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No electricity = YSS staying with us

lieutenant_dad's picture

Eternal Teenager had her electricity shut off AGAIN. This is the second time in a year. I don't understand how two working adults, one of whom receives $1,000 in CS each month and whose kids have nearly all their expenses covered and the other that works a trade, can't manage to keep their lights on.

So now YSS is with us until probably Monday because it's DH's weekend anyway. It's for the best, but it so annoys me. At least she was smart this time and didn't ask DH for money...

Comments

tog redux's picture

To get your electricity shut off, you have to ignore the bill and a couple of threats of shutting off service; how does that happen? I don't get it either. Is she the type who just tosses her bills in the trash, or spends all of her money on non-essential items and then is surprised when she can't pay her bills?

 

lieutenant_dad's picture

No idea where the money goes. I know their rent is high. However, doing some rough calculations on what I assume they make based on their jobs, they should have more than enough any given month to cover basics, rent included. When ET wasn't working, I can see how they struggled, but now? Especially when she works a job with OT?

I do know her DH has a gaggle of kids who live states away, so he may be paying CS. However, that becomes a problem for HIM and HE needs to work more to pay it. If DH finds out the electric was shut off and YSS has gotten less because ET is supplementing her DH's CS, he'll lose his mind just like he did when she was doing the same for XH and his CS.

advice.only2's picture

Out here in California if you have A/C your electric bill can be upwards of 500-800 dollars a month. We got solar which covers most of ours, but we still end up paying at the end of the month.
I had a friend who was like this, she was never able to pay her rent or utilities, she was always going to some charity or church getting a hand out...but you bet the minute she got paid she and her children were out at the stores buying useless crap because they wanted it.

MissK03's picture

In the summer our bill is pretty high too with the pool and ac running. We also have solar (we lease and they are 110 a month) but, with everything the solar doesn't even make enough power and we still have 200-250 dollar bills on top of the solar.

Plus, it was really hot this summer.

CLove's picture

Water here is super high as well as PGE. And Winter is coming! Im a heater on pay whatever type.

Yeah, that whole frustration over Child Support thing, I totally get it!!!

lieutenant_dad's picture

I live in the Midwest, so it's not nearly that pricey. Plus, ET lives in an apartment, so it's not like she's heating a multi-floor, multi-thousand square foot home. If her electric is over $200 a month, something is gravely wrong.

SeeYouNever's picture

It takes a long time and several notices before they turn off electricity. Anyone I know who has gotten the power shut off usually started playing chicken with that bill to see how long they could get away without paying.

MissK03's picture

When SO was married to BM they had multiple utilities shut off. He was working 70+ hours a week and she was "in charge" of the bills. 
 

He has told me that he would come home and the water would be off, electricity, etc. He would have to bargain with the companies to turn stuff back on.

Somehow her hair and nails were always done though. Still are yet she "never had any money" to do anything with the skids. *insert eye roll*
 

Not much has changed there. Spends all her money on herself. 

Some people never learn how to manage/prioritize bills it appears. 
 

Sparkl3s's picture

The BM in my life did this too... my hubby won't relinquish the bill paying even though he works 60-70 hours a week too. 

They had money in the joint bank account too... she just didn't. 

thinkthrice's picture

Spent every last dime that Chef made working two jobs.  Not on hair and nails but god knows what.  Probably Hostess twinkies... skidloads of them  (pun intended)

JRI's picture

BM prefers to spend her money on things she can see, eat or wear.  We hate to spend money on that boring stuff like utilities, taxes and insurance.  But, oops, sometimes utilities get turned off.