Who else is feeling the burn from the Govt shutdown?

tj2002

Momager of 3
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
Can’t be the only one here. My spouse is a fed, and while we have plenty of emergency money saved, it really has us re-evaluating our financial health. I have been a SAHM for the past 3 years, but I am now looking for part time work that I can continue with, even once he resumes work. I need to pay for our upcoming May WDW trip, lol! We’ve been strictly eating at home since the shutdown, couponing like crazy, and limiting entertainment/shopping. I got an offer from our credit union to transfer other credit card balances at 0% APR until this summer. He’s deferred his student loans. What is everyone else doing to cope?
 
i'm so sorry you are having to deal with this but it sounds like you have a good handle on it. the credit union offer and the deferral sound like sound options that could help in the long run if *IDEALLY* this mess gets resolved sooner vs. later.

do you mind if i ask a question i've been wondering about since this started? i'm retired government (not fed) but i know w/ active employee benefits and such all the branches kind of work somewhat similarly-so how is health insurance being handled? we always had to be 'in pay status' on the first of each month to so much as qualify for the employer's contribution to our insurance and then if we were short on our pay that drew for the premium for some reason (like an unpaid leave of absence) we had hand over that premium on/by the date it would have pulled. is healthcare continuing for those on furlough let alone at the same premium rate? are they letting furloughed staff go into some kind of arrears for their share of the premium?

i can't imagine dealing with the financial aspects of this situation let alone if medical insurance is being withheld or threatened.
 
Yes, from what’s been explained to us, we’re still covered and will be billed for the accumulated current coverage when he returns to work. Health insurance is definitely top of mind, since I have a son that may need heart surgery next month.
 
Yep. We are not government employees, but we work in the agriculture industry and rely heavily on FSA. We cannot access our 2019 operating funds. Plus, no payment yet from the MFP program. I'm also in the throes of W2s and 1099s right now and I can't call the IRS to ask a question. I've emailed and call my senators and representatives asking them to end this shutdown ASAP.
 


Yep. We are not government employees, but we work in the agriculture industry and rely heavily on FSA. We cannot access our 2019 operating funds. Plus, no payment yet from the MFP program. I'm also in the throes of W2s and 1099s right now and I can't call the IRS to ask a question. I've emailed and call my senators and representatives asking them to end this shutdown ASAP.

I’m really sorry to hear this is negatively affecting your AG business. I would’t have normally thought about how the shutdown would trickle down and impact other sectors, but I guess it was inevitable. Fingers crossed this shutdown gets resolved quickly.
 
I’m really sorry to hear this is negatively affecting your AG business. I would’t have normally thought about how the shutdown would trickle down and impact other sectors, but I guess it was inevitable. Fingers crossed this shutdown gets resolved quickly.

Thank you! It has definitely been a stressor for me. We will be ok, but it's a strain. It sounds like you have a handle on things. Hopefully you all get paid soon. Isn't it like 8/10 Americans live paycheck to paycheck? Those people are panicking for sure.
 
My husband and I are both federal employees who are furloughed (USDA). We have 2 in college and 2 in high school. It is that short period in our life that we don't have a lot of reserve. Car insurance alone is eating us up. We have a Disney vacation planned in December. I am already concerned about that simply because the world is not predictable right now. We have been working with CRs for years now and that has been miserable. I am just tired. We are spending nothing that is not needed. We both applied for Unemployment but that is only 1/10 of our salary. We can not work other jobs without consulting the government because of ethics. If we were working somewhere else, we would lose unemployment. I started back to giving plasma too.
 


My husband and I are both federal employees who are furloughed (USDA). We have 2 in college and 2 in high school. It is that short period in our life that we don't have a lot of reserve. Car insurance alone is eating us up. We have a Disney vacation planned in December. I am already concerned about that simply because the world is not predictable right now. We have been working with CRs for years now and that has been miserable. I am just tired. We are spending nothing that is not needed. We both applied for Unemployment but that is only 1/10 of our salary. We can not work other jobs without consulting the government because of ethics. If we were working somewhere else, we would lose unemployment. I started back to giving plasma too.

have you contacted your college kid's financial aid office to let them know the situation? i don't know how they are handling these issues with the different fed offices shut down right now but there are provisions within the way financial aid (subsidized loans, grants) are administered such that a drastic change in parental income can kick in a new determination (for the current term) such that it may free up some funds. you also never know if the individual school might not have some emergency scholarship funds sitting around.

