[colleeng47]

Originally Posted by karibear

Part of the overhaul was a cap on how long people could get it. I think the maximum was 5 years from the time the overhaul took effect.

Yes, i remember that now. I guess it's about 5 years?

[karibear]

Originally Posted by mkfarnam

Social Security has a program called "Ticket to Work". Ticket to Work: Offsite Resource ........... Ticket to Work: Ticket to Work which will help anyone on SS that wants to go back to work. Including retraining and rehabilitation. Some people have been on SS for so long they depend on the check, but there' a safety net for that.


I just heard the other day that SSI checks will soon be changed over to debit cards.

There are a lot of back-to-work programs. It's frustrating to deal with Social Security, though. In the voc rehab office where I worked, we had a copy of the second volume of the question and answer book SS published. Unfortunately, the answers were pretty much along the line of 'see volume 1' - which they wouldn't send, because they said if we were supposed to have it, it would have been sent already - or 'we don't have to tell you that because Congress didn't say so when they created Social Security.' One of the things they won't tell you is that there is a monetary cap on benefits for a person. This tends to affect people with major medical issues, like quadriplegics who need medical care and personal care - then suddenly, there's no money left for them, and what are they supposed to do? That's when people find out about the cap. There are a lot more issues too, just visit any disability activist site, and see what they have to say.

SSI is an odd racket, too. My husband had it for a couple years before I finally got SSDI. For some odd reason, SS couldn't find any record of him being employed during his adult life, forget that the IRS had no problems with that! We lived on his check for nearly 2 years, then we found out there was a 'spouse's benefit' available, too, so for 4 months he got an additional 30-something dollars. Then I won my appeal to SS, and they took half of my retroactive benefits, because I'd gotten that 'spouse benefit' and I was supposed to repay the state for all those living expenses. So a total of around 125.00 from SSI cost me big time. After that and various other deductions [like the lawyer] I ended up with about 3K of the 11K I'd been awarded. So nice of them to send me a balance sheet explaining why I wasn't getting most of it. At least they kept my husband on the SSI books so he got to keep medicaid. If they'd cancelled that, I'd be homeless and owng megabucks to the doctors and hospital.

[mkfarnam]

When a person first get SSDI, it should be retroactive back to the first diagnosis.

[kg5vw]

Originally Posted by Blue Skies

I would really like to hear from people who have moved from large cities to some of the smaller areas in Oklahoma.

I currently live outside of Los Angeles and have for 26 years. Love the weather and a few close friends, but thats about it.

The crime, traffic, taxes, illegal immigration, outrageous cost of real estate, greed, and air pollution have finally gotten to me.

Several of my best friends have left CA to go to Osage County. I have been 10 times in the past year and really liked Pawhuska, Ponca City, and the little towns in between (Foraker, Shidler, Fairfax, Hominy, etc) and a little place in S. Kansas called Arkansas City..

I sold my home in CA two years because I thought the market would crash (it did!). I am in my late 40's. Currently I work 60+ hours a week, and while the salary is fantastic, the toll is just too great on me (I could do it in my 20s, but not in my 40s).

Has anyone here ever left a high paying, high stress, 'fantastic' life in a large city and traded it for a quiet existence somewhere else?

And...can someone lived comfortably on $2,500 a month in the areas I mentioned?

I truly look forward to your responses, the good and the bad.

I've been to quite a few big cities around the country and lived in a few also. I'm living in Ponca City right now and its Okay and probably meets the criteria you describe. However, I get the feeling Ponca is on a downward spiral (good for housing costs) but the crime rate does seem to be on the upswing. Also, the majority of things you get used to having close by are really about 100 miles or more away. We have the fast food burger/taco places, but if you like Olive Garden or Red Lobster you have to drive. Same goes for the big box stores like Best Buy or Circuit City. We do have a Lowe's and every city of any size now days has a Wal-mart. Also, no major league sports venues!

I haven't been there lately, but I used to really like it in the Tahlequah area(bet you can't spell that one unless you are from around here!), even Wagoner used to be pretty nice, but both are in the same boat as Ponca City. I've been thru and shopped a little in Stillwater and it is pretty nice with a little more selection choices than here but housing costs are more and it is a college town (so is Tahlequah). Stillwater's big plus is that you can be in OKC or Tulsa in less than an hour because of the access to major interstate hiways.

I grew up in Sapulpa, a subburb of Tulsa and wouldn't mind being there, but the wife and I both have long term plans of getting some property near Skiatook lake and maybe building a lake/retirement home there. It would be a lake/weekend/vacation home until retirement. But, it is really taking off in that area as well.

