Living on Nothing and Not Liking it Much

When COVID hit, I suffered a loss in editing jobs. This coincided with the person who was feeding me work deciding to retire that part of her business. Suddenly, all I had was Social Security, and that wasn’t enough.

Even though I’d cut a lot of corners already, I had to somehow jettison more expense. Last December, when the rat chewed through my windshield wiper motor cable, I had to dig into my savings to pay for the repair. That, and the replacement 12v battery for the Prius, cost about $1400. You cannot live in Florida without a car unless you’re right in town and can walk a ways. Bus service is limited everywhere, and at my current location doesn’t exist at all.

Everyone is subject to unexpected bills once in a while, but when your monthly income doesn’t cover basic expenses, what then? Because of the sharp spike in rent and grocery prices the last few years, the poor are being hit extremely hard. Homelessness has increased all over the country, and the number of seniors among them is higher than it’s ever been.

I’m lucky I still have a roof over my head, but how much longer can it last? Our COLA in January was a pitiful 3.2%. For me, that was an additional $40/month… but my lot rent went up exactly that much last October, so it was as if I’d gotten no “raise” at all.

I wish I could find a small, cheap, studio apartment somewhere, but they don’t exist anymore. Rent a room? I used to see them for $400-500 a month. Not anymore. Now they start at $600, and you’re living in someone else’s house, and sharing a kitchen and sometimes a bathroom. Get a roommate? I’ve considered it, much as I despise the thought of sharing personal space with anyone, but finding the right person is nearly impossible. I’ve looked into that, too.

This is the first time in a long life I’ve felt trapped and unable to move in one direction or another. I can’t seem to make any decision and so I drift, hoping things will somehow improve. Before, I was always able to pay my own way and take care of myself. How times have changed, and not all that long ago! Five years ago you could still rent a nice place for $600/month. Those places have doubled in price.

Worse, every time I move, I leave more behind. When I departed from Lake Placid, I left behind all my furniture and plants, most of my tools, and lots of other things I now miss, but there was no way to take it with me. It’s just stuff, but I’d already paid for it, and now the price of those things are way the fuck higher. When I needed a brush to clean the fridge coils, I had to buy it for $13. I bet it cost half that much just a couple of years ago! It didn’t work either; the fridge temp still isn’t working right, and that’s another thing I can’t deal with at the moment.

I have some tough decisions to make in the next few months, and I’m not looking forward to it. Keep your fingers crossed for me! In the meantime, here are a couple of photos. I’m very happy I enjoy photography. 🙂 It helps keep me sane to go somewhere with the camera and take pictures.

This first pic is of a tricolor heron in flight.

This photo has odd dimensions, but that’s because I created it for my Facebook header. I really liked the multiple ibis’s claiming the dock, and the colors are rich overall. When I look at it, I see summer. It reminds me of when I was a kid, and the family would trek to our lake cabin near Dalbo, Minnesota, and pretty much run wild. Swimming, fishing, waterskiing, barbecues, and spending time with our friends there–it was the best.

See you next time.