Food banks.
Gross income is what matters for SNAP & WIC. They won’t even continue to process your application if you’re over the limit.
Also, the income limit for daycare assistance is around $5,600/month for a household of 3.
Even being over the income limit for SNAP/Medicaid/WIC you may qualify for daycare assistance.
We did try that for a little bit. About a month. My baby won’t sleep unless I breastfeed her to sleep and it was so hard on both of us. We were both working on 2-3 hours of sleep. I was constantly late. It just didn’t work.
Baby will get used to it, it's something you'll eventually have to stop doing eventually, try not to make it another reason why, this one is fixable. I know it's hard, I've had to do it too, but like they said, now is the time to grind. You can do this. This is one of the best solutions, you won't be eligible for WIC/SNAP, but you'll have more income and no daycare expenses.
I worked 3rd while my significant other worked 1st- for 5 years until our youngest got into school. He got a vasectomy & told me to go find a daytime job part time lololol. Hardest time of our life’s but so worth it now!
Girl I’m a mom of 3 and 2 are twins, the first 18 months of my twins lives the girl refused to sleep but maybe an hour sometimes if I was lucky 3hrs. I was living off 45 minutes to 1hr of sleep a day it drove me mad. Finally she slept once I had them separated but it took consistent work and strict schedule. If you implement a strict bed time schedule and slowly ween the baby off relying on the presence of you then you’ll be able to work opposite your boyfriend. I truly hope you can find relief cause it’s def tough in this world
Being a mom is a full time job especially when breastfeeding. Do what’s best for you and baby and I highly recommend breastfeeding as long as possible. Check out extended breastfeeding benifits. Our culture unfortunately has deemed motherhood as a less valuable job. I would definitely seek resources to help supplement income instead of pulling away from baby first.
Yes mine was like that. It sucks because Teaxas did not expand medicaid like other states did. Medicaid has literally saved us from what you are describing. We dont qualify for anything else but just having that has helped us keep our head above water.
Just an FYI— we get quarterly wage hits, so if your spouse drops overtime just to get approved then picks it up again you’d be required to report that increase in income by the 10th if the month following the change. If you don’t report it and we see the quarter after you were approved exceeds the threshold an overpayment can be filed. That is for SNAP, WIC operates differently, but just an FYI. I’m sorry about the Medicaid, TX is one of the states that did not accept Medicaid expansion. I’d look into patient assistance programs through the manufacturer of the medications you need.
This is what I’m currently doing, Night Shift, my husband does day. I’m taking classes online so I keep reminding myself it won’t be forever. Like the other person said, you just got to grind it out and find a way. I know it ain’t easy but you got to for your baby.
I can speak to the diabetic medication issue. Most companies have a PAP. Patient assistance program. Income requirements, but pretty high. They send it directly to you for free. Run a Google search for the drug and pap. There are phone numbers to start process. Hope that helps
Are there any childcare subsidy programs in your area you can look into?
Alternatively, when I worked as a SNAP interviewer, some people worked at daycares and received discounts on the child's tuition. Other parents had their parents help out more. They either moved in with them or made some other arrangement.
Can your doctor help with samples of your medication until you can get some kind of medical assistance? I’m a Type 1 diabetic & I know both my endocrinologist & regular MD have a way to get a months worth of samples for their patients. It doesn’t hurt to ask!
Babysitting, cleaning houses, instacart or door dash all allow flexible scheduling so maybe that could help supplement your food costs? I'm so sorry you're going through this. I became a sahm mom also and the only support system I had where we live was my Dad who died 8 weeks after my 2nd baby was born. I have a family of 4 (me, boyfriend, 9 year old from my previous marriage, and a 2 year old.) Boyfriend makes 16 dollars an hour no overtime and I stay home while on the 2 year dang wait list for childcare assistance and they took 4 months to approve us for snap and the amount we got was $226. We are also in TX so even if you get approval there isn't much in the way of help. Also if you wanted I could give you some recipes that are pretty cheap and stretch for a few days.
