Why Would She Ask Me to Cover Her $200 Pampered Chef Order?

[lesliec]

Perhaps here isn't the place to be discussing the lifestyles of those on welfare. Not everyone on it wants to be there and your assumptions are offensive! Oddly enough not everyone can survive out here in the real world! Or did you miss the economical crisis this country has been bouncing in and out of for the past century?

My guess is someone in your family or one of your friends has at some point in their life been a recipient of welfare. They don't want to be ostracized or pointed out, they just want to live their day to day hard life without you bugging them because they aren't making it.

Oh yeah, and do a little brush up on your history to figure out exactly why the minorities are on welfare!

If your business went to crap and your husband lost his job you'd be in line for the same benefits! To have welfare you must meet certain requirements and those do not and should never include manual labor as a stipulation. Many of those receiving these benefits are disabled or have jobs which means they are paying taxes back into the system.

And while cable tv or cigarettes seem like a luxury, when you have hand me down clothes and salvation army furniture, sometimes it's nice to just sit down and relax in front of the tube.

I am a proud recipient of food stamps and medicaid. My husband works and attends college. He is currently a junior and will be teaching your children history in just 2 years. I have a successful business. And we can only go up. We don't slum it, beg or sit on our butts getting free money and we work hard to never be in this position again. Without the help we recieve, from a system I've been paying into for 8 years, we would be much hungrier and not very healthy. Yay for a system that gives without discrimination!!

Don't be so hasty! :grumpy:

I will honestly tell you that we make below the income level to qualify, but we don't receive Food Stamps b/c or other benefits b/c we have retirement money that we aren't willing to pull out. In 2008 we went from making $75,000 a year to making $20,000 a year, oh yeah, and we are a family of 5. DH is self-employeed and by the time he went looking for a job to make it through winter they were all gone. No income, no food stamps. He took a job cleaning Port-A-Potties. When I started with PC my husband was cleaning other people's shit!!!! We don't have cable and veg in front of the TV. We work our tails off. My husband works 12 hr days. I homeschool our 3 boys, and then we pinch hit and I do my PC shows to make ends meet. Our income for 2010 will probably end up at about $25,000 (haven't done our taxes yet). I feed my family of 5 on 50-60 dollars a week!!!!! Way less than food stamps pay out.
Don't get all high and mighty on me. If you can afford cable, you can afford to buy your own dinner. I agree that not everyone is living off the system, but if you are smoking and watching cable, then you ARE living off the system. Those things aren't necessities, and I am not going to feel guilty for one second for generalizing here.

 

[my3angels]

And take a drug test every month and quit drinking and smoking - cause you know they can afford to pay for the out of pocket! I see it all the time at WalMart. Sorry, you started it!

They have a GREAT health care coverage, so they can do it....unlike most people who do work. Somethings I will never understand. I am voting for Sheila :sing:

 

[TiffanyBarton]

we don't receive Food Stamps b/c or other benefits b/c we have retirement money that we aren't willing to pull out... We don't have cable and veg in front of the TV. We work our tails off. Don't get all high and mighty on me. If you can afford cable, you can afford to buy your own dinner. I agree that not everyone is living off the system, but if you are smoking and watching cable, then you ARE living off the system. Those things aren't necessities, and I am not going to feel guilty for one second for generalizing here.

That's not really the point. The point is harping on people who use assistance in a Pampered Chef Arena doesn't make a ton of sense and is offensive!

I'm sorry you don't get the benefits, it's your choice. And I don't agree with smoking but we all have something don't we? You CAN'T generalize!! Every person's situation is different and relevant. I'm not saying that no one abuses the system but I am saying that finding some of those things as abuse is ridiculous!!

Since you don't veg in front of the tv what do you do? Work work work then lay down in bed. Homeschool, cook, clean and then go to bed. You do something for entertainment, everyone does! And no one should tell you you can't. Most people can receive basic cable for around $14 a month. Less than the cost of a dvd or a few movie rentals. Shall we tell the world that because they are low income and receiving assistance that they should not have a media outlet at all? Blech! Get over yourself.

 

[BadGirl]

That's not really the point. The point is harping on people who use assistance in a Pampered Chef Arena doesn't make a ton of sense and is offensive!