i suggest this b/c a friend did it when her dh got injured and their disability insurance was a fraction of his normal wages. she tried it without much hope only to find that the school did have some discretionary funds and her dd was also found eligible to some grant monies they didn't qualify for before the fact.


hopefully all will be resolved soon.
 
have you contacted your college kid's financial aid office to let them know the situation? i don't know how they are handling these issues with the different fed offices shut down right now but there are provisions within the way financial aid (subsidized loans, grants) are administered such that a drastic change in parental income can kick in a new determination (for the current term) such that it may free up some funds. you also never know if the individual school might not have some emergency scholarship funds sitting around.

i suggest this b/c a friend did it when her dh got injured and their disability insurance was a fraction of his normal wages. she tried it without much hope only to find that the school did have some discretionary funds and her dd was also found eligible to some grant monies they didn't qualify for before the fact.


hopefully all will be resolved soon.
Similarly, I've seen a couple banks with notices to contact them if the government shutdown is affecting you (Ally was one), so if anyone is having a issues will a particular bill they can't pay right now I'd call the bank/insurance co/whoever on the chance there might be some options available.
 
Can’t be the only one here. My spouse is a fed, and while we have plenty of emergency money saved, it really has us re-evaluating our financial health. I have been a SAHM for the past 3 years, but I am now looking for part time work that I can continue with, even once he resumes work. I need to pay for our upcoming May WDW trip, lol! We’ve been strictly eating at home since the shutdown, couponing like crazy, and limiting entertainment/shopping. I got an offer from our credit union to transfer other credit card balances at 0% APR until this summer. He’s deferred his student loans. What is everyone else doing to cope?
As far as the WDW trip goes if it's stressing you out emotionally or financially cancel it. You have enough on your plate. Tbh it sounds like even with finances flowing as they should it might be stressful to you. Maybe there is a cheaper, closer to home type option you can do for this year instead. (I'm not saying that's the right choice, I'm just saying maybe consider it, only you know what's right for you and your fam :) )
 
Since we haven't missed a paycheck yet, we've had no financial repercussions yet. Monday starts the actual financial effect, although that won't really kick in for awhile (since when it's newly split party government, I make sure to incur no major expenses, and I cut back on retirement savings until the budget for my spouse's department is passed for the year - then I catch up - so I've got significant amounts of unfunded 2018 Roths right now). Split party government has equalled shutdowns caused by both sides too many times for me to not start preparing like Floridians who get hurricanes do.

Although my biggest issue has been keeping my spouse feeling productive and useful. Since he's the breadwinner, this bothers him. But, every day, I try to have us accomplish something big or small on the house that we just never get to b/c we have no time. It means I'm actually doing more, b/c I'm doing everything I always do, and then adding in the project with him...but it's worth it (and the benefit to my house is definitely worth it - 13 bags of donated baby and kid books and 3 bags of trash later, and every book in the house now fits on a bookshelf - that was a great moment!)...
 
Thanks for the college suggestion. I will definitely consider calling the school. We have been holding tight, watching the news, and then making a decision on what to do daily. We can pay for bills right now but boy if this goes on for months we will be in trouble. We have cows, goats, rvs etc... that are on my list to sell if it goes for months. We already live cheap but we have 4 kids at the age that cost more. The oldest two in college are only 1 year until they are done but if worse comes to worse, they can borrow more. Groceries and insurance alone both are up there!

We have worked for the government for 22 years and moved all over the country for the job. I have worked since I was 13 so it is just interesting to be at a point in my life that we are older, vested and what in the world would we do! It is an eye opener! If everything works out it will definitely be a lesson and will make us reconsider how we move forward.

Since we are a family of 6 with everyone adult size, we don't stay at WDW resorts anymore. We used to pull the RV when the kids were little. My sister and I split a VRBO. We put the 1/3 down to hold it a year ago. It is paid for but could be refunded fully if we had to. Since we are going in December, even the VRBO is not cheap. We have not bought any tickets. I do have a Disney savings that we will use for bills if the time comes. I also have Disney gift cards that I earned through Swabucks and Shopkicks . So we are really not $$ invested but just have it planned as our Christmas get together. sadly

I guess my biggest point is things are changing and boy this an eye opener! Getting old also really starts to limit your choices! I can still use a shovel but I am not no spring chicken! ha
 
I'm there with you. I'm a gov't employee too (IRS). Luckily, we still have my husband's pay, but I am the breadwinner. His covers the bills mostly, but very little extra. Our first paycheck missed is Monday too, so I've been telling my husband we need to cut back spending and try to make it on his pay alone as much as possible. I was a part of the 2013 shutdown, so after that I made sure and saved up a nest egg for if it ever happened again, so luckily we have that.

