Here is my story…well, not really a ‘story’ so to speak but the story of my life.
Mine might be a little different. Because, I’m perfectly capable. I’m smart, I have a degree, I’m attractive, creative, have friends, etc. I have a lot going for me. I simply got in over my head I guess…
I am from south Texas. I moved back to Texas when I was 30 and spent the last year of my Dad’s life with him. He died from lung cancer 17 years ago. My mom was heartbroken, but a survivor. Her Dad died three months later. Both the most important men in our lives were gone. Just like that. I worked for a liquor distributor for the next 8 years and quit because I didn’t want to be in a bar in my forties and I had started “collecting” cool things and vintage items and had so many things I had filled up a 20×30 storage room. I was going to open my own vintage shop.
Mom had been sick, so sick I moved in with her to care for her. We went to every doctor possible and no one could figure out what was wrong. Neurologists, endocrinologists, gastroenterologists, immunologists, hematologists, hepatologists, infectious disease doctors, you name it. FINALLY, after four years of this and different diagnoses of lupus to fever of unknown origin, we discovered she had a very rare blood cancer. And after all this she got on an oral chemo and it was stabilized. Something she would simply live with for the rest of her life. I opened my shop! Two years later Covid happened and my shop closed bc well, the world shut down, I moved online, two years later Covid was finally ‘over’ and mom went to lunch w friends for first time in two years. She got Covid. She died three weeks later in the hospital. My world had just overturned. She was my mom. My best friend. My roommate. My biggest fan and worst critic. I thought I was safe at least in my condo she told me would be left to me. Turns out she didn’t own it, I was given two weeks to vacate and handle her estate.
Two weeks turned into a month and I moved out. I was lucky enough to have rented an old abandoned house from a friend to use as storage when my shop closed. I moved in there with my four cats from moms and my dog. I also had 3 cats at storage house. I was in the process of buying this storage house and while still renting with one month left before the buying process began, it was sold out from under me. I was given $3000 to move out immediately. Sounds like a lot of money , but it’s not. It helped me to be able to move in with my boyfriend into a house he was renting. That was a year ago. Since then , my boyfriend has been diagnosed with chf and can hardly walk much less work. My landlord has been super cool but here it is September 1 and after promising her I’d somehow come up with rent, I don’t have it.. my credit card payments are three months behind. I’m about to be sent to collections Because I can’t afford the minimum payments especially on my care credit card in which my “friend” used in her emergency to get temporary veneers for $4500 and I’m still paying on her $1500 interest . Some emergency.
I’ve sold through all of my vintage inventory and have applied for full time jobs despite wanting to continue working for myself. I have an Etsy shop, a print on demand shop, I work for Amazon flex and deliver packages as often as I can almost daily, I give plasma, I design logos for small businesses and can revamp an air Bnb on a budget. I’m a freelance photographer, I restore and flip furniture and can sell things people leave for trash. I somehow keep this house clean, keep food in the fridge, keep animals fed and work everyday. Gas. Animal food. Utilities. People food. I don’t shop for myself. I went from three dressers and two walk in closets at my moms to one dresser. I have already been a caretaker and didn’t sign up to be another but here I am supporting two adults, 7 cats (8 including landlords) and now two dogs bc they were going to shoot Hazel which is a whole other story.
I’m in over my head. I’m drowning and I need help just to get back on my feet before I am evicted. My landlord is already mentioning selling this house because she moved out of state last month. I don’t know where I would go with my plummeting credit score (which was 760 just a year ago but now I stopped tracking after it fell below 550), my small zoo and small income. My rent went up to $1000/mo starting today. Which I can totally afford splitting with my boyfriend. He hasn’t been working and hasn’t paid his half of rent in the last two months I just found out. I have $65 on a virtual gift card and $60 cash and rent is due.. I’m taking my boyfriend to the hospital today and going to drive for Amazon from 5p-10p for $90. My utility bill is almost $1000 and I haven’t even paid down on the deposit from a year ago. I owe over $6k in bills from credit cards which I will eventually pay off, if I can keep them from sending me to collections. I find my head wanting to hang as I type all of this out. But, I do not and will not feel sorry for myself because I work hard and am stronger than most. I will continue to bust my ass – I could simply use a friend. It’s so hard to even ask but I Thank you for taking your time to read.. I know all will be okay and I’ll keep moving forward with a smile. I’m grateful for I’ve been given such an amazing life, with amazing friends, loving pets, a car to drive and a roof over my head.
Cash app $gkink
paypal.me@ginnak