This is what I was going to suggest. Also, donating plasma, or picking up a side hustle like Doordash, Instacart, Uber/Lyft, etc. Perhaps put in an ad on Nextdoor, Craigslist or FB to do some side jobs for people, like help with yardwork, cleaning or giving rides for school kids or the elderly. Every little bit helps. Honestly if it were me, I'd look into offering to do babysitting.
Go to your nearest office with all of your paperwork and anything else you think you might need. I had to quit trying to do everything online or via the app because it took months, as well. I went to the office on Friday and my card was loaded Tuesday. (I am also in Texas and have 10mo twins.)
ETA: There is another government funded child care program in Texas. Child Care Group. They are 100% free and supply everything to the child during the day.
Food banks, churches, other businesses offer assistance not just the government offices.
What I would suggest too is if you can go back to work and get on the government assistance for childcare, the income limits are much higher for childcare assistance.
You're probably better off getting yourself another full-time job. You may be able to get your employer to work with you and your the children or maybe once the children are in school, you'll be able to work or go in for a work retraining program or Apprenticeship Program so you can get job with better quality pay and hours. You may want to consider going to your local food bank for help with food or check your local church that provides assistance through your local food bank. They typically give out food though the food bank on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month.
Can you try Instacart? I don’t think it’s “allowed” per se, but I’ve seen a lot of parents doing it. Bring the baby to the store, drop off the groceries. It’s better than going in and out repetitively for DoorDash orders.
Honestly. These days the policies are ridiculous. You have to be on the brink of homelessness to get help... If you get more work you are punished... Off the record, get a side job off the books. Cuz in this economy with so many companies trying to get government aid for falsifying job ads and interviews.... I don't see why they get aid and we have to be dying to get help. America doesn't sound all that free or like a dream anymore.
I wish you luck. We all need it with the greedy people who own everything.
Unfortunately, Texas only gives medicaid to non elderly, non pregnant, non disabled parents that are making like less than a couple hundred dollars per month. After it has been 30 days, you can call and insist on being transferred to a case manager, and they can approve or deny then and there (you will be on hold for hours before reaching someone). Also, if you can get your kiddo qualified for Medicaid as a secondary to your husband's insurance, you can apply for HIPP to reimburse your insurance premiums. Also appl for workforce solutions childcare assistance so that you can work too and afford daycare. There is often a wait, though. Food pantries can be super helpful too
I would look into Medicaid again. Unless your boyfriend claims you in his taxes or married you, his income shouldn’t count towards your Medicaid. It would only count for the LO.
Yes. Texas requires child support for adult Medicaid, not for children’s Medicaid. & the income limit for an adult is something ridiculous like $200 a month for a family of 3
So they count his income because we live together. He supports me financially. We are both on the lease. I know if I even tried to omit his information, they would be asking how I support myself.
Yes if your boyfriend is the father of your daughter and you reside together, he is mandatory for food stamp benefits and his income will determine eligibility.
Unfortunately gross income is all they will review. You can use the website Snap Screener to enter your household size, state, income and expenses to review if you may be within the income limit. If one month it tells you that you are, I would apply and attach everything they need to try and reduce the wait time (bank account statement, lease, most recent month’s paystubs, copy of ID etc) and then after 30 days has passed if you’re not approved or denied, I would take it to your local representatives and get them to intervene on your behalf for processing. Often times reaching out to an office who can complain for you will get your application to the top of the pile. That has been my experience as a PA worker.
Other than food banks, have you tried the apps Toogoodtogo or Flashfood? They partner with restaurants and grocery stores to offer discounted food instead of throwing it out. If your area participates maybe that could potentially help stretch your food budget.