What I struggle with is the unknown so I can't plan. Like I need to make a doctor's appointment for next Tuesday - will I be off or should I try to make it after work. That kind of stuff drives me a little nuts.
 
Same here Kool_kat, you can not plan. So, what I am doing is planning for the worse but hoping for the best. We are in Georgia and it just got cold again. I am burning the wood stove all day trying to keep from having to fill the propane tank again. I am heading out today for a few groceries and I am going to grab more clothes pins so I can start hanging out clothes again. I have not cut trash service, Netflix or lowered our tv package yet. They are all so minimal already that I am waiting to see what today and tomorrow brings. But, they are on my list of possibilities. We have savings but you don't know how long and all it would take is a problem coming up (like a car or house repair).

So in GA unemployment is $330 a week maximum (no matter what you made). Anything over $50 that you go out and make, will reduce that amount. As of right now, the # of weeks that you can receive is 14 weeks. It has been a learning experience.
 
We have contracts with local Governments (counties, towns....) that have loans from the USDA & EPA to pay us with...the USDA & EPA folks haven't been able to attend monthly meeting due to the shut down. This means they can not approve pay applications, and pay the local Governments, which means they can't pay us. Which makes it real hard for us to pay our subcontractors- plus we have payroll & our subs have payroll to make. I anticipate the trickle down will hit us later this month, and last a while until they finish playing catch up once the shut down is over.
And yeah - the whole W2 & tax filing thing is looming.
I really feel bad for the folks employed by the federal gov't., they are for sure suffering the brunt of the hardships.
 
Can’t be the only one here. My spouse is a fed, and while we have plenty of emergency money saved, it really has us re-evaluating our financial health. I have been a SAHM for the past 3 years, but I am now looking for part time work that I can continue with, even once he resumes work. I need to pay for our upcoming May WDW trip, lol! We’ve been strictly eating at home since the shutdown, couponing like crazy, and limiting entertainment/shopping. I got an offer from our credit union to transfer other credit card balances at 0% APR until this summer. He’s deferred his student loans. What is everyone else doing to cope?

Has been interesting trying to track down a family impacted. Most are like you, they KNOW it can happened when you work for the Federal Government so they save money up for when it does happen. If it goes on long enough to actually affect people, then there may be some real effort to end it.
 
Has been interesting trying to track down a family impacted. Most are like you, they KNOW it can happened when you work for the Federal Government so they save money up for when it does happen. If it goes on long enough to actually affect people, then there may be some real effort to end it.

The biggest effect is normally on the military branches, b/c they have the largest % of lowest paid, small time in service folks who haven't had the time or ability to save up. This shutdown, with the 4 main branches of the military paid, most of the immediately noticeable financial effects will be mitigated. However, they will still be found in the Coast Guard. But, I'm not sure if we have a board member with a member in that branch...
 
Can confirm - my youngest is MD Nat'l Guard, and is currently deployed. He is still receiving full pay.
 
Similarly, I've seen a couple banks with notices to contact them if the government shutdown is affecting you (Ally was one), so if anyone is having a issues will a particular bill they can't pay right now I'd call the bank/insurance co/whoever on the chance there might be some options available.
Sprint just announced that Federal workers can call (and the number was given to call) if they are impacted and they will try to work with them. I'm assuming working on payment plans and whatnot since that was mentioned in the article I read.
 
As far as the WDW trip goes if it's stressing you out emotionally or financially cancel it. You have enough on your plate. Tbh it sounds like even with finances flowing as they should it might be stressful to you. Maybe there is a cheaper, closer to home type option you can do for this year instead. (I'm not saying that's the right choice, I'm just saying maybe consider it, only you know what's right for you and your fam :) )
I agree with this. Granted May is roughly 4 months away but if taking the trip creates a financial burden or at least additional stress on top of an already existing one that that was created with an uncertainty of how long it would last, it may be an option.

In that case the OP would probably want to review it if that makes more sense. Seems like they are in probably a bit better boat given that they mentioned they have plenty of emergency money (though honestly an upcoming possible surgery would stress me personally out).
 

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