# I'm moving out of the "125% Poverty"level! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 11, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-moving-out-of-the-125-poverty-level/615465 "2012-03-11T15:53:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-moving-out-of-the-125-poverty-level/615465/1 "2012-03-11T15:53:54Z")
Now I really can’t complain anyway…I’ve had jobs I loved and we’ve managed to scrape at least as happily as anyone I know. But after an illness (with no insurance) last fall set me back a few grand, I realized I’d have to find a way to make more money. I spoke to my boss (where I work part-time as a caregiver) and told her I would be looking for more hours and better pay somewhere else. She immediately offered me a new position at about a third higher pay and told me to think it over and let her know. So I concocted a new financial plan. I’ll still keep one paper route, which is less than 9 hours per week but pays great. I’ll be working the new position 30 hours a week. End result: 10 hours more than I work now, but between 750 and 850 more dollars per month. Sweeeeeet! Insurance will take up to 300 a month, but when you consider that I’ve been pulling in under 20K a year for a LONG time, even a few hundred per month is HUGE. It means I can pay off medical bills, fix the car if needed,have a little emergency once in a while, and actually save a bit. I’m very excited. I think I’ll make soup to celebrate! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-moving-out-of-the-125-poverty-level/615465/2 "2012-03-11T16:12:37Z")
Congratulations! Are you going to have soup with actual meat in it? (I keed, I keed) ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-moving-out-of-the-125-poverty-level/615465/3 "2012-03-11T16:29:10Z")
Great news! Well done on the perseverance and the discipline to buy health insurance. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-moving-out-of-the-125-poverty-level/615465/4 "2012-03-11T16:43:19Z")
Congratulations, and extra kudos on being the sort of employee that your boss clearly values very highly. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-moving-out-of-the-125-poverty-level/615465/5 "2012-03-11T18:04:19Z")
Congrats! -D/a ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-moving-out-of-the-125-poverty-level/615465/6 "2012-03-11T19:30:35Z")
I made a very nice soup to celebrate. Its working name is Curried Lentil Chicken Chickpea. Very tasty! I go in early next week to figure out my schedule. Since there are already two fulltime people, I imagine I’ll be picking up the shifts no one else wants…but that might mean I could do some of tne work at home, which would be great. My boss is keeping me in place as caregiver to my current client, so I know at least some of my hours will be fun. And if it doesn’t work out, I’m sure my boss would let me go back to caregiver services. It would be okay as a last resort. I’m good at frugal. 🙂 Thanks for the good wishes. ---
**Author:** ![Pops1963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9de053/32.png) [@Pops1963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pops1963)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-moving-out-of-the-125-poverty-level/615465/7 "2012-03-13T03:05:24Z")
That is way cool. very much congrats and all the best 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-moving-out-of-the-125-poverty-level/615465/8 "2012-03-13T07:49:15Z")
I’m going in after lunch today too look at the software. Hopefully that will give me a better idea of my needs computer-wise so I can look at laptops later in the week. I bought myself new teeshirts to celebrate! (Well, I was going to buy some anyway, but it made it more fun.) ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-moving-out-of-the-125-poverty-level/615465/9 "2012-03-13T18:14:37Z")
Hooray! I remember how excited I was when I went from working part-time retail to my first full-time job…\* with benefits. \*It was amazing! Good for you 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-moving-out-of-the-125-poverty-level/615465/10 "2012-03-13T19:45:07Z")
Congratulations and good luck in your new position! ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-moving-out-of-the-125-poverty-level/615465/11 "2012-03-13T21:50:46Z")
Just got home. I think the software is doable, although there are two programs that should talk to each other and don’t, so every shift in/out has to be manually verified in the second program. Dumb, but there ya go. I need to buy a computer to use at home but as usual I have less money than I’d hoped so it’ll wait a week or three. That’s okay, though…I can probably muddle by with what I have for a while. Anyway, yay! Still have no idea what hours I’ll be working, but my name, after all, is flexiblepapergirl. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-moving-out-of-the-125-poverty-level/615465/12 "2012-03-14T00:28:17Z")
Just wanted to say congratulations and that you really deserve it. Awesome!