One woman with disabilities, and her journey to financial independence.
Not a super sexy title and behind on the times, but I needed some time to really think about what my goals were. 2018 was so financially motivated that now, with less financial things to think about I struggled to really clarify my goals. I needed this time to make sense of what they needed … Continue reading 2019 Financial Goals
I ended 2018 on such a high note. Six years after discovering Mr. Money Mustache, I finally met all the financial goals I set out to complete in a year. I had an emergency fund, got my mortgage under $50k, and paid off my credit cards. And then, 2019 came in - pardon me - like … Continue reading Sh*t hits the fan y’all.
I had consumer debt (credit card debt), student loans, and a car loan. All of them charging me interest. I managed to shave years from my pay off date and save thousands in interest by utilizing this credit card hack. I opened a Discover card with 0% interest for 14 months. I then transferred my … Continue reading Debt free – faster!
I was fortunate for some time. Since I was determined to be disabled under a certain age I was able to stay on my mom's health insurance plan for many years. My mom bore the burden of this cost for over a decade. The amount of which I only realized much, much later when it … Continue reading Social Security: Part 5 Medical/ Medicare
One cannot live on SSDI alone, so I had to come up with something I could do that would bring in some income and I could do even when I was having a very bad day and in pain. Years after SSDI was granted for other issues I developed an idiopathic autoimmune condition. I have … Continue reading Income: Pet sitting
For the last twenty plus years I have wrestled with guilt. I call it, “survivor’s guilt,” as a riff on the original meaning. I survive today because programs exist to support people with disabilities at a rate far greater than the past. Yet there is such a stigma attached to using them when your disability … Continue reading Social Security Part 4: Guilt and Shame
"You can work on disability?" This question is asked a lot, generally with disbelief or shock. The general public believes that if you are "permanently and totally disabled," and unable to do, "substantial gainful activity," you are unable to do anything. Period. Full stop. Let's discuss a few things here. One is the idea that … Continue reading Social Security: Part 3 – Working
In order to qualify for Social Security Disability you must meet federally established requirements for "permanent and total disability," including being unable to work for over a year in the future. You also must have completed enough work credits (worked enough reported full time hours) to qualify for the insurance benefit. I believe I only … Continue reading Social Security (SSDI): The numbers. Part two.
People are always interested in SSDI and what it entails, what it's like, just generally everything about it. They also have the misinformed idea that it's a livable amount of money. That it is somehow living on easy street and that it's permanent. It's none of those things. This post is going to discuss my … Continue reading Elephant in the room: SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance.) Part One.
