I am going to get a LOT of flack for this.  I understand that this is a very hot topic, and I also understand the internal struggle C and I face everyday because of these decisions.

C and I have applied for public assistance.  We are now getting SNAP, he is applying for partial unemployment now that his job cut him down to under 20 hours a week, and we had help paying our heating bill this month.  We will continue to get these benefits until a) C gets a better job b) C starts working 30+ hours at his current job again or c) we move.

Now here is where the moral dilemma comes in.  We know we have $400 put aside for buying this land.  We COULD use that money to pay our bills.  That would still only leave us about $50 for food for the month, but it’s there, we have it.  This is also why I put the money somewhere where I cannot get to it.  If we use this money we will never et out of our current situation.  Here is our justification for this.  We have paid in to the system for years.  We are only needing it to help us for maybe 6 months.  is it better to use the benefits for a short period of time while we save money to better ourselves, or live on the edge of poverty our entire lives?  I am going to go with the former.  I think that’s what assistance should be, to help you through the hard times so you can better yourself.  We are moving in May, period.  Right now the ONLY way that is going to happen is if we ask for help.  Once that happens not only will we be out of the system, never to be on it again, but we will be teaching other people to do the same thing.  To me that’s a win/win situation.  The way that I see it people living in poverty have 3 options.  1) continue to live in poverty and in the system 2) “get a better job” which as we are proving is not as easy as it sounds or 3) learn to get out of it by learning to do things for themselves and not having massive bills to pay.  For me i would much rather do the later.

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