Are you sure the tax offset you got wasn't for having dependent children? I am not sure how it works, but I think DH gets a rebate because we have dependent kids.
It is scary when big international companies start to flounder. DH is currently in the process of changing jobs because his company got bought out by a larger company and they made all these budget cuts and changed the regulation, told DH he was overpaid and are trying to take away his car. DH was thankfully head hunted by another company a couple of months ago and decided that he would really enjoy the job that he was offered so has moved on, but it is still really stressful having to finish up at his current workplace and I am so thankful everyday that he doesn't have to stick around and deal with it all ... but it is still incredibly stressful.
I don't know if there is anything like this in other states (we are in Qld) but DH called our electricity company last week to have our direct debits changed from weekly to monthly (we have an amount direct debited out of our account on a regular basis so we aren't hit with a big bill every three months) and mentioned that we had a lot of medical expenses for our son. They said that DOCS is currently offering families $720 a year towards their electricity bills if they have trouble with their bills because of things like medical expenses. They sent us the form and we looked over it but didn't feel right about taking money for it because we do have enough if we stick to our budget and we wouldn't class ourselves in 'hard times'. That doesn't mean if our circumstances were different I wouldn't take the money, but we would just be greedy to take it in our current situation - but if you are struggling, it might be worth looking into. You too BG, since you have been so sick, you might be eligible. Might help out a bit.
there are a lot of charities that will help out with essential expenses if you're in severe financial hardship. when DH first lost his job (before i returned to work) we accessed some assistance
we are technically still in a position where we CAN - but at the same time, i am doing all i can to avoid accessing them because it may be seen that, due to my work, i'm making use of facilities i only know about because of work, and abusing the system (that isn't the case AT ALL - but it's about perception kwim?) - it would have to be pretty dire for me to take that path again, given there is that work issue in the background
I think the biggest thing we have learnt "the hard way" is never to spend any $$$ before they actually come in. Like when we were renovating and presumed we would have same $$ in tax as previous year. Only to find out DH company had taxed wrong when he worked away etc & instead got a huge bill..........that really really hurt!! and we are currently renting, looking to buy a house but are willing to get something less than we can afford and slowly do up to earn more later than set ourselves up for too much.
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