Yesterday Taylor and I spent the last $61.28 on our food stamp card at Kroger. We paid the rest of the grocery bill out of pocket, hence: the end of an era. From now on we'll be buying our groceries with money from our checking account. And I've come to the conclusion that that's a good thing. Keep reading.
For the past 9 months we haven't had to worry about paying for groceries, so our financial situation has significantly improved. When we first moved to Fairfield, we had no source of steady income, no real savings, and a terribly hard time convincing the landlord we really could afford this apartment.
Once we started getting food stamps, things began to turn around. We were able to relax a little bit about being able to afford our bills, and we could buy the food that we wanted and needed for quality, healthy meals guilt-free.
Of course, getting and keeping food stamps wasn't a walk in the park, but it was worth it. Because of our food stamps (and a healthy dose of frugality), Taylor and I have been able to pay all of our bills on time, quickly build up our savings account, and keep our debt to a minimum. We have also managed to keep the savings bonds my family purchased for me in the late '80s and early '90s in tact. (I remember giving the landlord a print out of the bond serial numbers as proof that we could afford rent for a year even if our financial situation didn't improve. Then we begged for them to lease the apartment to us.)
And it's because of all of these factors that Taylor and I are pleased to announce that we are not only back on our feet, but we're doing well. I'm not so nervous about the future anymore. In fact, it's exciting to think about the future! We weathered a difficult time in our lives, and we can do it again if we have to.
Hopefully we won't have to. :)
37 days to go until our wedding.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Snow days!
Well, not real snow days. I'm learning that most adults (unless they're teachers) don't get a day off from work, even when 8 inches of snow are forecast to fall. So this is what it is to be a grown up.
What if the county is in a snow emergency, you ask? Well, even if Butler County is on a level three snow emergency, we are expected to report because we are an "emergency service." That's right, emergency services aren't just limited to fire and police. Emergency food also falls under this category.
It's not that bad this morning, and even so, Alex and I would be here anyway. At top right is a view from our office; Dixie Highway is just past the little barns in the background.
While it's easy to get excited about the fluffy white stuff, I recognize why not everyone shares in the joy of a good ol' winter storm. If you don't have reliable transportation on a normal, sunny day, imagine the headache a few inches of snow can cause in trying to make it into work. Can your old car handle the snow and ice? Is your ride willing to venture out just so you can make $7.35 an hour? Or do you normally walk/bike to work? That's pretty much impossible on days like this, and yet, I have a feeling your boss won't be too understanding of your predicament.
Or what if driving is the way you make your living? I'm thinking of all you truck drivers/EMTs/paramedics/firefighters/police officers/bus drivers/mail delivery people/etc. out there. Your job doesn't stop because of inclement weather. And even though it is inconvenient, not to mention dangerous at times, to do your job, the show must go on. After all, your bills won't pay themselves.
(Be careful, Daddy and Taylor! I'm thinking about you on days like this.)
Or what if you have young children? When school's canceled you're stuck looking for child care, which tends to cost more than a day at school. And what if you can't find or can't afford child care? Do you take a day off work? Would that day off be unpaid?
And what if your cupboards are bare and you're trying to get a bag of groceries from your local food pantry? You manage to drive over or get a ride there just to find that the church where the pantry is housed decided to close early today. You will have to find another pantry or wait until tomorrow.
Don't get me wrong--weather doesn't just burden people in poverty. Weather doesn't discriminate based on class. But you can see how a person living day to day, paycheck to paycheck, might be a little more affected by a significant snowfall. It's something to think about anyway.
Happy shoveling.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Yeah, who's this?
Normally I don't like to take work home on the weekends, but this week we VISTAs got an urgent email from the state office that they had 2500 voicemails from people waiting on a return call for tax/benefit services. With hundreds of calls coming in daily, they just couldn't return the calls fast enough. So they asked for our help in returning these calls--and I volunteered.