I'm sorry you don't get the benefits, it's your choice. And I don't agree with smoking but we all have something don't we? You CAN'T generalize!! Every person's situation is different and relevant. I'm not saying that no one abuses the system but I am saying that finding some of those things as abuse is ridiculous!!

Since you don't veg in front of the tv what do you do? Work work work then lay down in bed. Homeschool, cook, clean and then go to bed. You do something for entertainment, everyone does! And no one should tell you you can't. Most people can receive basic cable for around $14 a month. Less than the cost of a dvd or a few movie rentals. Shall we tell the world that because they are low income and receiving assistance that they should not have a media outlet at all? Blech! Get over yourself.

I'm absolutely not offended by people "harping" on others who abuse public assistance. Nope, not at all. Maybe if more people spent less time being offended, there would be less people on it and abusing it.

"Get over yourself"?

Are you kidding me? You are telling this to folks who actually have a job and are doing the right thing by their families?

I am offended by your take on this. Seriously offended.

 

[lesliec]

That's not really the point. The point is harping on people who use assistance in a Pampered Chef Arena doesn't make a ton of sense and is offensive!

I'm sorry you don't get the benefits, it's your choice. And I don't agree with smoking but we all have something don't we? You CAN'T generalize!! Every person's situation is different and relevant. I'm not saying that no one abuses the system but I am saying that finding some of those things as abuse is ridiculous!!

Since you don't veg in front of the tv what do you do? Work work work then lay down in bed. Homeschool, cook, clean and then go to bed. You do something for entertainment, everyone does! And no one should tell you you can't. Most people can receive basic cable for around $14 a month. Less than the cost of a dvd or a few movie rentals. Shall we tell the world that because they are low income and receiving assistance that they should not have a media outlet at all? Blech! Get over yourself.

Beans and Rice baby!!!!! There are children in Africa living on way less than the $14 a month you claim to spend on cable. I worked full time to support myself while going to school full time. You live off the government. That's your choice I guess.
Yes, we have entertainment. We have internet for $20/month, but we need that for our businesses too. We occasionally watch something on CBS.com, but our cheap internet is usually too slow for that. We don't go out to eat, we don't rent movies, we don't buy movies or CD's. We listen to the radio, and occasionally check out a DVD from the Library for the kids. We go to story time, we read books, and we go outside and do things as a family. Often my children will go a week without watching anything.
Honestly if you spent less time being offended and watching tv, and more time calling customers and working your business, you may not have to be on food stamps and Medicare, but don't get me started on Lazy Americans.
And you're absolutely right, it is my choice not to take the money we have saved up for emergencies and blow it just so that we can receive government assistance. I would rather teach my children a good work ethic than how to be lazy and live off of the government that will probably implode on itself anyways and not be there to financially support them in a few years.
I am not in anyway against government assistance. There is a time and a place. I think the programs were set up to help honest working people to help honest working people in times of need. They are now used and promoted by dishonest and lazy people as a lifestyle. Yes, my sister lived off the government for years as a single mother. She thought it was her right to get to be a stay at home mom and she worked the system. She was laid off a couple of years ago and thought it was such a blessing to get to be a stay at home mom and live off of unemployment. NO!!!!! I don't agree with it. There are honest people that deserve these programs, and I am not trying to offend those people, but I don't think those would be the ones offended. I honestly think the standards are way too high for it, and I don't think people should be able to live off of it long term. And disabled people can volunteer too. I have a friend whose husband is disabled, but he is always up doing things at their church, driving people to dr's apts and helping out any way that you can. Being disabled doesn't mean that all you can do is sit in front of the couch and watch tv.
Do you realize that a family of 5 will receive WIC benefits if they make less than $45,000. We got it for a while when we were first in a financial crunch, and do still qualify for that, but we don't need it. We spend our time working hard and earning a living not so we can have more stuff, but so that we can live debt free and give our children the best life they can have, by teaching them how to work for $1.
Sorry, I tend to get a little heated and piss people off, but LAZY is one thing I am not and is one thing that I will never excuse you for being. It's your choice, and a choice you have to live with.
I hope I have offended you enough to GO GET A JOB!!!!!!

