It's been a month since I last spoke to the state about me not adding my PCA job to my unemployment reapplication. Then I was told to wait between one and three weeks. Since I had not heard from the state, either online through my account or through the mail, I surmised one of two things -- they had not gotten around to my app, or they had already rejected it. Obviously, I am much more worried about the latter scenario.
And unfortunately I was right. I called this afternoon in the safe confines of the roomy study room in the Ramsey County Library about ten minutes away from me. Turns out they did receive all the PCA addition. But it didn't matter, and all the wages I got taking care of Grandmother will not count towards me getting dole money. According to the state (and doing my best to decipher what the woman told me), helping a relative of mine does not count. Just helping a relative disqualifies me from getting unemployment from my PCA job. If I was helping a stranger, I guess it would be fine. But because she's "related" to me, it doesn't count.
Even though I lean left, for some reason I blame Governor Dayton for this.
So my agony over forgetting to add my PCA job when I sent it online just under the 6 p.m. deadline on Friday of the week I had to tell the state I was out of a job was moot. It wouldn't've mattered if I told them about this or not -- it would not have counted. And to think I would've gotten insurance because I paid into a job.
So I am stuck with the weekly benefit I got from the beginning: $122, minus anything I get through work. It's obvious that's shit money I can't live on, so I've been mentally trying to find ways to spend my day without spending money. I try to stick to that mantra, but then ... oh, I'll give Monday as an example -- I went out to the coffeeshop at the mall closest to me and, instead of getting just coffee, which I always get, but I took them up on the sign they put out and ordered some eggs, scrambled, and I got some cheese put on there for an extra 50 cents. That and the coffee (with tip) cost a total of $4. That might be chump change, but I usually spend only $1.50 there. I justify it because I have constantly overheard that the place is going to close at the mall and reopen at the U., so I have to try and take them up on their eggs soon. But that's, what, $2.50 I could use to spend somewhere else ... such as paying down my mountainous credit card bill.
So now I'm fucked. My checking account is going to be decimated no matter how much I cut back -- and I don't think I will because cutting back means I'm staying home, and staying home means I'll have to talk to my parents, gulp, during the daytime. I really do need to find a job, but until then, I'm a sitting fucking duck.
Every week I'll be rationing the money I get on the dole. I'll have to take out all the money I get from the state and hope that I have some left over, even though that has never happened. Something always comes up, like filling up my tank of gas, or buying your cousin wedding gifts, or something that happened when I came back home late this afternoon, getting a bill from the storage company saying the rent on my unit is due at the end of the month. And this is on top of all the credit card charges I have made.
I don't know what to do. I really don't know what to do now.
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