i am so broke, that i feel like a chicken head

[sinnah]

it is so bad now that i do gas offs, meaning i fill my gas tank up and speed out of the gas station without paying just to have enough gas to get to work. i am stealing food out the cafeteria just to eat, and i even was caught at the grocery store stealing kotex, and liquid eyeliner, and now i am banned for a year. i just do not know what to do, i live paycheck to paycheck, i only have enough for rent and utilities but after that nothing. i am seriously thinking about robbing a bank, yeh i was watching SET IT OFF, a few weeks ago and i started to think maybe i should do that.

[seductive_tee]

go back home to momma and save some money.....

[Tastey]

The first thing you need to do is stop stealing and stop thinking about stealing.

If your paycheck is only covering utilities and rent then you need to get lower rent, or lower utilities.

Or you need to find a way to make more money rather than ways to take someone else's.

I live paycheck to paycheck to, I totally understand. But I don't steal. (I might write a rubber check or two) but I don't steal. ;)

Seriously Sinnah, I know what you are feeling but theft is not the answer. Remember in Set if off they all ended up dead except Stoney.

This is what I had to give up:
All the frills on my phone. I just have a dial-tone now. No caller ID, no *69, none of that. Cut my bill by 80%

cell phone minumum minutes package. I get 100 per month, never go over.

magazines i get from the library, books too. i even get videos from the library if i want to watch. not many first run but it's better than nothing.

i don't know about where you live but the local health dept here will give you kotex if you ask.

you can get local agency assistance with your electric bills.

It's hard...but it's not hopeless. I assure you.

[ThickBodyHottie]

unless you are 50k in the red, don't rob a bank...be a poet, hang out at the open mics and revel in the fact that there are so many others like you...and THEY write about it!

i've been there...more than once...hell, i'm kinda there now...Mr. Andre had to PAY my way to hush...the only thing you can do is slow down to stop and start making some type of income...

[Babygirl]

Originally posted by Tastey+
The first thing you need to do is stop stealing and stop thinking about stealing.

(I might write a rubber check or two) but I don't steal. ;)




Tastey,
Writing a check you know is going to bounce..IS A CRIME! Depending on the amount..you can land a few nights in jail.
* Just thought you should know*

Sinnah,
try public assistance, especially if you have children..you can at least get WIC or food stamps.
Try getting a part-time job. Try something legal...writing bad checks will cost more money for you in the long run with overdraft fees, returned check fees, and possibly lawyers fees. Robbing a bank is not worth the risk...you will be caught! Borrow money if possible from parents, or a close friend. Go to your church( I thought that would have been your answer Tastey ;) )and ask for assistance. Best of luck to you regardless. Keep the faith.

[Tastey]

It's not a crime to write it it's a crime to not make good on it.

That's what will land you in jail. :blah:

In the state of SC where I live you can write as many checks as you like, as long as you make good on them within 90 days of writing the check you have committed no crime. As a matter of fact if a warrant is served on you and you pay the check within 30 days of the warrant being served you have committed no crime and no crime will appear on your record. If you end up in court and pay the check it will be erased from your record in 1 year. The ONLY way you end up in jail is if you fail to pay for the check at all.It is only a crime to write it if you write a check on a closed account, or if you forge a check. (Did you forget I worked in law enforcement for 5 years? ) I know the law.

I wasn't advising Sinnah to write bad checks just letting her/him know that other people understand what hard times are and understand what desperate measures you sometimes have to take when you are the only one you have to depend on. But what I do is not against the law...contrary to what you may think.

I've been to my church too...thank you so much for that suggestion. Alot of churches only offer assistance under certain circumstances.

[Brightness]

Here in Ohio quite a few of the banks are closing accounts of people who engage in that type of check writing. A lot of financial institutions are looking at the date a check was written and comparing it with your running daily balance minus deductions and charging you accordingly because if you do simple addition and subtraction you are knowingly writing a bad check and that's fraud and/or theft by deception. Given this information companies can have a good case to charge you because I think they can get the information from the bank by subpoena or something not to certain if it's in all cases but I guess they do this in hardcore check bouncing cases. . .

[Babygirl]

Originally posted by Brightness+
Here in Ohio quite a few of the banks are closing accounts of people who engage in that type of check writing. A lot of financial institutions are looking at the date a check was written and comparing it with your running daily balance minus deductions and charging you accordingly because if you do simple addition and subtraction you are knowingly writing a bad check and that's fraud and/or theft by deception. Given this information companies can have a good case to charge you because I think they can get the information from the bank by subpoena or something not to certain if it's in all cases but I guess they do this in hardcore check bouncing cases. . .

