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It sounds ironic, but I'm glad to hear other peoples' experiences because then I don't feel so bad about myself.
With pets, I have come to prefer a fairly rapid descent. I had an experience with renal failure in an older cat where the vet taught me how to give subcutaneous fluids. It was like magic. Every time he started to crash I could hang a bag and bring him back. He would perk back up, eat, get around fine including hopping up onto the couch, snuggling and purring. It gave me a god complex. Until it started being less effective and he ate less, started getting hollow eyes, staggering and needing help to get on the couch. Then I started feeling more like Dr Frankenstein. It became increasingly obvious I was doing it for me, not him. Taking him in and turning him over to the vet was really hard but it was the best choice.
I am very sorry for your loss, but it sounds like the suffering wasn't so prolonged and most of your memories will be of the good days. I hope so.
You have no assets to liquidate to pay creditors or vet bills, yet you claim that BK and vet care for your aging cat are non-negotiable constraints. You don't - as you correctly state - have any room to maneuver if you are not willing to do what needs to be done. Is hubris the problem? Are you concerned about what people will think? - Then let them live your life for you, because that is the power you would be giving them if that is your motivation for not helping yourself.
Bankruptcy is not a personal shame. It is a business proposition. CC companies write off debt every day. This is no time to avoid the hard decisions - aka, the "reasons you can't go into". Call TakeChargeAmerica or one of those non-profit credit counseling centers. Tell them your age and your circumstances. Tell them you need to settle at ?pennies on the dollar. Once you hear with your own ears that the counseling centers won't work with you because there's nothing to work with, your remaining option is BK.
You did not state the "on-line" attorney's rationale for advising against BK. Let go of any pretensions about quality medical care for your cat, and holding your head high in a town you're intent on leaving, and eschewing subsidized housing. You need breathing room. At this point, it's survival.
If a non-profit credit workout company will not take you as a client (because you have too little), you are staring at an immovable wall. You HAVE to file for BK. Your alternative is to simply stop paying and vanish.
Bankruptcy was made for people like you, who need to wipe the slate clean. Make an appointment and go visit your town's attorney (the one paid for by tax money) and ask him/her to refer you to a local attorney who will handle your bankruptcy case pro bono. Go visit your town's Agency for the Aging. Yours is not a new problem under the sun. They will be able to advise you. Ask them for a referral to an attorney who will handle your case pro bono, or as a client of the Agency for the Aging. Why did you not apply for housing assistance years ago?
Your creditors cannot go after your SS through the BK trustee. They can't intercept your Federal refunds, if any. The only thing they can do is ding your credit score, and tens of millions have been dinged, what with the Great Recession. BTW - if you HAVE Federal refunds, arrange not to have them. Have less withheld.
FICO score will be shot for three years. So what? What do you envision buying on credit? Move to a town with senior transportation. Once your car dies, don't get another one. You'll have disposable income if it's not consumed in cc payments. For BK: You'll need the filing fee. If you have little enough income, that will be relaxed or waived. Baby-sit for cash to finance your BK and your move. Just abandon your shackles and gain freedom, otherwise you'll not have it before you die.
Millions of people live with thyroid problems (AND have life after BK). Millions of animals live with thyroid problems. Research Synthroid - perhaps it is suitable for cats. Did you come clean with your vet about your dire financial situation? Did you ask him about no-cost/low cost alternatives? He will have ideas for you. Synthroid is cheap and you can get it at Wal-Mart for $4.
Research your state bankruptcy laws, vs. those of other states. IIRC, NY is very pro-consumer. If not, get out of there with a suitcase and the clothes on your back and move to a place that is very, very lenient. Leave the cr*p behind, you can't afford to lug it. Hook up immediately with the Agency on the Aging and get on the wait list for a subsidized apartment. In the meanwhile, you may need to find a rented room.
So, in sum, I believe you should aggressively seek the help that is available (pro bono bankruptcy; housing assistance; any help available for the elderly indigent - that is what you are). Let your cat coast with his thyroid condition until you are on sounder financial footing. And get the h*ll out of a toxic, high cost state UNLESS they can get you a FAST BK.