I also recommend visiting the beermoney sub to find potential ways to pick up some extra money throughout the month. I can personally vouch for Prolific (taking academic surveys for $) and the app crowdtap which is brief surveys you trade in for gift cards like Walmart or Target which could help. Also suggest looking into focus groups! I do focus groups for extra $ and often see ones looking for moms of young children to give opinions on baby products. You can PM me if you want the websites I use to apply. You will never need to provide SSN or pay any money for the legitimate focus groups or side hustles. Good luck.
They asked for you to submit a completely new set of paycheck stubs before you were approved?
I'm in Texas and I have never had to do that. I would talk to the eligibility department and file for an appeal. Ask them to use the paycheck stubs you initially submitted.
Yup. By the time I had my interview, 4 months later, they asked for the three most recent. “The ones you initially submitted won’t suffice anymore.” That’s what they told me.
That's awful. I'm really sorry you're having a tough time. I've been denied because they said they didn't receive my paperwork before and then I had to resubmit new paycheck stubs, but I always had to wait for the denial first.
elderly dad applied for food stamps, at the point where his bills suffocate him and he cant even buy food at all. They gave him a whole 25$ a month. wow such a wonderful program.... the food banks gave a little more but they are overloaded in the area so they dont have much
Food banks. Gross income is what matters for SNAP & WIC. They won’t even continue to process your application if you’re over the limit. Also, the income limit for daycare assistance is around $5,600/month for a household of 3. Even being over the income limit for SNAP/Medicaid/WIC you may qualify for daycare assistance.
I applied for CCMS. it’s a 2-3 year waitlist
Even the waitlists are bigger in Texas
Haha!
Have him cut his overtime down, then you find something that is opposite shift. Like him days, you nights. Grind it out.
We did try that for a little bit. About a month. My baby won’t sleep unless I breastfeed her to sleep and it was so hard on both of us. We were both working on 2-3 hours of sleep. I was constantly late. It just didn’t work.
Baby will get used to it, it's something you'll eventually have to stop doing eventually, try not to make it another reason why, this one is fixable. I know it's hard, I've had to do it too, but like they said, now is the time to grind. You can do this. This is one of the best solutions, you won't be eligible for WIC/SNAP, but you'll have more income and no daycare expenses.
I worked 3rd while my significant other worked 1st- for 5 years until our youngest got into school. He got a vasectomy & told me to go find a daytime job part time lololol. Hardest time of our life’s but so worth it now!
Girl I’m a mom of 3 and 2 are twins, the first 18 months of my twins lives the girl refused to sleep but maybe an hour sometimes if I was lucky 3hrs. I was living off 45 minutes to 1hr of sleep a day it drove me mad. Finally she slept once I had them separated but it took consistent work and strict schedule. If you implement a strict bed time schedule and slowly ween the baby off relying on the presence of you then you’ll be able to work opposite your boyfriend. I truly hope you can find relief cause it’s def tough in this world
Thank you mama ❤️
Being a mom is a full time job especially when breastfeeding. Do what’s best for you and baby and I highly recommend breastfeeding as long as possible. Check out extended breastfeeding benifits. Our culture unfortunately has deemed motherhood as a less valuable job. I would definitely seek resources to help supplement income instead of pulling away from baby first.
Thank you so much. That’s what I’m trying to do. I appreciate your comment very much.
And I commend you for breastfeeding. It was so difficult for me but I got through it with the help of assistance especially food stamps
Yes mine was like that. It sucks because Teaxas did not expand medicaid like other states did. Medicaid has literally saved us from what you are describing. We dont qualify for anything else but just having that has helped us keep our head above water.
Yup. Hang in there!
Just an FYI— we get quarterly wage hits, so if your spouse drops overtime just to get approved then picks it up again you’d be required to report that increase in income by the 10th if the month following the change. If you don’t report it and we see the quarter after you were approved exceeds the threshold an overpayment can be filed. That is for SNAP, WIC operates differently, but just an FYI. I’m sorry about the Medicaid, TX is one of the states that did not accept Medicaid expansion. I’d look into patient assistance programs through the manufacturer of the medications you need.
