Ghetto Shoestring Budgets

I have heard poor people are poor money managers. Not so, you have to have money to manage it.

I got very frustrated daydreaming about renovating my house, especially from magazines, expensive stores, nifty sites that offer Kardashian rediculously expensive ( in my opinion tacky)  lifestyles as comparisons. Who has that sort of cash flow? Not me. I cant afford to hire most people to do work on my house, so bought power tools and learned to do a lot in my house. A lot. 

Being a very resourceful person, I spent the last forty years finding ways for poor people and abused women to get on even footing ;  finding resources to cut food expensive, housing costs, utilties etc. If one is juggling paying rent, utilities, food costs rising and every other expense we all have, how on earth you gonna pay an electrician, plumber and get the floor redone? Buy furniture, are you kidding me? The only reason I have a home of my own was born from tradegy. My BFF left me a small fortune and I immediatly bought my daughter a home of her own and myself one. I was never nor her, gonna fear the roof over our heads. I paid cash for both and was left with a little to get a newer auto for both of us. I finally could provide economic security for my daughter and myself. I could die happy knowing she would never be homeless or too poor to have time to enjoy life. I am so friken more relaxed knowing this heavy weight and burden is off my shoulders and hers. 

The reason I am doing this blog is to help you get a fair shot at life. A glimpse of the American Dream and a chance to have a minute to exhale and use the crazy resources I had to resort to , to survive poverty with my marbles somewhat intact. I am priveleged and I know it. Everyone deserves to have a home of their own and a way to get food and basic needs met without landing on Prozac or smoking way too much weed to get through a day. 

This house cost $1.00 to buy  in Indiana. One Dollar. Bear in mind there were renovations to do, but also know, there are lots of government programs to offset those costs. There are also lots of small towns desperate to fill abandoned houses and bring new revenue to their areas, lots of towns are selling these foreclosures that land on their tax roles for pennies. 

Most Americans are poor, there are very few middle class anymore so far off is the "American Dream". There is a vast  expanse between poverty level poor and massive wealth. It's a vicous cycle with a US minimum federal wage of $7.25 an hour. Even if you worked two jobs it is unlikely your assets and your expendictures are ever the twine to meet. Your usually at a deficit, of $400.. a month short of meeting basic necessities. Forget about enjoying life, a treat for my daughter and I was a once a month happy meal that was unnutritious but it was a reward for suffering in poverty. A chocolate Shake, maybe once every two months. I was lucky to have enough cash flow working two jobs and going to college full time to have food and rent, but time, time was my enemy and joy was in short supply. My guts were in knots most of the time juggling 30 things and having no time, money or get ahead moments, staving off homelessness and starvation was my constant worry. 

I shall do my best to find resources for free to post on my website for you. Whomever you are. 

HOMEOWNERSHIP  : NOT IMPOSSIBLE

Everyone on earth deserves to own a home. Everyone. Here are some ways when you have few resources, poor credit and obstacles to leap bounds over to make that possible.  Yes there is a Santa Clause or Mrs. Clause, you have to know where to look. 

1. Homeownership when you have no financial way on earth to buy a home. 

https://www.hud.gov/sites/docuWNERSHIP.PDFments/SECTION8HOMEO

a.) If your blessed with a Section 8 housing voucher, if not, get on a list, regardless of a five year waiting period, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Did you know you can use a Section 8 housing rental voucher to buy a home? The Government does not advertise this option nor do realtors looking for easy sales suggest to poor people this option. Here is how it works. You must have the voucher and use it and keep it current for one year. After that contact your local housing authority and ask if they have that housing voucher program. Not all housing authorites do. But the good news on that,  a lot do and the other good news is that voucher is considered traveling, you can take it to any state or town that offers the homeownership option on your Section 8 and HUD will pay 70% of your mortgage and you pay 30% of your mortgage, the bank is assured of 70% of your mortgage payment which is the principal on the loan and then some, so it is a win win for the bank and they know it.  Go on the HUD website and research what housing authorities by state and town have that program. Then start jumping through hoops. Yeah, there are always hoops to jump through. They require you attend their financial strategy planning program, classes you have to take to prove you know how to make a budget and keep to one. It's free classes so there is that good news. Then you have to find out how much house you can afford and how much house HUD will approve you to buy. So skip the castle , think household size. Then you approach a bank, if your credit is poor your gonna have to fix it, there are non profits who will help you negotiate out of debt, look into the SBA, a group of retired business people who volunteer their time to help you get clear of credit issues and help you to raise your credit scor. Your gonna have to be patient. It might take a few years to get your credit in shape and jump through the hoops. Another bit of good news , banks will consider you. You see by transfering your Section 8 voucher to homeownership , the bank gets paid by HUD 70% of the mortgage and you pay the differene, 30% of your mortgage. This assures you have a monthly mortgage payment you can actually afford to pay. 

2. Habitat for Humanity. 
They build houses people can afford. Get on the list!!!! Call your local Habitat for Humanity agency and ask to be put on their list. It takes about 5 years to get to the top of the list, but hey, in five years if you don't get on a list you will still be renting and worried how to pay that along with everythign else. 

https://www.habitat.org/

3. There are places in the country that will pay you to move to their small or big town or city and renovate a house they often give to you , anywhere from $1.00 to $1,000 to buy one. They too have stipulations, you have to commit to live there at least 5 years, you have to often times renovate these homes, bring them to code. There are also lots of non profits and government grants to put in new oil tanks, windows, insulation and electrical and plumbing costs to give you a boost up. Zillow is a good place to start to look. Or google towns offering incentives to move and live and homeownership if only you will come and join their community. These are usually impoverished areas, often times in very rural settings, so investigate thoroughly the options. For example, Detroit Michigan has thousands of abandoned foreclosed properties for less than $1,000 .( One Thousand Dollars) to buy from the City of Detroit. There are stipulations, you must make it a permanent residence, it must be brought to code, they do offer time periods and extensions on some time periods to get the renovations done. If your good with a hammer and know some electricians or plumber pals who could charge you cost or help you navigate the fiscal pol vaults you could own a sweet 2-4 bedroom house in a very depressed economy in Detroit but perhaps you and your friends can buy near one another, about half the city streets are abandoned homes. You could recreate a neihgborhoood and make it come back to life. 

https://matadornetwork.com/read/detroit-housing-sale/

My next blog post will be about renovating and innovating furniture, floors, lighting , anything you could think of for almost zero dollars. Leave me ideas, comments and , use my resources, I can find gold anywhere . Many more posts will be on strategizing to get almost anything you need  from free food, free furnture, free summer camps for your kids, scholarships for college for you the parent and your children, I even have resources to pay your property taxes with  governement resources as well as non profits. So stay tuned to my posts. 
It does take time but you can live a good life. 

This blog is dedicated to Trisha Struble, she was my employer, best friend and "adopted " daughter. She lost her life to suicide, she lost her battle of addiction, suffered the abandonment of her family and lost her swordfight with despair. She left me an inheritance I used it to provide for my daughter and grandchildren's future, a home for them and a home for me. Thank you so much! You were always my hero and my "Other Daughter".  I will miss you for eternity. I can still hear you answer the phone, "Hey darling woman".