That's all I've got. I know it's been a rough road and hindsight is 20/20 - but let this be a lesson to us all. Let cold, hard reason be our constant companion. We older women cannot afford wishful thinking.
Best wishes to you.
Jane, thank you for your very informative message. I probably won't answer all of it right now (will go back to it later).
You did not state the "on-line" attorney's rationale for advising against BK: She told me that because all of my banking (2 loans, 2 credit cards) are with a federal credit union. She said banks are much easier to get a bankruptcy through, that credit unions have rules (laws?) the protect them from bankruptcies.
You have no assets to liquidate to pay creditors or vet bills, yet you claim that BK and vet care for your aging cat are non-negotiable constraints. Cat was put to sleep this morning. Became very ill during the night, vet thinks she had a stroke (her heart rate was out of sight). Medicine order canceled.
Your alternative is to simply stop paying and vanish. When applying for a place to live, they ask for SS number. Can't stay vanished forever.
if you HAVE Federal refunds, arrange not to have them. Have less withheld. Never have to pay tax on my retirement money.
My vehicle is '09 Toyota Corolla which I have a lot of trust in that it won't break down anytime soon. I do believe in maintaining it. Maybe not the manufacturer's way, but how my mechanics have told me. Thankfully paid for.
You have given me so many ideas and I will pursue them as time permits.
I did mention in a later post that I have a little over $7,000 in a money market thing (probably not the correct term, but I can draw from in once a year...... October being first time for 2015.
I used to care what other people thought about me. Getting older has really helped me with that. It doesn't matter to me anymore.
NYGal,, I am so very sorry to hear about the loss of your precious kitty. If you have a library close by, you could look up books by Susie Orman, she has a lot to say about filing and surviving BK.
Since you can afford where you are living now, personally I'd just stay there and take this one step at a time.
Please don't beat yourself up over this...you're in my prayers!
NYGal,, I am so very sorry to hear about the loss of your precious kitty. If you have a library close by, you could look up books by Susie Orman, she has a lot to say about filing and surviving BK.
Since you can afford where you are living now, personally I'd just stay there and take this one step at a time.
Please don't beat yourself up over this...you're in my prayers!
Thank you loveautumn. I keep hearing little sounds and think it's Mimsy and then I'm brought up short and realize, no she's not there anymore. Good grief. Loving something so much really can cost, can't it? When they are gone, what can you do? She was my friend. We got through a lot of things together.
Thank you, too, for your encouragement on BK. I have made a phone call to someone I knew who could supply me with a person who would be my first step. I think I need to wait till tomorrow tho. My head is too sad today.
Great ideas overall...but regarding thyroid - the OP said OVERACTIVE. The cat has TOO much thyroid hormone so cheap Sythroid is not the answer. There may be other options but the obvious and cheap one won't work here.
Yes - please do not self-medicate your cat with thyroid meds! Tricky enough for a human, the cat can't tell you how it's feeling. Good luck (I've been broke with 5 cats, so I feel your pain)
Yes - please do not self-medicate your cat with thyroid meds! Tricky enough for a human, the cat can't tell you how it's feeling. Good luck (I've been broke with 5 cats, so I feel your pain)
My cat was put down this morning. In addition to the thyroid, her heart was very sick, too.
Senior cats are the last cats to be adopted out. She would live her golden years in a cage, and runs the risk of ending up in a laboratory where they perform experiments on her. You need her as a support system. Get her the meds, perhaps go on EBT for some food assistance and maybe that will counteract the $40. I believe pet food is allowed on EBT ( tho they say no, my ex boyfriend bought cat food cans with it occasionally). As for BK, a saying comes to mind I heard once. "You can.t save your ***** and your elbow at the same time". Drop your pride and ask for help! Good luck to you!
NYgal, I know it's difficult right now, but this may be ________'s (insert deity of chioce) way of opening a window when you only see a door closing.
Your furchild depended on you for everything, and with limited resources you moved mountains for her. You, too, can do it for yourself, in time.
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(I've been broke with 5 cats, so I feel your pain)
Hyper-thyroid often causes heart conditions too. HUGS