 

[lesliec]

Oh, and as far as your comment about hand me down clothes and salvation army furniture.....
The only thing we buy new is underwear and socks. The financial crunch has grown our character. We have learned to grow our own food, raise our own chickens for eggs (and sometimes meat). Your husband will never teach my children your liberal propaganda, but my children will be the ones with full bellies who know how to sustain their lives when we go through our next great depression.

 

[TiffanyBarton]

You live off the government. That's your choice I guess.

I hope I have offended you enough to GO GET A JOB!!!!!!

I have a job. Thanks. I've just started with the Pampered Chef, successfully, to alleviate some of the stress for my husband. My husband, as was previously stated, is also employed. We are both college students who work our buns off to survive as well. We too, grow what we can in a postage stamp backyard, we save and scrimp and we were blessed to have found a home with all of our utilities and dish/internet included. We live in a very large and expensive city, we pay more than is reasonable for our home but we do that to provide our child with a safe environment to live in. We work hard, and manage to watch tv now and then.

We don't live off the government, we accepted an assist while we make our lives better, while we go to college so that we never have to be on assistance again and so that we can teach our child to not be like our parents, to not live in poverty. Precisely what the program was created for.

We have jobs, we don't do drugs, we watch tv and we don't abuse anything. Again, we are blessed to have this help when we need it most. It's not a perfect system but it can be a saver.

I am finished with the conversation and the personal attacks. Have a lovely week.

 

[JennLizFran]

So, anyways, to the original poster....What happened???? I'm sure you didn't pay for the knives, but did she get her refund and get them herself...throw a fit when you told her no?

 

[MLinAZ]

So, anyways, to the original poster....What happened???? I'm sure you didn't pay for the knives, but did she get her refund and get them herself...throw a fit when you told her no?

Nope, didn't pay for the knives. But she did And she's still considering the business. Hoping I can reel her in with the new 50% Rebate promotion.

 

[aPamperedBride]

MLinAZ, I'm glad it worked out for you!In reading the post, I thought of a quote at a U2 concert years ago: "All generalizations are bad, including this one."

 

[chefheidi2003]

I have a job. Thanks. I've just started with the Pampered Chef, successfully, to alleviate some of the stress for my husband. My husband, as was previously stated, is also employed. We are both college students who work our buns off to survive as well. We too, grow what we can in a postage stamp backyard, we save and scrimp and we were blessed to have found a home with all of our utilities and dish/internet included. We live in a very large and expensive city, we pay more than is reasonable for our home but we do that to provide our child with a safe environment to live in. We work hard, and manage to watch tv now and then.

We don't live off the government, we accepted an assist while we make our lives better, while we go to college so that we never have to be on assistance again and so that we can teach our child to not be like our parents, to not live in poverty. Precisely what the program was created for.

We have jobs, we don't do drugs, we watch tv and we don't abuse anything. Again, we are blessed to have this help when we need it most. It's not a perfect system but it can be a saver.

I am finished with the conversation and the personal attacks. Have a lovely week.

Please don't take this as a personal attack..because that is not what it is meant to be. Besides the smoking..You are the type of people that I don't mind being on assistance..but honestly..you are NOT among the majority on assistance. You should come here to where I live..and see all of the people having more babies just to get more money. When I was a kid my parents raised 5 kids..with no assistance..it was tough at times..but I can honestly saying I don't ever remember feeling deprived of anything..because they made due..and if we wanted to do something special then they would scrape places so that we could save up for things. We had a small camper so that our family could go camping as family vacations..and we spent most of the summer in the camper because of my dad's work schedule he had a lot of days off at one time and we could do that. And I believe that it is because of that scraper that I keep telling my fiance that we can make it..even though his child support was just raised $200 a month..and he doesn't pay support because he was out sleeping around either..it is with his exwife who decided that after 5 years of marriage she wanted to be sleeping with their son's god father rather than her husband. So now he has to give her more than half of pay a month. Thank GOD that he rents from his Aunt and Uncle and they can keep the price down.

You received personal attacks on here because you made yourself a target when you became offended..no one was trying to offend you. I believe that assistance is needed in our society..but I believe that it needs to be regulated better so that it is being used by people..LIKE YOURSELF..who NEED IT..and yes I am sorry but I feel that you should have to submit to drug tests..there are a lot of things that us hardworking honest people get "screwed" because of dishonest crooked people.