That's right--I am volunteering this weekend, not working. This call-back-a-thon is considered "direct service" because we are talking directly to clients, and direct service is a no-no in the eyes of the Corporation for National and Community Service. They say that our time should be spent doing administrative tasks to make organizations more sustainable, not helping clients directly. So all of these hours and hours I am logging in calls are really going un-logged. Instead of earning hours and comp time, we will receive a compensatory gift card when we finish our calls.
Knowing the state office needed our help, that there would be a big snow storm blowing through today, that there would be nothing else to do, and that I could use a gift card, I agreed to help. I started making calls around 11:30 and finished around 4:30 for the day, with the occasional break in between. I have made a little over 50 calls, so I have about 40 some calls to make tomorrow.
This call back process has been really...interesting. Most people I call have forgotten that they ever called the OBB and have even forgotten what the OBB does. So when I introduce myself as "Kaitlyn with the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, the home of the Ohio Benefit Bank" people do one of four things:
1) Hang up,
2) Tell me they aren't interested,
3) Ask me to repeat myself,
4) Allow me to continue talking so that I can help them.
If I can talk fast enough, I can keep people on the phone long enough to decipher the purpose of their original call and can point them in the direction of a free tax site or benefit site.
If I can't reach anybody, I often have to leave a voicemail to let people know that the OBB is returning their call. And many times, people ignore these messages, see my number on their caller ID, and call me back directly. When I answer, "This is Kaitlyn, how can I help you?" they immediately shout, "Yeah, I got a call from this number. Who's this?" I patiently explain who I am, where I'm from and why I called, and they're still suspicious. Some of the women I talk to think that I'm cheating with their husbands or boyfriends, and some people are still confused about what the OBB does or why I would be calling. They can't understand that I am actually returning THEIR call.
But then there are the calls where people are gracious and cooperative. They really appreciate the tax site referral, and take the time to ask questions about our services. This is the educational component of the Ohio Benefit Bank, which I really enjoy being a part of. Even though I'm tired of making phone calls, it's these calls that remind me that there are thousands of people out there in need of free tax services so that they can keep 100% of their refund. And that makes it all (or most of it) worth it!
That's right--I am volunteering this weekend, not working. This call-back-a-thon is considered "direct service" because we are talking directly to clients, and direct service is a no-no in the eyes of the Corporation for National and Community Service. They say that our time should be spent doing administrative tasks to make organizations more sustainable, not helping clients directly. So all of these hours and hours I am logging in calls are really going un-logged. Instead of earning hours and comp time, we will receive a compensatory gift card when we finish our calls.
Knowing the state office needed our help, that there would be a big snow storm blowing through today, that there would be nothing else to do, and that I could use a gift card, I agreed to help. I started making calls around 11:30 and finished around 4:30 for the day, with the occasional break in between. I have made a little over 50 calls, so I have about 40 some calls to make tomorrow.
This call back process has been really...interesting. Most people I call have forgotten that they ever called the OBB and have even forgotten what the OBB does. So when I introduce myself as "Kaitlyn with the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, the home of the Ohio Benefit Bank" people do one of four things:
1) Hang up,
2) Tell me they aren't interested,
3) Ask me to repeat myself,
4) Allow me to continue talking so that I can help them.
If I can talk fast enough, I can keep people on the phone long enough to decipher the purpose of their original call and can point them in the direction of a free tax site or benefit site.
If I can't reach anybody, I often have to leave a voicemail to let people know that the OBB is returning their call. And many times, people ignore these messages, see my number on their caller ID, and call me back directly. When I answer, "This is Kaitlyn, how can I help you?" they immediately shout, "Yeah, I got a call from this number. Who's this?" I patiently explain who I am, where I'm from and why I called, and they're still suspicious. Some of the women I talk to think that I'm cheating with their husbands or boyfriends, and some people are still confused about what the OBB does or why I would be calling. They can't understand that I am actually returning THEIR call.
But then there are the calls where people are gracious and cooperative. They really appreciate the tax site referral, and take the time to ask questions about our services. This is the educational component of the Ohio Benefit Bank, which I really enjoy being a part of. Even though I'm tired of making phone calls, it's these calls that remind me that there are thousands of people out there in need of free tax services so that they can keep 100% of their refund. And that makes it all (or most of it) worth it!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
We are experiencing high tax volume...
