Desparately seeking advice & information

my husband just got fired, 2 weeks severance pay only, we have no savings whatsoever and of course it's winter with the highest utility prices I've yet witnessed.

Plainly, we're in big, big trouble.

Because of ill health which includes terrible back pain & cramping I haven't been able to work in years. I'm going to try for a job at a call center and PRAY my back allows me to work 8+ hrs a day, 5+ days a week or even part-time if I get an (any!) offer; but I haven't worked in so long I'm very concerned about even landing a job... and of course I can't tell prospective employers that I haven't been able to work because of ill health...

I'm probably going to have to sell or pawn my engagement ring to survive for a month or two... I know it's just a material thing, but it's still a terrible wrench.

SO....

1) Does anyone know of any companies providing legitimate opportunities for work such as Help Desk/Call Center/Customer Service employment routed to your home phone? (Customer Service, esp. phone, is my forte; long ago I used to train phone people. I also know HTML, but not much Java, and am fairly computer literate esp. in internet and word processing. I know a fair amount of accounting in the form of balance sheets, end-of-month, etc. but not so much the software)
Also considered will be any other legitimate work at home employment possibilities such as assembly, etc. So many seem to be scams -- seemingly most of them. You know, those companies who say they can provide great work-from-home jobs but end up YOU paying THEM money
Oh, and no phone porn -- hubby would rather us be on the street than stoop to that.

--or--

2) Selling on eBay comes to mind,. Does anyone know of any REAL wholesale sellers online?
There seem to be so many who claim to be wholesalers, but their prices are above what sellers on eBay are selling at and making profits on. That's no help --I need to find their suppliers.
Drop-shippers, we buy then resell the product -- anything. There must be some real wholesalers out there, but finding the good ones, so far, has been like searching for the proverbial needle in a limitless haystack.

--or--

3) ANY other suggestions on how to gain a dignified --and legal-- income.

If it should matter, I live in York, PA.


Please, any advice or suggestions will be so very greatly appreciated.

Please.


Blessings and good karma to you all,
Happy Holidays,
and Merry Christmas! I hope we ALL have a better upcoming year ahead of us!

Thank you.


***On Edit: Oh yes, forgot to mention: something honest,
something that I would call honorable, even 'moral' -- such as no Pyramid schemes or things like publishing want ads that say how to make so much money, only what you're selling is how to publish the same want ads (sorry, don't know the proper term for that type of 'business' but it and other like that seem to be scams to me; I just wouldn't be comfortable doing that). Thanks again.

criteria regarding "firings for cause" vs otherwise.

Figure out which category you must seek benefits under. Most hourly employees have some unemployment benefits so long as they were not fired for cause.

Please come over to the DU topic area for eBay and collectibles and antiques, where you will find some kind and wise people who like helping others to sell.

First, I wonder if some real quick cash could be made on eBay. I believe that most people have a thousand dollars worth of stuff just sitting around that could be cash within a week for you. Old gifts, unused items, some oddities. If you have an eBay account and a Paypal account, you're ready to roll to get that quick cash.

Do you have any eBay experience? Even if not, it is possible to make a living there. Your goods are available to buyers worldwide 24/7. There are comparatively few startup costs. The sky is the limit, truly, and you can work in your pajamas.

The trick, as you say, is getting the stock to sell. With your location in York Pa, I wonder immediately about something intensely specific to that area. Food products of some kind? Some kind of artisanal or cottage craft? Items for the home still sell very well on eBay. Or how about rustic farm items such as old watering cans, garden tools, etc.

I don't know if you are interested in scouring for vintage items to re-sell -- perhaps your area has been scoured out. But think about the fact that other areas of the country are looking for "retro" and "atomic era" and "mid-century" items from the 50s and 60s that your more rural location might not be hip to yet, and therefore the items might be available for you to turn a profit. Example: ugly retro lamps sell for a song at rummage sales and estates, and bring good prices in cities.

Look at this as way to create a job that you will love. My best advice is to sell something that you yourself love. Your enthusiasm will shine through.

