Bills @ MindSay

well, again I haven't written in awhile...
After I last wrote, we were getting ready to go see my mom in Jacksonville,NC where she is in a nursing home...That morning we got up to a flooded basement...so, we had to stay,, called insurance, and plumber...Both came out that day and next day...with the insurance check we got we made an extra house payment..God works in mysterious ways! now we are only one month behind...but they continue to not want to help us..just this week we were again denied for the loan mod...they told us as long as we were behind and in the hole each month we would never qualify!! What??makes no sense...we were told that was why people like us could qualify for it..job loss, behind on payments,etc...That's what Obama said!!  its so frustrating!! Our second mortgage co. gave us a loan mod in 2 days!!! and we were behind with them too!! what's up with that??  who do you contact to find out if your mortgage co is jerking you around??/ they have to report to someone do they not?? sigh----
Good news is I got a job yesterday...Its part time like I wanted, no nights and no weekends..and only about 3-4 hrs a day, but every bit helps..I'm on Emergency unemployment now and my understanding is that that runs out in Oct... so we are still fighting to save our house as it stands now... oh and our first mortgage told us we needed to pare our bills down since we are in the hole every month..ok, well, we went to a credit manager and He told us there was no where to cut back!! we are paying only what we have to right now-utilities,insurance,gas,food,stuff like that that you cant pare back.. other good news, my husband  and my daughter got some help to be able to go to Doctor and get meds now...Ours is no cost to go to Doctor and daughter has to pay $5 each visit.Husband is diabetic, so he got his meds for free and my daughter is on a couple of meds that are free now too..that is a big help there..and our past doctor bills were covered and paid also which was almost at $1000.00.....now just owe the dentist $500.00...dont know when that will get paid...as no extra money at all. And here in NC taxes went up!! are they trying to kill us??? Our property taxes we owe this year are almost $2000.00!!!!! and sales taxes went up too... and now Duke Energy is wanting to raise its cost??? great...people are struggling..what do they want?our blood??? Christmas this year will be bleak..I just basically want my family together.. still trying to figure that out..with property taxes due right in Jan. that kills us..Christmas isnt about getting anyway..its about Christ and his birth.. we love each other and have fun as a family..that's what matters..The Black Friday list has already come out...those that have $ to spend-have at it...we don't.... yesterday in the mail we get 3 different letters from the county ..we owe $5 per cat we now have ..taxes on our animals!! I thought we came to America to flee Taxes on everything !! and for Religious freedom!!  good grief... tax this, raise this, what next???
have I said enough??? No wonder I was depressed earlier this week...
I was going to leave for the beach today with 3 good friends. they were going to take care of me so I could go.yesterday evening we get a call from one of them, my really good friend(I call her my Sis!) and her Dad was in ICU.. She had to call 911 earlier as he fell twice...so weak.... he had been sick all week but thought he was getting better... he was so dehydrated that they had to use a force bag to get the fluids in him. he took 4 bags I think..anyway, the rest of us told her we were not leaving her behind to go on to the beach..She wanted us to go on..can you believe that??She is so unselfish..I told her to shut up!! we were staying to be with her and the beach would still be there whenever...She couldn't help it that her dad got so ill...they weren't even sure he'd pull through last night! and she wanted us to go on.. No way!!my husband and I went over to hospital after she called and stayed. we took her to get something to eat. she went to be with her mom last night. her mom is diabetic and confined to the house..She has to be carried several times a week to receive dialysis. And she needs constant care..my friend is an only child so everything falls on her. She is a wife, and mother to two teens herself and works.. talk about having a full plate.. she does..
anyway I talked to her about 9 this morning and her dad stablizied during the night. they want to move him into a room out of ICU and regulate his meds. he lost so much weight...Will find out more later this afternoon..

my daughter started College in late August and she has adjusted well. Its our local community college, but she is doing great!! She has already aced a couple of tests! next fall she will transfer to UNCC. She has a new "Boy friend" lol says she doesn't want to be involved with anyone right now and they are just friends. I like him he is very nice.
Son has new girlfriend this year at Appalachian. he loves his apartment and having his own room!
I'm glad they are both settling in well.
well gotta run for now..maybe I will post again before another month rolls by! or two!

Mr Obama said that he recieves letters from people crying out for help, concerning medical bills.

In my estimation, the problem is not so much that they want the handout he is proposing, unless they are handicapped, elderly, or lazy. Most people, while not really desiring to work too much, are willing to work to pay for anything they get or have. The problem is the bills themselves.

Healthcare reform should not begin by giving everyone insurance, but by examining the billing practices of doctors and hospitals, examine the cost of prescription medicines... discover why these things are priced so high and cap the amount a hospital can charge, or a doctor...