Today was just further proof that tax season is a crazy time.
This morning Alex and I made the drive to Dayton to help out at a tax clinic hosted by HarvestCorps members at Dayton Urban Ministry. We arrived a little early and journeyed into the computer lab to get set up. We knew that the agency only had two trained counselors, so chances were we would be stepping in to see the occasional client. After dropping our stuff, we logged onto the OBB website and did a quick test to find out which computers were connected to printers. We were ready.
Or so we thought.
When the clinic began at 10 a.m., there were about 7 people already there, waiting for their taxes to be done. Some people had appointments but most did not, and since there were only 4 counselors on hand (including us), people were going to have to wait.
And they certainly did wait. Due to computer and space issues, only 3 of us were able to work at a time. Even with just 3 of us online, the network couldn't handle the demand and took an average of 1-2 minutes to load each page. I called the Benefit Bank help desk to see if the problem was on their end, but alas, it was not. Eventually, people grew tired of waiting and scheduled an appointment to come back tomorrow or Friday. Some people just left all together.
But we were still able to help quite a few people during the clinic. My first client was a veteran and a former deputy sheriff who started collecting disability payments after being stabbed in the line of duty a few years ago. He was currently caring for his nephew and daughter, and he came prepared with all of his forms. We worked as quickly as we could and discovered he could anticipate a $2200 refund. He was pleasantly surprised!
But then we hit some snags. He had brought all of his forms with him except for one--his 1040 from 2008 which would include his AGI from 2008. Without that number, we couldn't e-file. So we waited while he called the IRS and sat on hold for 15 minutes before we could e-file his return. This is my fault, really. If I had asked him if he had his 2008 tax return or AGI when we first got started, we could have avoided this delay. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to do the thing I tell all of our counselors to do, so we had to wait. Furthermore, my computer apparently lacked Adobe software, so I had to wait 20 minutes for it to download before I could print any tax forms for the man's records. Finally, about 2 hours after we started, we filed his return.
My next client was a woman in her late forties who had collected unemployment all year. She wasn't able to find any work, so her only form was a 1099-G. Lucky for me, she also had brought her 2008 tax return so we could quickly access her 2008 AGI. As I glanced through her records, I noticed she had received a refund last year of over $6,000. But this year, because she wasn't working, she couldn't claim the Earned Income Tax Credit. Some of her kids had also outgrown the child tax credits and additional child tax credits so she wasn't able to claim those. And she wasn't able to claim another child as her dependent because the girl had turned 19 during the tax year and wasn't a full time student.
Fortunately, she had had federal taxes withheld from her unemployment checks, so she didn't owe anything, but she also will only get about $1000 back in her refund this year. When I told her this, she thought I had made a mistake, so we went back through her entire return to make sure I hadn't missed anything. Finally, I just had to explain why she wasn't getting as many credits this year, including the EITC. Her response was: "But it's not my fault I couldn't find work!"
And the only thing I could say was, "I know, it isn't fair, and I'm sorry your refund isn't as high as it was last year. I hope 2010 is better for you."
And you know what? That's a really crummy feeling to send someone away so disappointed. She had waited for 2 hours anticipating a big refund--she had already figured out what she would do with the money. I really hope that unemployment rolls go down this year and people can find work so that they can claim those EITC credits next year!
This morning Alex and I made the drive to Dayton to help out at a tax clinic hosted by HarvestCorps members at Dayton Urban Ministry. We arrived a little early and journeyed into the computer lab to get set up. We knew that the agency only had two trained counselors, so chances were we would be stepping in to see the occasional client. After dropping our stuff, we logged onto the OBB website and did a quick test to find out which computers were connected to printers. We were ready.
Or so we thought.
When the clinic began at 10 a.m., there were about 7 people already there, waiting for their taxes to be done. Some people had appointments but most did not, and since there were only 4 counselors on hand (including us), people were going to have to wait.
