Family help: I am a single mom of two girls and i just got laied off my job - Help.com

“do get unemployment but that’s only enough to pay my bills”

What more do you need? That sounds like a fantastic system we have.

As for the holidays; your family will just have to muddle through and accept that things are tight this year.

If it pays your bills than that is a great thing. A lot of people are in much worse shape. Look for ways to cut those bills down.

What bills do you now have?

How old are your kids?

I am looking to help you, You wont get any money from this site - you will only get advise here.

But it is true I don’t like your audited. That after getting assistance you complain about it.

The 10 year old should also be out looking for money for the family in tough times. In the interim while you and your oldest are looking for a job. The three of you should be canvassing the area around you looking for odd jobs that will bring more money into the home.

You can go door to door asking if people require any odd jobs being down for a small donation. You can explain to them your story and how you need help putting food on the table. See if they can part with $5-$10 in exchange for some work you will do for them (cleaning their house, walking their dog, ect)

If the 3 of you each get 3 people a day to help you out that will be an extra $315 a week tax free.

Thought # 1:

Do you have any things that you can sell to raise money for the holiday? TVs, video games, a car, jewelry, camcorders? I made $1000 in a day by having a yard sale last fall. For each item, ask yourself, “What do I need more, these skis or the $75 that I could get for them?”

Thought #2:

At 10 and 17, your daughters may be old enough to enjoy a home-crafted Christmas. I bet if you look around the house you’ll find the materials to make scarves, hand-crafted jewelry, decorated picture frames, holiday cookies … If you have felt and glitter you can make nice ornaments. If you have scraps of fabric you can make throw pillows for their beds. If you have a button box and a tube of glue, you can make all sorts of fanciful things.

Thought #3:

Food pantries.

Thought #4:

For a really special holiday, the three of you could volunteer to serve Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to the homeless through Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or other charities. You get to join them at the tables and enjoy the meals yourself.

Thought #5:

Churches host all kinds of nice parties around the holidays, often with cookies and punch. A Christmas Eve service with a reading of the Christmas story, candle-lighting, and cookie party, can fill your hearts with holiday warmth whether or not you have cash.

Thought #6:

An important part of our holidays has always been a series of candelight readings starting early in December. We gather to read “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” “A Christmas Carol,” and “Miracle on 34th Street.” If you don’t have those books, you can get them at the library. Add some spiced tea and a sugar cookie, and you have a holiday celebration fit for royalty.

Thought #7:

Some time during the holiday, plan a pot luck with close friends or relatives. Assign one guest a salad, one a main course, one a vegetable side dish, one a dessert. You provide the venue and a gallon of warm cider mulled with spices, along with a festive table topped by your nicest dishes and napkins. There you have it—a free Christmas revel, apart from the $3.00 or so for the cider.

Thought #8:

If you follow that pot luck dinner up with Christmas caroling in the neighborhood, it will be even more fun.

Thought #9:

Municipalities do their things, too. In my town, there’s an evening Santa Claus parade. All the shops on Main Street serve cookies and punch, the local temple serves latkes, and there’s a pizza party for all—-all of it free.

Thought #10:

Got a CD player? Rotate different holiday music over dinner each evening in December: The Nutrcracker, Christmas hymns and carols, popular holiday music. Again, if you don’t have these CDs, your local library probably does.

THought #11:

If you have a VCR or DVD player, your could also hit the library for the makings of a December film festival: “A Christmas Carol,” “Miracle on 34th Street,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “A Christmas Story,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” etc., played in rotation. (Just remember to return these to the library quickly so that other borrowers can enjoy them during the holidays).

I could go on, but I guess you get the idea, which is this: Seize the opportunity to use this year for an old-fashioned, simple Christmas that will spark your creativity and bring the three of you closer together.

Good luck.

Thought #4:

For a really special holiday, the three of you could volunteer to serve Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to the homeless through Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or other charities. You get to join them at the tables and enjoy the meals yourself.

Which will also help your children get over the fact that they arent having a hot holiday season, seeing that some people dont even get a hot meal most of the time.

Da⌐11 wrote:

Thought #4:

For a really special holiday, the three of you could volunteer to serve Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to the homeless through Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or other charities. You get to join them at the tables and enjoy the meals yourself.

Which will also help your children get over the fact that they arent having a hot holiday season, seeing that some people dont even get a hot meal most of the time.

You bet, Da-11.

The salvation army can help with both food, assistance and even Xmas gifts for the kids…you just need to apply.