Thursday 10 February 2011

$18.58 cents a fortnight, *sheesh*

WTF? That is the sum total of my  Centrelink payments through the Sickness Benefit, which I finally got notified that I have been approved for. This has been calculated according to the half pay I was getting from work and the payments adjusted regarding that. I also get a health care card though, which is much more useful as it entitles me to a lot of concessions like free doctors, cheap prescriptions, and half price public transport.

This would all be fine had work not decided to stop paying me the half pay and not tell me. I know they didn't need to pay me anything at all, and it was very nice of them to put me on half pay for Jan with the view of "reviewing" it at the end of the month (which is all they told me). But it would have been nice if they had of told me last week that that was going to be the last payment. Instead I go online today to pay the rent, only to discover there's no fuckin money in my account. I ring the work dept head and it's "Oh yeah, that ended last week". I'm like why the fuck didn't you let me know? On the same day I get an online letter from Centrelink telling me my payments are $18.58 cents a fortnight on account of my work income. 

So I ended up with $360 rent due by Monday, and no fuckin money to pay it. *SHEESH!* I had to transfer the lot from a credit card as a cash advance, at some BS 20% interest rate I suppose, to pay the rent. 

I then proceed down to the Centrelink office. I explain the situation, and of course I need more fuckin forms to fill out concerning my new circumstances! The news isn't all bad though. They give me a temporary health care card while the other one is coming in the mail. I will go onto the full pay of the Sickness Benefit, although it's not a lot it's better than fuckin $18 a fortnight. I of course need a letter from work stating this and that. It turns out as well I will qualify for rental assistance, which is another form. Tomorrow then is another visit to their office.

During all this I'm finding myself having to write things down, asking the bloke at Centrelink to write down what I have to bring in tomorrow, as I'm having trouble remembering it all and keeping it organised in my head. Everything seems quite complicated and involved. Normally it's not that noticeable, but certainly in situations like this the limitations currently being faced due to the brain injury are much more apparent.

And now I find myself poor. Lucky for the credit cards! I still have $17,000 to go before I max all of them out! And it's not exactly as if I'm partying. I dunno WTF is going on with the banks, but they must be nuts. One of them, who I've never had an account with before in my life, just gave me a $2,000 credit card that I applied for online, to transfer the balance from others of mine to their rate of only 2.9% for 6 months I think. 

I don't like budgeting though. Not good presently. Aren't going crazy, but given my health issues it's impossible to exercise restraint at the supermarket. My body needs nutrition, proper food, fresh stuff, good quality. Fucked if I'm going to try and survive on macaroni and cheese.

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