Sorry I have been reading this for a few days and just needed to say my peace.

And Congrats that you and your husband are going to school and trying to make a better life for your kids.

 

[Sheila]

WOW! See, as I said, I wouldn't be very popular if I was running for office. LOL

 

[kristina16marie]

WOW! See, as I said, I wouldn't be very popular if I was running for office. LOL

I'd still vote for you Sheila!!!

 

[chefheidi2003]

I'd still vote for you Sheila!!!

So would I!

 

[lesliec]

WOW! See, as I said, I wouldn't be very popular if I was running for office. LOL

I'm still voting for you, too.

 

[lesliec]

Please don't take this as a personal attack..because that is not what it is meant to be. Besides the smoking..You are the type of people that I don't mind being on assistance..but honestly..you are NOT among the majority on assistance. You should come here to where I live..and see all of the people having more babies just to get more money. When I was a kid my parents raised 5 kids..with no assistance..it was tough at times..but I can honestly saying I don't ever remember feeling deprived of anything..because they made due..and if we wanted to do something special then they would scrape places so that we could save up for things. We had a small camper so that our family could go camping as family vacations..and we spent most of the summer in the camper because of my dad's work schedule he had a lot of days off at one time and we could do that. And I believe that it is because of that scraper that I keep telling my fiance that we can make it..even though his child support was just raised $200 a month..and he doesn't pay support because he was out sleeping around either..it is with his exwife who decided that after 5 years of marriage she wanted to be sleeping with their son's god father rather than her husband. So now he has to give her more than half of pay a month. Thank GOD that he rents from his Aunt and Uncle and they can keep the price down.

You received personal attacks on here because you made yourself a target when you became offended..no one was trying to offend you. I believe that assistance is needed in our society..but I believe that it needs to be regulated better so that it is being used by people..LIKE YOURSELF..who NEED IT..and yes I am sorry but I feel that you should have to submit to drug tests..there are a lot of things that us hardworking honest people get "screwed" because of dishonest crooked people.

Sorry I have been reading this for a few days and just needed to say my peace.

And Congrats that you and your husband are going to school and trying to make a better life for your kids.

Very Well said Heidi. I agree that she made herself a target by being offended and grouping herself into those that were being discussed as "those that needed to be drug tested".

 

[Mommy2amo]

I wouldn't do it.

 

[rompydompy]

Sheila, you've totally got my vote! Tiffany, boy do I know where you're coming from.... having a family member going to school while you're trying to raise a child isn't easy. It's not supposed to be.Nothing worth having comes easy We did the same thing, I worked my butt off to pay the bills while my husband fnished his engineering degree. We both worked, I had two jobs and he worked at the school. I was fortunate that I found a job flexible enough I rarely had to hire a babysitter, because when you're making min. wage, a lot of times it costs more to work than not. We received food stamps to get by, but we were never PROUD of it.... we were embarrassed, and I think that's the way it should be. We couldn't take care of ourselves. And then when we did get the foodstamps, we got five hundred bucks a month.... 500!!!!! For two people!!!! Insane! And the stupid way the system is set up, we're not supposed to donate any of it to others in need-- they expect us to use all of that on ourself??? No wonder you see lifestylers livin it up on steaks and caviar... not that we didnt indulge once in a while, cuz the food was our only pleasure in life. We gave what we didn't need to my grandparents who were on a fixed income. And I felt good about it. Anyway, we made it. My husband graduated with honors, we had a second child, and are now living assistance free, a year later, digging ourselves out of our debt one day at a time and Im proud of what we did together. I am fortunate enough that I can be a stay at home mom now. And we STILL qualify for WIC.... what the hell????? We don't use it, but jeez-oh-man, how rough do those legislators who make a gazillion bucks think we have it on 40 grand a year????? Sorry about my rant on an unrelated post, but this whole thing just kills me.... we used it, for what I would call the RIGHT reasons, and meanwhile, my mother in law keeps driving 7 hours to visit us, whilst chain smoking her name brand smokes, to come buy us fancy cuts of meat and papa murphy's on her bridge card. And she lives in her mom's basement, rent free. My husband's taxes are supporting her. UGH!!!!!Maybe I should ask why she doesn't try PC to make a living?