No Social Security COLA in 2016

[jendie]

I get less than $8000 a year(SSI), but like Agate subsidized housing keeps a roof over my head. Housing says that the fair market value of my apartment is nearly $1000/mo. Considering where I live I'm not surprised, though a dishwasher and sink disposal would have been nice.

[agate]

I was lucky that way too. At the time when MS was putting in its appearance I "owned" a house--it was mortgaged but I had equity in it. At about the same time an aunt died and I inherited money from her.

I sold the house because I knew I was no longer able to maintain the house, and with the proceeds from the house plus the inheritance I was able to tide myself over until Social Security started.

Then there was a 24-month wait for Medicare to start, and what was left of the inherited money and the house sale money helped to see me through that bad patch. There weas a little left over that helped during the 5 years when Social Security was terminated.

People who aren't so lucky are in a far worse situation if they have only Social Security as income.

I was very stupid and cancelled the Blue Cross insurance I'd been carrying as a self-employed person at just the time when I was becoming too disabled to work. I didn't see how I could pay the premiums any more. I should have paid those premiums no matter what.

[agate]

Wow, I feel like I am in the best company here!

I am hard-wired to live at or below my means which has enabled me to do
extravagant things I want to do.

Yes Agate, the cost of housing in my area is horrible and getting worse.
Boomtown syndrome.
If I wasn't in public housing I could not live here where I have lived and
made friends for 40 years.
Then again if I didn't live in this apartment I would be warm.

It's a trade off.

8>)

Just a minute, renee. Don't they even HEAT your apartment? Or do they under-heat it?

That's miserable. Or maybe you meant that you'd be living in a warmer climate--say, Florida where (I hear) they don't need heat in winter?