Save, Save, SAVE! A Debit Card That Pays YOU!

I know that I have mentioned my inability to obtain a traditional checking account in the past, and all of the frustration that it has caused me, but I haven't really touched on how much it sucks not even being able to open a savings account.

Savings accounts allow you to save money while earning interest on your savings. I felt like I was really missing out! I want my money to sit somewhere and grow, but because of my banking history it just wasn't in the cards...

But then I stumbled upon Mango Money. This is similar to the way that other prepaid debit cards work, in that anyone is approved and you can use the card anywhere that Mastercard is accepted, but Mango has one HUGE difference!

Any money that you transfer into savings on your Mango account will earn an astonishing 6% APY! I'm not a financial guru or anything, but that is absolutely unheard of nowadays... Your typical bank will offer 1%, and that's only if you're really lucky. Because they are solely an online banking institution they don't have to pay for things that "brick and mortar" banks have to pay for such as buildings, thousands of employees, etc., and so they are able to pass the savings onto their members in the form of an amazing interest rate.

Want to learn more? Click here to learn more or to sign up... You're just a few clicks away from investing in your future!

Local Food Resources

I'm currently heading up a fundraiser that we're doing at my work for Second Harvest Food Bank. It's called the "Share Your Lunch" program, and the goal is to collect all kinds of kid-friendly food to feed the kids who participate in the Free or Reduced Lunch programs through their schools, who might not have enough to eat during the Summer when school is out.

In case you hadn't noticed, I really have a heart for helping people. I struggled for a large majority of my eight year old sons first few years on earth, and now that I am finally managing to get on my feet I feel like it's my duty to help out anyone who might be in the same position that I was in not all that long ago...

So, that being said, I came across all kinds of info, phone numbers and resources while I was browsing the Second Harvest website trying to gather everything that I needed for our fundraiser, and so before I do anything I wanted to be sure that I passed the info on to you. You can get all of the details on these programs Here.

No one should ever go hungry.

God bless all of you, I hope you're all having great weeks!

I Just Moved Into A Three Bedroom BMR!

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted anything... You'll have to forgive me, it has been a CRAZY couple of months...

Everything is settling down now, mainly because I have OFFICIALLY MOVED INTO A BMR THREE BEDROOM TOWNHOUSE! Sorry for "shouting" but I can't express how excited I am right now. And the thing that I want to stress to all of you is that I wasn't on the waiting list for this complex, and that when I called and asked if their waiting list was open I was told that it was closed and would be for several months. They explained that even once the list did open, the actual wait to get into one of the units was several years... But here I am!

So how did I do it? Well this journey has definitely been one of trial and error, and the purpose of this blog is for me to be the guinea pig, and then once I find out what works I come back and share that info with you all in an effort to save everyone a lot of time, energy, frustration... tears...

So here are my top tips for getting yourself into one of these apartments:

• Don't ask if their "waiting list" is open - When you contact properties that you are interested in ask if they have any specific size units available, or coming available, within the time frame that you are looking to move.
• Know your stuff - Visit the websites that are provided in one of my previous posts and identify the complexes that interest you. Regardless of whether or not they are showing a "CLOSED" waiting list status, just call the office directly and ask the question above.
• BE NICE! - You would be really, really, REALLY surprised to find out the amount of pull that some apartment managers have at these places. When you call them be polite, friendly, and as non-irritating as possible. When trying to get yourself into one of these units always remember that someone in the leasing office can be your best ally.
• Be Prepared - The difference between BMR/HUD Housing units and mainstream apartments are the amount of documentation required to prove that you are in fact eligible. Before you start calling around, it might be a good idea to start gathering your documents so that once you identify an available unit you can be the first one to get in there and get them the info necessary to process your application.Some examples of necessary documents are: Birth Certificates for your children, most recent tax return documents, three to six months of pay stubs and bank statements... pretty much any piece of paper that you can possibly imagine them needing they're probably going to ask for. So get started now and it will benefit you in the future.