And they certainly did wait. Due to computer and space issues, only 3 of us were able to work at a time. Even with just 3 of us online, the network couldn't handle the demand and took an average of 1-2 minutes to load each page. I called the Benefit Bank help desk to see if the problem was on their end, but alas, it was not. Eventually, people grew tired of waiting and scheduled an appointment to come back tomorrow or Friday. Some people just left all together.
But we were still able to help quite a few people during the clinic. My first client was a veteran and a former deputy sheriff who started collecting disability payments after being stabbed in the line of duty a few years ago. He was currently caring for his nephew and daughter, and he came prepared with all of his forms. We worked as quickly as we could and discovered he could anticipate a $2200 refund. He was pleasantly surprised!
But then we hit some snags. He had brought all of his forms with him except for one--his 1040 from 2008 which would include his AGI from 2008. Without that number, we couldn't e-file. So we waited while he called the IRS and sat on hold for 15 minutes before we could e-file his return. This is my fault, really. If I had asked him if he had his 2008 tax return or AGI when we first got started, we could have avoided this delay. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to do the thing I tell all of our counselors to do, so we had to wait. Furthermore, my computer apparently lacked Adobe software, so I had to wait 20 minutes for it to download before I could print any tax forms for the man's records. Finally, about 2 hours after we started, we filed his return.
My next client was a woman in her late forties who had collected unemployment all year. She wasn't able to find any work, so her only form was a 1099-G. Lucky for me, she also had brought her 2008 tax return so we could quickly access her 2008 AGI. As I glanced through her records, I noticed she had received a refund last year of over $6,000. But this year, because she wasn't working, she couldn't claim the Earned Income Tax Credit. Some of her kids had also outgrown the child tax credits and additional child tax credits so she wasn't able to claim those. And she wasn't able to claim another child as her dependent because the girl had turned 19 during the tax year and wasn't a full time student.
Fortunately, she had had federal taxes withheld from her unemployment checks, so she didn't owe anything, but she also will only get about $1000 back in her refund this year. When I told her this, she thought I had made a mistake, so we went back through her entire return to make sure I hadn't missed anything. Finally, I just had to explain why she wasn't getting as many credits this year, including the EITC. Her response was: "But it's not my fault I couldn't find work!"
And the only thing I could say was, "I know, it isn't fair, and I'm sorry your refund isn't as high as it was last year. I hope 2010 is better for you."
And you know what? That's a really crummy feeling to send someone away so disappointed. She had waited for 2 hours anticipating a big refund--she had already figured out what she would do with the money. I really hope that unemployment rolls go down this year and people can find work so that they can claim those EITC credits next year!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Bicycle Capital of the Midwest
If you couldn't tell from the title of this post, I am writing today from Xenia, Ohio--"the bicycle capital of the Midwest!" (It's on the water tower so it must be official.)
I am teaching 5 new counselors how to file 2009 taxes. These trainings are largely uneventful and predictable. People will always struggle with logging in to the system, they will always forget the password (tbb12345) and they will always need me to spell my name at least 4 times (after all, there are about a thousand ways to spell variations of 'Kaitlyn.' Thanks, parents.)
They will also almost always, without fail, freak out about tax laws.
I don't know what it is, but people get crazy when it comes to taxes. Counselors are so scared of messing up their clients' tax returns that they obsess over every little tax rule in training. Some even become combative and argumentative!
For any future counselors out there, please note: I AM NOT A TAX EXPERT, NOR DO I CLAIM TO BE ONE! I know the Benefit Bank software and that's what I am here to teach. I am not giving you an advanced lesson in tax laws. For that you would need to go to law school. Or the IRS website.
But these little tax tantrums aren't just limited to new counselors. Clients also freak out about taxes. For example, a couple of weeks ago, Alex got a call from a woman wanting to do her taxes. When she asked the woman what forms she had (W-2s, 1099s, etc.) the woman said she didn't know--because she hadn't received any forms yet. Alex had to patiently explain that we can't file her taxes until she has her documents. And sure enough, the day after she got them in the mail she was in our office.
Yesterday I saw two tax clients. They had called last week and spoken with Alex, who tried to persuade them to attend our awesome tax clinic on February 13th, but both refused to wait 12 days to get their taxes done. Not wanting them to go elsewhere and pay for tax filing services, or worse, interest rates on outrageous refund anticipation loans, we scheduled them to come in.
