Disabled and Poor: Living with Disabilities on a Limited Income

Living with disabilities on a limited income can be very trying at times. Hubby and I have been disabled for nearly 10 years now, and we know all too well how hard it can be to survive from one month to the next. Hubby injured his back in 2000, and was denied his social security disability he had faithfully paid into all his life. Social security changed his employment history so they could deny him! He worked all his life as a warehouse worker, or a janitor, and they denied him on the basis that he could do the work he had done for over 16 years, as a plant manager! Okay, how did we go from throwing heavy cases all night, to walking around telling people what to do? I missed something there!

When it came to a hearing in front of a judge, my husband was bed ridden, and the hearing was conducted with my husband in bed on the phone for the hearing. Unfortunately when you are poor, and disabled, you have no money to pay bills, let alone give a doctor hundreds of dollars to see you every week or so. That is what you must do though in order to win the social security battle, if you don't, then their doctor gets to testify to things that are obviously false. Like my husband having 20/20 vision, when in reality his vision is 20/200! Bottom line, when the chips are down for the disabled, and poor, no one cares, but another disabled, and poor person!

So for those who are like us, disabled and poor, here are a few tips on how we make extra money each month. These are simple ways to generate a little income from home. These are especially helpful for those with limited mobility, or agoraphobia type disorders.

#1) Are you an artist? If so, why not sell your art work on one of the online sites like Etsy.com, or Ebay.com. You can also sell your art through art galleries. Hubby and I are both artist, and we just started looking into galleries as a place to sell our art work, and it is looking rather promising. You can also sell at craft shows and festivals, but I feel galleries are the best option, especially for those who may live in Colorado. I am finding that Colorado is full of galleries!

#2) Do you have a web site, or are you thinking about getting one? If so you can make a little each month through affiliate sales, and google adsense. It's not much if you cannot afford to advertise, but every little bit helps when you have next to nothing!

#3) Do you have any special craft that you do? As with art, this too is an art form that can create an income, and you can use the same basis as for art in #1.

#4) Do you have a knack for web design, or graphic arts? there is big money in this business, if you can get the word out about your work.

#5) Newspaper delivery. This can provide you with a really good income if you have a route where the houses are close together so you are not using too much gas. If you can build a motorized bike, you can really make some good money, because it only cost about $0.15 each day to charge the batteries!

The above ideas are all things that hubby and I do to generate an income each month. We also have cleaned Churches. This is easy work if you have a couple of kids that can help out. It's only a few hours once a week per Church, and you can make as much as $100.00 per week or more, depending on the size of the Church.

We've survived on these things for the past 8 years, and we'll continue to do so with God's help.