Exactly.... knowly writing a bad check is theft! And I wasn't aware of your "law eforcement" background..goody for you. :) However Brightness is correct, you can be procecuted just by writing and presenting a bad check. I have a banking background ;), and financial instiutions as well as retail companies are cracking down on people who "bounce" or "kite" checks.

Sinnah..go with the more positive advise given....

[Tastey]

I'm not even going to argue with you Babygirl if you want to believe I steal go ahead.

It's not theft in the state of SC where I live so for me it's a perfectly legal ethical act.

We had a thread a few months ago started by Seductive Tee about banks starting to link with stores in order to verify checks. Almost everyone who posted stated they floated or kited checks and hope that never reached their state. So I guess according to you most of the Hush is bound for jail. Whatever! :rolleyes:

And again I didn't advise Sinnah to write bad checks. I didn't advise anyone to.

To Sinnah not Babygirl:
I understand what you are feeling and sometimes you feel desperate enough to steal. My admission of writing checks sometimes to float them to the bank was only meant to let you know that I understand that desperation. However even in my desperation I would not stoop to breaking the law. That will only make a bad situation worse. That was my point that has been so badly twisted. I just wanted you to understand that.

Keep your head up. Things will get better. ;)

[que90nek]

me thinks i am sensing a trend here....:rolleyes:

sinnah,

i would love to help u...

please list your income and your expenses...

[Babygirl]

Girlfriend, you are funny. How voicing MY opinion(which differs from yours) is starting an argument..I'll never know.:rolleyes: But don't check Que on it and turn around and do the same thing.:beating

I didn't read the post Tee posted about the bank, so I wasn't privy to what the Hush Fam had to say about kiting checks....nonetheless, my position stands the same....it is stealing.:rolleyes: If others do it..so be it. Their choice...but before I go peep this scenerio okay? Say you are getting a BIG bonous at the end of the month, and you go to Macy's on the first to buy a diamond ring on sale for ..$800.00. You know the money isn't in the bank, but will be there within the "South Carolina grace period":upto:, Macy's runs your check thru(twice if you are lucky) and it doesn't clear...do you think Macy's will A. send the police knocking at your door for theft? or B. give you 30 days to pay according to the "South Carolina grace period"?

[Tastey]

This is ridiculous! There is a woman on our board that we call family who has gotten so hungry and so desperate that she is stealing. That is the point. The ONLY point. My post was meant to help and encourage her to let her know that I understand and care. That is why I refuse to argue, debate, or even further discuss my checks. This ain't about me. It's about Sinnah. :beating

I understand her desperations because I too live paycheck to paycheck my post was an example to let her know that she can survive without breaking the law. I am living proof of that. It was not meant as a debate of what is and is not breaking the law based on whose opinion. That is irrelevant.

Point blank Sinnah what I have done will not land you in jail in the state of SC. I don't know what the laws are in your state and I'm not advising you to do that either. But the things you have already described could get you arrested in any state. I don't want to see that happen to you. That is why I advised you to stop.

Que had an excellent idea. If you could post your earnings and expenses maybe someone can help. Sometimes when others take a look at our budgets they can see things we did not see.

Lastly, I have a large lists of national government agencies that may be able to assist you financially. If you are not afraid PM me and I'll try my best to help you out. :)

[sistuhchey]

seek outside assistance......forget the movie "SET IT OFF"...remember only JADA lived.......the rest died!!!!

:blast...:blast

[Vronni]

sinnah,definetely avoid anything illegal. As Tastey mentioned,there are govermerment agencies that can assist you-they should be listed in your local phone book,there are churches that you can assist you also. Also, If moving in with a relative for awhile is an option,you may want to look into that. Maybe you can also work out a situation with your creditors to make an alternate payment plan,temporarily. THere is also debt consolidation out there. Keep ya head up and I'll be praying for you. God can help you through any situation!

[Toffee]

Have u tried going to one of the Credit Counseling Services? They help you pay your creditors and also sometimes they reduce the interest rates...

But I hope you stop stealing..nothing is worth going to jail..

[Bedroomeyes]

What is kiting a check? :confused:


I agree with Tastey.. This has nothing to do with her and how she handles her bank account.. This is about sinnah.. I too live from check to check.. But you have already said that your bills are getting paid.. that is the most important.. Maybe you should think about a second job.. You wouldn't have to do it for long.. Just until you are able to get back on your feet.. I'm actually thinking of getting one for myself... :rolleyes:

Keep your head up!! ;)

[djackso]

Everybody had been there but the important thing is to have a plan to get out. Think hard on how to improve your situation. When I was dead broke I donated at a plasma center twice a week cause I was too shame to ask mom but like the old folks say what don't kill ya makes ya stronger.