The first woman who came in had a simple enough return. As we worked, I felt increasingly more confident and thought "tax season isn't so bad--I can handle this!" Then the afternoon rolled around. The second client was to come in at 2:00, giving me an hour and a half to do the return. But 2:30 came and went and he still wasn't there. I figured he was a no show, but then at 2:45 he called explaining he had had to wait for the mailman to arrive with his second W-2 and 1099-INT. I told to him that unfortunately Shared Harvest closes at 3:30 and the next available appointment wouldn't be until Thursday. Fully expecting to pencil him in for Thursday, he abruptly said "I'm on my way!" and hung up. So he arrived around 3, he opened his mail, and we got started. By 4:30 he had filed his federal and state taxes and he discovered he could expect about $1500 in his refund. I was glad to help--I'd want $1500 ASAP too, but WOW. Calm down, everyone, we'll get you taken care of!
I'm discovering that February will be like a permanent full moon month. People will behave in strange ways to file their taxes, get their refunds, and keep the IRS off their case.
Meanwhile, I can't wait for this class to be over so I can get home tonight and file my taxes! In fact, I should have brought my forms with me today so I could be doing it right now!
Just kidding...kinda...
I am teaching 5 new counselors how to file 2009 taxes. These trainings are largely uneventful and predictable. People will always struggle with logging in to the system, they will always forget the password (tbb12345) and they will always need me to spell my name at least 4 times (after all, there are about a thousand ways to spell variations of 'Kaitlyn.' Thanks, parents.)
They will also almost always, without fail, freak out about tax laws.
I don't know what it is, but people get crazy when it comes to taxes. Counselors are so scared of messing up their clients' tax returns that they obsess over every little tax rule in training. Some even become combative and argumentative!
For any future counselors out there, please note: I AM NOT A TAX EXPERT, NOR DO I CLAIM TO BE ONE! I know the Benefit Bank software and that's what I am here to teach. I am not giving you an advanced lesson in tax laws. For that you would need to go to law school. Or the IRS website.
But these little tax tantrums aren't just limited to new counselors. Clients also freak out about taxes. For example, a couple of weeks ago, Alex got a call from a woman wanting to do her taxes. When she asked the woman what forms she had (W-2s, 1099s, etc.) the woman said she didn't know--because she hadn't received any forms yet. Alex had to patiently explain that we can't file her taxes until she has her documents. And sure enough, the day after she got them in the mail she was in our office.
Yesterday I saw two tax clients. They had called last week and spoken with Alex, who tried to persuade them to attend our awesome tax clinic on February 13th, but both refused to wait 12 days to get their taxes done. Not wanting them to go elsewhere and pay for tax filing services, or worse, interest rates on outrageous refund anticipation loans, we scheduled them to come in.
The first woman who came in had a simple enough return. As we worked, I felt increasingly more confident and thought "tax season isn't so bad--I can handle this!" Then the afternoon rolled around. The second client was to come in at 2:00, giving me an hour and a half to do the return. But 2:30 came and went and he still wasn't there. I figured he was a no show, but then at 2:45 he called explaining he had had to wait for the mailman to arrive with his second W-2 and 1099-INT. I told to him that unfortunately Shared Harvest closes at 3:30 and the next available appointment wouldn't be until Thursday. Fully expecting to pencil him in for Thursday, he abruptly said "I'm on my way!" and hung up. So he arrived around 3, he opened his mail, and we got started. By 4:30 he had filed his federal and state taxes and he discovered he could expect about $1500 in his refund. I was glad to help--I'd want $1500 ASAP too, but WOW. Calm down, everyone, we'll get you taken care of!
I'm discovering that February will be like a permanent full moon month. People will behave in strange ways to file their taxes, get their refunds, and keep the IRS off their case.
Meanwhile, I can't wait for this class to be over so I can get home tonight and file my taxes! In fact, I should have brought my forms with me today so I could be doing it right now!
Just kidding...kinda...
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