Temporary financial difficulties.

Just need, Georgia

On the morning of November 16th, the owner of the business where I work passed away unexpectedly. He left everything to his best friend of 17 years, and she is now my boss. Since he died, the financial future of the business has been uncertain. Because of this, my boss has severely limited my hours until she can be sure that she can afford to keep things running. When I mention the idea of getting a second job, she expressly forbids it, since she feels that it will distract me from this one, and because she and the former owner have become like family in these two years I've worked here, I feel obligated to obey her wishes. In the last five months, I've gone from having enough to make ends meet and a little extra in case I want to go out to eat with my church friends once a month or to replace my worn-out work clothes, to barely being able to pay my normal expenses such as rent, groceries, and gas. To make matters worse, my car broke down on the way to work Tuesday - likely a faulty fuel pump or ignition module - and the repairs will likely be in the $250-300 range. Unfortunately, with my decreased pay, my normal expenses have drained my savings, so there's no way I can afford such expensive repairs, so my car is just sitting in my driveway, useless. I've had to beg my boss and my former roommate for rides all week, and the guilt of burdening them with my problem is really starting to wear me down. Not that my situation would be much better if my car were fixed, as I'd currently have trouble paying the $150 a month that I have to spend on gasoline to drive from my home to work (I literally go nowhere else - I even walk to church from work on Sunday morning). To once again make matters worse, my propane tank is about to be empty. I have about two weeks of propane left in it. Temperatures have remained below freezing this week, and likely won't start to warm up until the end of this month. I use propane to heat my home, my water, and my food, and it's going to be a chilly month of March without it. Unfortunately with the minimum order the gas company requires, I'll end up spending somewhere around $400 to fill my tank. And as of today, I am completely out of groceries, and I've been living on $100 a month for the last two years, but I'm getting the unsettling feeling that I won't be able to buy groceries at all this month. With my decreased hours since my boss died, I've been able to save less and less, to the point where, as of this week, I am unable to break even and my funds are about to shift into the negative. My rent is due this weekend. I can pay it, but after that, my bank account will be drained. And I haven't even mentioned my cell phone bill, which I've cut down to the absolute minimum of $30 a month, my car insurance for another $30, and my monthly student loan payment from my incomplete degree, another $150 a month. Fortunately, I can ask for a one-month delay on the student loan payment, so that's not an issue right now. I'm living alone and am completely independent, and I promised myself that I'd never use any form of government assistance, so there really is nobody I can rely on for financial assistance aside from the kindness of strangers. After paying my rent, I'll be left with about $70 in my bank account, which will have to go toward my cell phone and car insurance, and with what looks to be around $800 of sudden expenses in the next two weeks, I don't know how I'll make ends meet. I'm not the kind of person who would let myself become dependent in the long term; I just need a hand making it through this month. If I didn't have car repairs and a propane refill to pay for, I'd probably be able to barely scrape by and live to fight another day. Up until this month, I've been perfectly capable of paying all of my responsibilities, but this March is shaping up to be a really insurmountable financial obstacle. As ashamed as I am to beg for help, it would be a real blessing if there were anyone who might help me get through this month. I appreciate your reading this. Thank you.