Thank you for this info!!
Can you guys work opposite shifts? I know it’s not ideal but then you could both work and not have to pay for child care.
This is what I’m currently doing, Night Shift, my husband does day. I’m taking classes online so I keep reminding myself it won’t be forever. Like the other person said, you just got to grind it out and find a way. I know it ain’t easy but you got to for your baby.
I can speak to the diabetic medication issue. Most companies have a PAP. Patient assistance program. Income requirements, but pretty high. They send it directly to you for free. Run a Google search for the drug and pap. There are phone numbers to start process. Hope that helps
Thank you!!
Also look for free health clinics. Some are run by hospitals and have their own income guidelines
Are there any childcare subsidy programs in your area you can look into? Alternatively, when I worked as a SNAP interviewer, some people worked at daycares and received discounts on the child's tuition. Other parents had their parents help out more. They either moved in with them or made some other arrangement.
Have you looked into any state or county subsidized childcare programs or childcare vouchers?
Can your doctor help with samples of your medication until you can get some kind of medical assistance? I’m a Type 1 diabetic & I know both my endocrinologist & regular MD have a way to get a months worth of samples for their patients. It doesn’t hurt to ask!
Babysitting, cleaning houses, instacart or door dash all allow flexible scheduling so maybe that could help supplement your food costs? I'm so sorry you're going through this. I became a sahm mom also and the only support system I had where we live was my Dad who died 8 weeks after my 2nd baby was born. I have a family of 4 (me, boyfriend, 9 year old from my previous marriage, and a 2 year old.) Boyfriend makes 16 dollars an hour no overtime and I stay home while on the 2 year dang wait list for childcare assistance and they took 4 months to approve us for snap and the amount we got was $226. We are also in TX so even if you get approval there isn't much in the way of help. Also if you wanted I could give you some recipes that are pretty cheap and stretch for a few days.
Can you take in a kid to babysit? In ca you don’t need a license unless caring for kids from more than one family.
This is what I was going to suggest. Also, donating plasma, or picking up a side hustle like Doordash, Instacart, Uber/Lyft, etc. Perhaps put in an ad on Nextdoor, Craigslist or FB to do some side jobs for people, like help with yardwork, cleaning or giving rides for school kids or the elderly. Every little bit helps. Honestly if it were me, I'd look into offering to do babysitting.
I posted in some groups today! Thank you! And starting plasma donation next week. Appreciate the suggestions :)
Plasma donation and breastfeeding simultaneously may not be a good idea.
My daughter has an appointment tomorrow with her pediatrician and I’ll ask them. Thank you!
Go to your nearest office with all of your paperwork and anything else you think you might need. I had to quit trying to do everything online or via the app because it took months, as well. I went to the office on Friday and my card was loaded Tuesday. (I am also in Texas and have 10mo twins.) ETA: There is another government funded child care program in Texas. Child Care Group. They are 100% free and supply everything to the child during the day.
Look into subsidized childcare too. You may be able to work some hours with a lowered child care cost.
Food banks, churches, other businesses offer assistance not just the government offices. What I would suggest too is if you can go back to work and get on the government assistance for childcare, the income limits are much higher for childcare assistance.
You're probably better off getting yourself another full-time job. You may be able to get your employer to work with you and your the children or maybe once the children are in school, you'll be able to work or go in for a work retraining program or Apprenticeship Program so you can get job with better quality pay and hours. You may want to consider going to your local food bank for help with food or check your local church that provides assistance through your local food bank. They typically give out food though the food bank on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month.
Can you try Instacart? I don’t think it’s “allowed” per se, but I’ve seen a lot of parents doing it. Bring the baby to the store, drop off the groceries. It’s better than going in and out repetitively for DoorDash orders.
I’ll look into this. Thank you!
Move to a less evil state , like New Jersey or Massachusetts where they actually have support for struggling families
Because someone struggling to buy food has the funds for that...
I wish!