Join us over here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=403

http://www.alpineaccess.com/external/careers/faq_general.html
http://www.workingsol.com/agents_page/FAQ.html
http://callcenter.liveops.com/html/vsrinfo.mpl?page=cert-faq.html

Sorry to hear of your situation, and best of luck to you.

You can pm me if you have questions about the process.

...I am on welfare and I have some things I can tell you about surviving in the winter.

1. Go for energy assistance. Call your local community Center and they will put you in touch with the energy assistance or call the power company. In my state, if you call and the appointments are full, KEEP CALLING EVERY DAY because they open the appointments on their data base every week day midnight ~ at least they do where I live and it is probably not much different with the power company where you live either.

2. Don't sell your ring ...yet. Find all the resources you can first, they are out there, you just have to know where to look. Find a low income friend who can help you with those resources and your Community Center probably knows of a lot of them too, but they often don't know all of them.

3. Is your husband on Unemployment? If he is, he can apply for school, to "upgrade" his skills at your local community college. This will bring in a Pell grant (around $2000 a quarter), perhaps a state Need Grant (if your state does that, ity is around $1000 per qtr) and also a student work grant (around $1800 a qtr for 16 hours a week working on campus). You get a waiver from UI to go to school but the school adviser will help him with that. If he is turned down, he can appeal it. The Pell grant will pay for books, tuition and supplies with a little left over, the Need Grant will help out with transportation, and maybe childcare, and the student job helps with other things. You will also get these grant ON TOP OF his UI.

4. Apply for food stamps. If you or your husband are in school, your income from school grants will *not* count against your food stamp benefits, but your UI will.

5. Do you have kids? They are included as well with food stamps ~ and you are all eligible for medical coupons, the kids most likely for free, you and your husband for a reduced fee or free. Find a good community clinic. I worked for over 35 years and my last job had sterling medical coverage. But I am going to tell ya, I would not trade my Community Center doctor for all the tea in China, she is a gem because she understands my plight. Your kids (and sometime you) can also receive dental care, you are eligible for free birth control and other things from these clinics often. Your medicine is covered and you usually do not have to make the co-pay.

6. All states are given what they call Telephone Assistance. This is where you pay a reduced cost for the telephone bill if you are considered low income, which you will be while on UI. Vonage is one place that accepts Telephone Assistance here and they allow you to make free long distance calls all over the US if you pay $25.00 a month. Also check for free 56k Internet access, here there is a company called "No Charge" (http://nocharge.com) but there may be a public access line as well through the city. Take your laptop if you have one to the library where they usually have free hi speed wifi to download things.

7. If your husband is not eligible for UI, do not be too scared or too proud to apply for GAU, which is welfare for single people if you do not have kids. It is not much money up front but comes with medicaid, foodstamps as well as the small cash grant and it can open up the door for other services you will need, for instance it is almost automatic with GAU you will be elegible for energy assistance. They will probably hassle you a little and may even turn you down, because they are paid to discourage you, but appeal their decision, assert yourself. do not be afraid to ask to talk to a supervisor if the case manager is not responsive and also learn what your rights are! Also use your doctor's assistance by letter to show you are disabled. Disability includes back problems, depression, complications from diabetes, alcoholism, drug problems, and other things ~ you do not need to be in a wheelchair to get GAU.

I hope this helps you. I am an advocate for folks like you in my state. I volunteer and sometimes even accompany folks to help them through the complicated convoluted System which is designed to be confusing and punitive, but ignore all that. You are an American and there ARE some things left for you for the situation you are in right now. Feel free to PM me with any problems you encounter. Also know in your heart, this is not your fault. Even if your husband was fired for doing something wrong, people do make mistakes. Love yourself because you are precious, no matter how you are treated by the bureaucrats!

Cat In Seattle

I didn't save it, but managed to find it for you. I hope things look up for you. :hug:

Companies that hire home-based workers
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/12/20/companies.wah/index.html?section=cnn_latest

...that pawning your engagement ring will probably bring you very little money. Don't do it.