So I guess that is the extent of my advice right now. I hope to be posting MUCH more frequently now that I'm living in a place that I actually don't mind spending time inside of... and not to mention a place with wireless internet, which helps a lot when attempting to blog.

Best of luck to all of you on your housing search journeys, and as always, feel free to shoot me an email with any questions, comments, etc. mysingleseason@gmail.com 

Get on a Sunnyvale BMR Waiting List NOW!!!

So three or four weeks ago I posted about how the wait list for the Sunnyvale BMR's might not be as long as I had initially anticipated, well now I know EXACTLY how long they are!

Right around the time of that post I started turning in applications for these units. One of my top picks was Cherry Orchard Apartments which are AMAZING! Well, three to four weeks later and I get an email from Cherry Orchard telling me that they already have a two bedroom opening up!

If you guys haven't done so already I seriously suggest getting on these waiting lists now, before the lists get longer. If you need the application, just send me an email at mysingleseason@gmail.com and ask me to send you one. I suggest filling it out and then making several copies and turning each one in to the different participating complexes.

God Never Ceases to Amaze Me...

This Sunday I attended church for the first time in four weeks. The main reason for my lack of attendance was my second job as a waitress on the weekends. The shift made it impossible to go to church, get the kids to day care and then get to work by 11:30.

Within about two weeks of this I was starting to suffer spiritually and emotionally, and I requested that I no longer work on Sundays... Kind of a bold move for someone who had only been working there for two weeks, but I decided beforehand that if they weren't willing to budge I wasn't willing to sacrifice going to church, and that I would ultimately need to quit. Well, the manager agreed to the schedule change and my Sundays are now free...

So on January 1st, in an effort to start 2012 off on the right foot, I made sure that I spent it at church. While I was there the pastor approached me and slipped a piece of paper into my hand. When I opened it I realized that it was a check for $150! It made my day!

Fast forward to last night, realizing that my rent was due this morning I spent the evening trying to square away my finances and trying to recover from my December long spending spree. Well, as I went down the list I felt confident that when everything was said and done I would have enough to pay my largest expense, which is the rent. Unfortunately that didn't end up being the case though... I came to the sickening realization that I didn't have enough to pay my rent for January...

But then I realized something else... the amount that I was short. Would you believe that the exact amount that I had been unable to hang onto was the exact amount that my pastor had felt compelled to give to me just the day before? Yes, that's right! Exactly $150!

It made me think about the fact that even though I have been stretching myself to the limit with my two jobs and everything in between, I still didn't have enough to provide for me or my family. GOD on the other hand recognized what I needed, and then addressed (and solved!) the problem long before I even noticed that there was an issue...

What a blessing... And what a great way to start out the New Year!

God bless you all!

Another BMR Apartment Program

The city of Cupertino also offers a BMR Unit program. While I am not familiar with the length of the waitlist, or the amount of the rents on these units, I did want to make it available to anyone who might be interested. You can find information on the program here.

One thing that I do know is that the two participating complexes are extremely nice, and the Cupertino school district is supposed to be exceptional! Keep me posted on what you find out about this program!

Looking For One More Single Mom!

So, if you keep up with the blog at all, you know about the Mom2Mom program that was rolled out earlier this month. The program was designed for moms in the Bay Area to connect with eachother to see about becoming roommates or swapping childcare.

Well, through the program I actually met an awesome mom who has two children close to the age of my sons, who was looking to live in Sunnyvale, like me. We both were interested in swapping childcare, and our schedules synced perfectly to where we were available to watch eachother's kids on the times and days that we needed, it couldn't have worked out better!

So we were talking and both of us agreed that if we could find another mom who is looking for the same things as we are, then the three of us could afford a house as opposed to an apartment, and it could just be a great opportunity for everybody, all around!

So, if you are a mom who is interested in living in the Sunnyvale/Cupertino/Mountain View area and looking to move around February 1st, shoot me an email with what you're looking for and how much rent you can afford, and I will get in touch!

Hope to hear from you soon!

mysingleseason@gmail.com