Depending on your standard of living, you still should be able to find what you are looking for in Oklahoma at a much less monthy cost than most anywhere in California. I know, I have friends and family out there now. Hope this helps!

[Blue Skies]

Hi again, original poster here.

I spent two weeks during Christmas in Pawhuska, Ponca, Shidler, Tonkawa, etc.
I still love it!
It snowed on the 22nd and was very cold. I drove on ice for the first time in my life.
(they really mean it when they say 'don't hit the brake'....I did and slid the car about 20 feet on 14th street in Ponca City!)

I found the coolest little house in a neat little town called Tonkawa...it was a 1930 Craftsmen style, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, all the original built-in buffet, china cabinet and bookcases, hardwood floors, and a detached 2 car garage.....for $25,500!!!!!!!!!!
Unfortunately I am not quite ready to buy.
Thankfully I sold my house in So. Cal about 2 years ago....I regretted it for about 3 months but now realize that I could not sell it today for what it went for 2 years ago.
Because I have no 'real skills', I am little nervous. I have worked for 25 years for the same company (a real estate and property management company), I know leases and property management, but only the California laws.

Can anyone give me any feedback on working in the Casino's? There is a new one being built in Ponca City and they are hiring.

My lease on my little cottage is up July 30 of this year. And I promised my employer I would not leave them before that time.

I soooooooooo wish I was in Oklahoma now!

[Mattie Jo]

Wow! that house is right up my alley. Where is Toncawa? I wish I could see a photo of the house.

[_redbird_]

I never get tired of being in a casino. The only downside, well two things I don't like are the tribal politics and the fact that gambling can be like an addiction. Some people gamble for fun and a lot of little old ladies come in with $7 dollars and bet $0.09 per spin on the slots.

But some people get seriously carried away by gambling. I know one lady who spent $32K of her life savings. And one old lady would spend 2K in a day easy. I once got a $100 tip from some people just because they hit a jackpot. Our cashiers used to make up to $400/day on tips.

All in all, if you like casinos, you will like working in one. Its very sociable and I got to know a lot of people. We also met a lot of drunks who became loud and unruly, because I worked security and we won't let that deter the fun of the casino. That rarely happens.

Also, casinos here have buffets for like $4.99.

[peggydavis]

My daughter worked in a casino and she made good money off tips.

[Nameless]

Originally Posted by jessaka

Wow! that house is right up my alley. Where is Toncawa? I wish I could see a photo of the house.

Tonkawa is about 12 miles west of Ponca City on US 60, right next to I-35 and about 20 miles south of the KS state line, a bit closer to Wichita than OKC as it's just an hour up there.

[karibear]

Originally Posted by Blue Skies

Hi again, original poster here.

I spent two weeks during Christmas in Pawhuska, Ponca, Shidler, Tonkawa, etc.
I still love it!
It snowed on the 22nd and was very cold. I drove on ice for the first time in my life.
(they really mean it when they say 'don't hit the brake'....I did and slid the car about 20 feet on 14th street in Ponca City!)

I found the coolest little house in a neat little town called Tonkawa...it was a 1930 Craftsmen style, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, all the original built-in buffet, china cabinet and bookcases, hardwood floors, and a detached 2 car garage.....for $25,500!!!!!!!!!!
Unfortunately I am not quite ready to buy.
Thankfully I sold my house in So. Cal about 2 years ago....I regretted it for about 3 months but now realize that I could not sell it today for what it went for 2 years ago.
Because I have no 'real skills', I am little nervous. I have worked for 25 years for the same company (a real estate and property management company), I know leases and property management, but only the California laws.

Can anyone give me any feedback on working in the Casino's? There is a new one being built in Ponca City and they are hiring.

My lease on my little cottage is up July 30 of this year. And I promised my employer I would not leave them before that time.

I soooooooooo wish I was in Oklahoma now!

If you really like that house, you can always ask if the seller would be willing to delay the closing. Some people can be quite agreeable, if you ask them nicely and they aren't in a hurry. And it helps if you don't quibble about their asking price - a lot of places will lower a price for being cashed out quickly, but that's sort of dicey.

If you have 25 years' worth of experience in property management, I would say you have no 'real skills' at all! It's not that difficult to learn a new set of rules for filling in blanks. The property management company I'm leaving behind has many years' worth of experience in this state, and they don't seem to think such a thing as landlord/tenant laws even exist, let alone follow them.