[que90nek]

damn BE...is that the same second job you were thinkin about months ago :rolleyes:

[Bedroomeyes]

I'm still thinking!!!! :fu

[nubianx2]

Sinnah,
Everyone experiences a time when you feel as though you've bearly got your head above the water. Take note of the suggestions posted in this thread. You do have the power to turn your situation around.

[mack_black]

Sinnah:

IF you're doing all this....how the hell are you even on the net to
be able to post as sinnah? or even drive a car for that matter.....
:confused:

[misha]

mack, in my case, I had the car and the computer, it was those payments that were killing me!!!!!

Taking on a short term second job may be the boost you need to get you out of the trap of being broke after bills. What I did was begin to put out ads about tutoring children, proofreading, and research. If you live in a college town, there are always some faculty members that need research assistants to sit in the library and look up things for them. Most of it you can do with your computer sitting at home.

What I am saying , is that there are ways to make extra cash that aren't illegal, which is trouble that you do not need.

[OhSoPrecious]

I just saw SET IT OFF too, and I would be lying to you if I told you that I did NOT think about robbing a bank~!!! :eek: :rolleyes: But, only in my dreams. . .

Sinnah, there are other things you can do. . . and believe it or not, that second job would HELP~!!! :) Sometimes, it's a Sacrifice~!!!

Good luck~!!!

[Andre98]

..if you can't do the Time! It's a cliche but its true. No matter how bad you think you have it, it can definitely get worse if you have to go to jail over some petty crime. And bank robbery? Talk about your highly unlikely success rate!

Think about it. You drive off without paying for gas. Does that mean your troubles are over? Only that one, for a very temporary time. And if you lose on that gamble and get caught, it can mean the loss of your job, place of residency....everything, and that record haunts you in trying to get any future employment. Remember that anyone can spot your car weeks later, especially if you try it more than once at the same place. Up to seven years later you can be liable for that crime. It's just not worth it. Getting caught once can destroy your world, as fragile as it may be now. In my "brokest" of times when I was younger, I would see opportunities that looked like they were easy pickins, sure things, shoplifting, snatch and grabs.....and its easy to think that you just need that one transgression to set things right. I could always take solace in one thing that was priceless: I had a clean record. That is the number one concern of any potential employer, and it was the one thing I felt I was in complete control over. I had friends that had a long string of successes on that kind of hustle. Most are dead, in jail, or so tore up that their own families won't let them in their house. Nobody trusts a proven thief, it's the lowest mark, barring murderer, that you can have against you.

When you think you have it hard, when you think your life is so bad, do this... go to the hospital and walk around. Look at people with missing arms or legs, or confined to wheelchairs or beds, needing other people to clean their bowel movements off them (yes I am being as gross as I can!). Look at the kids with terminal cancer, or the heart disease patients. I am not even talking about the elderly, look at those your age and tell me you don't have plenty of be thankful for. Life can always be much worse. As little control as you think you have over your life right now, you can make it much worse engaging in criminal activity.

Do me a favor... Instant message me on Yahoo. My ID is "Andre98fromonthehush" or plain ole "Andre1998" Email is Andre1998@yahoo.com I want to talk about this further with you. I can't say any more than that, the rest is up to you. Stay as anonymous as you want to, but don't even think about it, just do it.

[Brightness]

This is so true and it's not only people in the hospital. . .

. . go to the local psychiatric ward you will come away praising God you are in your right mind.

. .while you're driving, drive by a local soup kitchen or drop-in shelter and look at those folks who don't have a warm place to lay their head or food for their stomach.

. .then swing by to take a look at those selling their bodies just trying to get a fraction of what you or I might have.

If that's not enough to make you count your blessings, then I don't know what could be?



Originally posted by Andre98+
When you think you have it hard, when you think your life is so bad, do this... go to the hospital and walk around. Look at people with missing arms or legs, or confined to wheelchairs or beds, needing other people to clean their bowel movements off them (yes I am being as gross as I can!). Look at the kids with terminal cancer, or the heart disease patients. I am not even talking about the elderly, look at those your age and tell me you don't have plenty of be thankful for. Life can always be much worse. As little control as you think you have over your life right now, you can make it much worse engaging in criminal activity.

[Juicey1]

When I needed extra money, I went to the grocery store and was a cashier for almost a year. It didn't pay a lot, but every Thursday I had pocket money. In addition to my paycheck from my full time job, it was a great help. I had gas money, food money, and money for my kids school lunches. I only quit because I got tired of working two jobs.