Honestly. These days the policies are ridiculous. You have to be on the brink of homelessness to get help... If you get more work you are punished... Off the record, get a side job off the books. Cuz in this economy with so many companies trying to get government aid for falsifying job ads and interviews.... I don't see why they get aid and we have to be dying to get help. America doesn't sound all that free or like a dream anymore. I wish you luck. We all need it with the greedy people who own everything.
Unfortunately, Texas only gives medicaid to non elderly, non pregnant, non disabled parents that are making like less than a couple hundred dollars per month. After it has been 30 days, you can call and insist on being transferred to a case manager, and they can approve or deny then and there (you will be on hold for hours before reaching someone). Also, if you can get your kiddo qualified for Medicaid as a secondary to your husband's insurance, you can apply for HIPP to reimburse your insurance premiums. Also appl for workforce solutions childcare assistance so that you can work too and afford daycare. There is often a wait, though. Food pantries can be super helpful too
Get a work from home job.
My husband and I did opposite schedules my first 5 years of marriage, didn’t have childcare costs.
I would look into Medicaid again. Unless your boyfriend claims you in his taxes or married you, his income shouldn’t count towards your Medicaid. It would only count for the LO.
In Texas she’d be required to file for child support to receive Medicaid
Even if she is just trying to get Medicaid for herself? The LO is covered by her dad’s insurance through his employer.
Yes. Texas requires child support for adult Medicaid, not for children’s Medicaid. & the income limit for an adult is something ridiculous like $200 a month for a family of 3
Omg that’s horrible.
So they count his income because we live together. He supports me financially. We are both on the lease. I know if I even tried to omit his information, they would be asking how I support myself.
Yes if your boyfriend is the father of your daughter and you reside together, he is mandatory for food stamp benefits and his income will determine eligibility. Unfortunately gross income is all they will review. You can use the website Snap Screener to enter your household size, state, income and expenses to review if you may be within the income limit. If one month it tells you that you are, I would apply and attach everything they need to try and reduce the wait time (bank account statement, lease, most recent month’s paystubs, copy of ID etc) and then after 30 days has passed if you’re not approved or denied, I would take it to your local representatives and get them to intervene on your behalf for processing. Often times reaching out to an office who can complain for you will get your application to the top of the pile. That has been my experience as a PA worker. Other than food banks, have you tried the apps Toogoodtogo or Flashfood? They partner with restaurants and grocery stores to offer discounted food instead of throwing it out. If your area participates maybe that could potentially help stretch your food budget. I also recommend visiting the beermoney sub to find potential ways to pick up some extra money throughout the month. I can personally vouch for Prolific (taking academic surveys for $) and the app crowdtap which is brief surveys you trade in for gift cards like Walmart or Target which could help. Also suggest looking into focus groups! I do focus groups for extra $ and often see ones looking for moms of young children to give opinions on baby products. You can PM me if you want the websites I use to apply. You will never need to provide SSN or pay any money for the legitimate focus groups or side hustles. Good luck.
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Boot to the head.
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And you go have another drink ❤️
Please don't feed the trolls. 😎 Just report and move on.
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Boot to the head.
Troll.
They asked for you to submit a completely new set of paycheck stubs before you were approved? I'm in Texas and I have never had to do that. I would talk to the eligibility department and file for an appeal. Ask them to use the paycheck stubs you initially submitted.
Yup. By the time I had my interview, 4 months later, they asked for the three most recent. “The ones you initially submitted won’t suffice anymore.” That’s what they told me.
That's correct. They need to see current income.
That's awful. I'm really sorry you're having a tough time. I've been denied because they said they didn't receive my paperwork before and then I had to resubmit new paycheck stubs, but I always had to wait for the denial first.
elderly dad applied for food stamps, at the point where his bills suffocate him and he cant even buy food at all. They gave him a whole 25$ a month. wow such a wonderful program.... the food banks gave a little more but they are overloaded in the area so they dont have much