that everyone should have? Black/white tank.

a superpower you would want? Teleportation, no doubts on that.

what’s inspiring you in life right now? Writing? Seeing where that can bring me? Idk next question.

best piece of advice you’ve received? "Make fun of it before others can, so they won't be able to hurt you"... given to me by myself.

best advice you’d give your teenage self? "No" is a nice word and you should say it more. Also, stop apologizing for everything. And DON'T make your eyebrows thinner!

a book everyone should read? The "My Brilliant Friend" tetralogy by Elena Ferrante.

what would you like to be remembered for? Nah, just forget me, it's embarrassing.

how do you define beauty? I don't.

what do you love most about your body? You mean despise the least? Probably my eyes, but on alternate days.

best way to take a rest/decompress? Listen to music, nap, cuddle a cat, if you have one.

favorite place to view art? In a museum.

if your life was a song, what would the title be? The Autumn of Violet Lilies.

if you could master one instrument, what would it be? Piano.

if you had a tattoo, where would it be? On my nape.

dolphins or koalas? Koalas.

what’s your spirit animal? A cat.

best gift you’ve ever received? A corset. It was technically mine, because I made it, but I got to keep it.

best gift you’ve given? A handmade doll.

what’s your favorite board game? Dixit.

what’s your favorite color? Purple in its every shade.

least favorite color? Orange.

diamond or pearls? Pearls.

drugstore makeup or designer? Both.

blow-dry or air-dry? Air-dry.

pilates or yoga? Yoga.

coffee or tea? I drink tea, darling.

what’s the weirdest word in the english language? Farthingale.

dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Milk.

stairs or elevators? Stairs.

summer or winter? Winter.

you are stuck on an island, you can pick one food to eat forever without getting tired of it, what would you eat? Pizza.

a dessert you don’t like? Pudding.

a skill you’re working on mastering? Living.

best thing to happen to you today? I got to spend some time with my best friends.

worst thing to happen to you today? Waking up still alive.

best compliment you’ve ever received? Unbelievably, something about my writing.

favorite smell? Flowers, especially lilies, roses and violets, chocolate, mint, vanilla.

hugs or kisses? Hugs.

if you made a documentary, would it be about? Historical garments.

last piece of content you consumed that made you cry? "Tear Along the Dotted Line".

lipstick or lipgloss? Lipstick.

sweet or savory? Savory.

girl crush? Idk, I fall in love with everyone, I'm a bit of a whore under that aspect. Right now, Simone Ashley, Gemma Chan, Anne Hathaway and Sharon Alexie.

how do you know your in love? When you go "oh shit, this ain't gonna end well".

a song you can listen to on repeat? Anything by Taylor Swift, really... right now, it's "The Lakes".

if you could switch lives with someone for a day, who would it be? My cat.

what are you most excited for about this time in your life? Beginning this new job.

tagged by @silkscream and @indouloureux thank you lovies 💜

tagging: @ahoefortomholland @jahayla-parker @thollandsdarling @buckybarnesandmarvel @spiderboytotherescue and whoever wants to do this⁓