I recently went fro an exam at an ENT. The co-pay was $10 more than a regular visit, because he is a specialist. Okay, I can deal with that. He also put a rather uncomfortable probe up my nose and then down my throat during this same visit. I didn't know until we recieved a letter from the insurance company that this probing was considered as a surgury, and was billed seperately from the regular visit at around $430 for a five minute procedure.

I also was given a prescription for an acid reducer, and a coupon for $50 off the price. I told him I didn't want his prescription, and asked if he could recomend something else. He did. And he explained that the reason he wanted me to use the script was because it was a new medicine, and he hoped it would give me very quick results concerning the issue I was having. $50 off!!!! How much is the script? I have a short stack of the sample he gave me, unused. Maybe I could sell them on the street to pay the $430 surgury bill!!!

My point is that I went in for one visit and was billed twice.

This is where healthcare reform MUST begin, not by giving people handouts, so we can continue to line the pockets of the practitioners and drug manufacturers.

I was getting a little nervous because I hadn't heard from my Anatomy & Physiology Professor and I need my book. School starts Tuesday! I am weird about having it "all in order". When my surroundings are organized, I feel as if I actually have control of my life. (I know ;)

 

Wednesday, I get this long ass email with an attachment of THIRTY TWO pages to study BEFORE Tuesday. She says we'll be going extremely quickly through the material and finishing chapter one on the first day. SO I have memorized the Ventral Cavity (and its contents), the Dorsal Cavity (and its goodness). Now I am on the Systems - Like Digestive, Urinary, Skeletal, etc. I still have tons more pages to memorize.

 

I bought my book from Amazon yesterday cuz they only sell them brand new at the bookstore (RIPOFF) A way to make money off the poor college students. It was $232 at school (And a lecture notes, lab notes booklet is an additional $67). I found the book used for $145. I paid $12 to have it shipped by Friday. I have the HOPE Grant and it pays for $50 towards books so it should cover the lab & lecture booklet. I hope.

 

I am broke as hell. Had to use Ma-Ma's credit card for the book.  I paid $55 from my Amazon account where I've earned money and I also transferred $100 yesterday. So all I owe her now is $213 for the ticket.

 

And my honey's car payment was due on the 13th. I have no funds for that even available. I get paid today & so does he, so hopefully that'll be enough for rent. And I have to pay his cell bill, the interlock fee....Whoa. Too much to think about huh?

 

Screw it. I cannot do a damn thing about it. I am here at work, aren't I? I’m in school trying to do better, aren't I? What else can I do exactly?

 

ON a happy note: Today is Ray's B-day (That's my stepdad- But not technically since my mom divorced him 5 years ago...He lives next door to my grandma, so he is still a frequent member in our life) Mom has mixed emotions about it. Some days she gets pissed saying that she doesn't want him around, some days she invites him for dinner. Who knows. We are all meeting at Ma-Ma's for cake...I'll have Miller Lit instead.

 

My book (daily devotional) was lame today. It said how the way you dress tells people who you are. Screw that. What if I can't afford to dress exactly how I think I am? I wear jeans & t-shirts & sneakers every day. They're clean clothes, but from Goodwill. And I look a little adolescent (I think). I have tons of clippings from magazines that I would love to have the money to buy: summer dresses, business suits, cute slacks, sandals & blouses...I am on a Goodwill budget so I look like I do because of that. I don't look scruffy, but I don't WEAR my personality.

 

Gooday Mates.

 

Homestead exemption in Florida


Florida's homestead exemption provisions are among the most protective in the United States, and refer to two similar, but unrelated provisions of the Florida Constitution. The creditor protection clause of Article X gives no limit to the value of property that can be protected from creditors. The tax exemption clause of Article VI renders property tax-free certain dollar amounts of the value of the homestead, as well as up to $1,000 of personal property. Both provisions apply automatically upon the establishment of a primary residence in Florida, but to reap the tax assessment benefits it must be claimed by a filing with the state. It can be lost if the homeowner abandons use of the homestead as a primary residence.

Scope of the protection

Florida's creditor protection homestead provision is one of the broadest in the United States. The value of the property that can be protected is unlimited, so long as the property occupies no more than ½ acre (2,000 m²) within a municipality, or 160 acres (650,000 m²) outside of a municipality. The provision is written into the Florida Constitution, Article X, section 4, so it can not be removed without a constitutional amendment.

Because of the scope of the protection afforded, persons from other states with heavy debts or large court judgments against them have been known to purchase expensive estates in Florida, a famous example being O.J. Simpson.

One event that can drastically affect the value of a homestead is municipal incorporation. If a 160 acre (650,000 m²) non-municipal homestead is on land that is later incorporated into a municipality, the homestead will be grandfathered in and remain protected for the owner and his heirs. However, for any future purchasers of all or part of the property, the protected land will drop to the ½ acre (2,000 m²) allowed within a municipality.

Protection from creditors

The homestead exemption offers virtually absolute protection from forced sale to meet the demands of creditors, except under three special circumstances listed below.

One unique feature of Florida's homestead exemption is that it attaches to proceeds from the sale of a home, if the homeowner intends to use those proceeds to establish a new Florida homestead within a reasonable time. Therefore, if the owner of a $1,000,000 home sells that home and puts the money in a bank account, that money is still protected by the homestead exemption, so long as the homeowner has a bona fide intent to use it to purchase another home in Florida entitled to the exemption. This protection is lost if the funds are commingled with other funds not designated for such a purchase. Also, the protection only extends to the amount the owner intends to invest in a new homestead - if the owner of a $1,000,000 home sells that home, and makes clear his intent to purchase a $750,000 home, the remaining $250,000 will lose its protection.

Exceptions for certain creditors

Three types of creditors can still force the sale of a homestead to collect debts owed to them. These are:

The State of Florida and its counties or municipalities, to collect past due property taxes;
Parties to whom the property was specifically pledged as credit for a mortgage;
Mechanics who are owed money for work performed in repairing or improving the property.

Because the homestead exemption is state law, it can also be over-ridden by the United States federal government, to satisfy federal income tax debts for example, although this has rarely occurred.

Reduction of property tax

Florida property tax homestead exemption reduces the value of a home for assessment of property taxes by $25,000, so a home that was actually worth $100,000 would be taxed as though it was worth only $75,000. Florida counties are permitted to tax property for up to 3% of its total value, so a $100,000 home could be taxed $3,000/yr, but the homestead exemption would reduce that burden to $2,250/yr.

Additionally, and more importantly, the Florida homestead exemption caps the rate at which property taxes may be increased. Though millage rates may be changed, the assessed value a house with a homestead exemption can be increased by is fixed. This is the result of the "Save Our Homes" Amendment to the Florida Constitution which was passed by voters in 1992, and went into effect in 1995. The amendment caps the increase of the assessed value of a home with a homestead exemption to the lesser of 3% or the rate of inflation. This means that if an owner had a homestead exemption on a home valued at $100,000 in 1995, and the exemption was still valid in 2005, the most the home could be assessed at is $126,000. For comparison, records of the Florida Association of Realtors show the median price of a single family home during the same time increasing 175% from $89,900 in 1995, to $247,000 in 2005.

Homestead exemptions are only available on an individual's primary home. Therefore, this exemption does not apply to businesses, rental property, second homes, or homes with owners that do not claim Florida as their primary residence. Further, the benefits from the "Save Our Homes" amendment do not run with the homesteader or the house. A homesteader that moves will pay taxes on the full market value of the new house for their first year. Acquiring a house that had a homestead exemption does not entitle the buyer to retain its low tax rate.

Supporters of the "Save Our Homes" Amendment contend that it allows long term residents with a fixed income to be able to afford to stay in their homes without being driven out by tax increases as their property value increases. Detractors argue that it creates an unfair system of taxation in which first time home buyers, new residents, seasonal residents, and businesses are burdened with more than their share of taxes while homesteaders are trapped in their own homes, often unable to move without doubling their tax rate.

Protection to surviving spouse or minor child

The provision also protects a spouse in several ways. First, it restrains the homeowner from conveying the property without the approval of their spouse, even if the property is entirely in the name of one spouse, or was purchased entirely from funds of one spouse. The provision also prohibits a spouse from devising the property by will, if the homeowner is survived by a spouse or a minor child. A spouse may waive these rights with respect to the will, but a minor child is not competent to do so. Finally, the homestead exemption automatically attaches to the surviving spouse, so the property will never be exposed to the creditors of either spouse because of the death of the other.

Contact us at FLORIDA HOMESTEAD SERVICES today in order to protect your property from creditors!

So my company isn't doing that well in this down turn. This BKs me. My father isn't doing that well either right now. I know he is way smarter than I am and he has a lot more charisma than me. This make me feel nervious. Am I next? It seems like everyone is either losing their job or their house. My friends all say, "you worry to much". Honestly? I don't think they worry enough. Everyone is making a big deal about the election right now and not focusing on the main issue. It shouldn't be whether our president is black or white. It should be what he plan to do about our serious dept. I can't imagine what the depression of the 30s was like. I think this is pretty terrible now. Do you think the people of the 30s knew things were that bad back then? Did they know it was the "great depression"? Cause what if we're next. I get nervious now. I think to myself almost everyday, what if I lose my job? How would I be able to find replacement quickly. The job market overflooded with applicants right now. And well, I was no shining academic star in my previous years. Oh sure, I could turn on the charm but I really hate doing that. Feels like I'm selling a bit of my soul for a job. Also with a new job you have to start from the bottom if you're lacking in the degree deparment. This frustrates me to no end. I hate having to compete to have a decent living. Life should be fun and we should be able to study what makes us happy. Unfortuntly usually what makes you happy isn't what pays the bills. Guess what day today is? Bill day.