A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Not meaning to whine but...... - oldtimer

Posted: Jun 28, 2011

I know there are many people now in the same boat but it does feel good to get things off the chest now and then. Been with this company for over 15 years, now on the verge of losing my home and everything else. Live in a very small town where we used to have a couple of factories that have now closed so no work - heck our little Salvation Army store just closed! Near retirement age if it isn't changed to 90 in the near future but in the meantime have no choice but to keep struggling with what I'm doing - until I lose my house, etc., then no internet for working so will not have a job at all. Husband totally disabled with no raise in SS for the last 2-3 years due to "no inflation." Right - tried to buy grapes at the store yesterday, a little less than 5 pounds cost a little over $9.00 so had to give them back. Good luck to all and I pray something good happens soon, though I'm not holding my breath.

sorry... - me too

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Just know you are not alone.

Not meaning to whine but.... - oldtimer

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When we are living on the street maybe we can put our boxes next to each other and be neighbors,not to mention visiting the soup kitchens (if there are any) together and swap stories about when we were employed and treated like people.

I also wonder how many are trapped in - relationships now

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because there is no way we could support ourselves on what we make plus the insurance is terrible. At least I can buy groceries, but this job has robbed me now of choices (and yes flamers I have applied other places and I have checked into education).

neighbors - me too

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I think we should open a soup kitchen. I make a killer chicken noodle and veggie beef, but that is it. You any good? We can probably get government funding and maybe local resturaunts will donate food. I have a pretty big tent that I have not sold yet, if it is a warm state, we can live there.

Sad to say - sm

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in my state, restaurants cannot donate food. I guess in case something is bad. Not sure why but all the food left at the end of the day goes to the dumpster. Isn't that terrible.

then I will become the best dumpster diver there is - me too

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Will put up the tent behind the best Italian place in town... yummy.

Not meaning to whine but..... - oldtimer

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Not in a warm state, my luck is out all the way around. I'll have to use one of those big barrels to have warmth. Soup sounds good though since we won't be able to afford hot dogs for roasting.

re: oldtimer - me too

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Oldtimer, I am also worried for our future. I am in my mid fifties and have not a penny to my name in savings or retirement. Can't afford that luxury! I thank the lord everyday that I am able to get up and work. Arthritis has been a big barrier for me in the past year and it takes a lot of getting used to, not being able to type as long and hard as I used to. I worry that some days my hands and ankles hurt so much that from one month to the next I may just have to quit doing this. Then what?

About the grapes though. When my income started to tank, I started a back yard garden because:
1. Fruits and veggies are expensive.
2. as a hobby and mind saver.
3. to learn how to can and freeze and to teach my grandchildren too.

last year was our first "crop" of grapes, seedless whites and little reds. They were wonderful and we made jelly and jams and still have some.

This year we will have strawberries, squash, cucumbers, greenbeans, pumpkin, asparagus, onions and different kinds of carrots and other stuff. I haven't calculated any significant savings from when it got started to now, but my kids and grandkids are all pitching in now and the garden covers nearly the entire back yard. I haven't bought a lot of canned or frozen veggies in the last year. It is therapeutic and practical.

I also saw a news story encouraging Americans to start "Victory" gardens as a way of "mini protesting" the purchase of foreign fruits and vegetables and to go to local farmers markets and stores for produce instead. I felt good, I was already helping my country in my tiny way. I did not realize that practically all of our fresh fruits and veggies are from overseas and that is absolutely ridiculous and sad and just plain infuriating! I am going to continue to plant my garden.

We are all going to pitch in as a family and purchase a side of beef.

A few months ago someone suggested that the moderator post a "recipe board" so we can share money saving recipes also.

I worry about what's going to happen, because I don't yet want to throw in the towel. I still want to work, I just don't know what's around the bend for me, healthwise and security wise. DH will have a bit of retirement and then there's SS, but that is so unstable. I'm right there with you. God bless us all.

Exactly! Currently an MT... - Soon-to-be farmer

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I'm soon going to be taking a couple of call-in positions at the hospital where I used to work. Yes, I've felt the changes in the air at MQ. All my money, time and energy are going toward my dream... to be a small-time farmer / big-time gardener. If you live in Ohio, look me up, I'll help you out!

Look up CSA: Community Supported Agriculture or farm markets/farm stands in your area at www.localharvest.org, that's another way to get great quality (fresh, local) food for a good price. Also, my family raises chickens and hunts deer. I'm TELLING you, venison is just as good as beef, and it's better for you. If you know a hunter, get some meat. Or, look into Hunters Feeding the Hungry or other programs in your area.

I wish I could do more to help. I'm just as depressed about crappy soul-sucking MQ.

Just remember: Think-out-side-the-box solutions may seem weird, but they can be life-saving. Dumpster diving may seem outrageous, but what about composting that waste? A cheap row tunnel (hoop house or greenhouse), maybe a small (cheap) Aquaponics setup, and the kid next door who needs something to do other than watch TV... The possibilities are endless, even if you don't have much start-up cash.

I would like some venison recipes if you dont mind - and Rice and Beans from below..

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I am a horrible cook, and I tried venison on several occasions, it always tastes "gamey" and I cannot even stand the smell. How can you say it is as good as beef? How are you cooking it?

I also would like to know how the person below cooks the beans, what kind of beans? Green beans, pinto beans?
How are you making a meal out of beans?

I am very curious as I need to change a lot of things around here. I planted 2 tomato plants, 2 pepper plants, basil and cilantro, as well as a strawberry, but I honestly think my cilantro is parsley and not 1 strawberry at all.

Last year I only got 2 peppers all season. I got a few tomatoes, but they had brown spots on them.

I need help for sure.

Sure! This is just off the top of my head... - Soon-to-be-farmer

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I'll need to know where you live. I live in the fertile soils of Ohio, and my venison just might taste better because of it. There are definitely *differences* from beef, and a few tips and tricks might help.

Always saute an onion (and green pepper, if you have it) in olive oil, THEN add the ground venison. Season with salt and pepper, maybe some garlic (or garlic powder), depending on the recipe.

If making ground venison into burger, crunch up several (about 12 for a pound) Saltine crackers and mix it in with the meat. Form into patties and season the burger with S&P. I also like some crushed red pepper flakes in mine, and/or garlic powder. Dress it up fancy if you have fixins.

The backstrap (long paraspinous muscle) and the inner loin (on the inside of the rib cage) are the best cuts of meat. I like to slice them cross-wise like steak, pound them flat, and cook over low heat, quickly in a skillet of already-sauteed onions. Medium-rare. Seasoned with S&P. These aren't cows processed in a plant. If they were handled correctly, they won't have E. coli. (Don't even get me started - that's one reason why I like them better than beef).

It works well with Mexican spices, cayenne, paprika, etc. And you don't have to drain the fat out of your skillet.

The shoulder is stringy and should be used in shredded beef/pork recipes with good BBQ sauce.

The rump is as good as any beef roast, in my opinion. Keep it submerged in your crock pot with potatoes, onions, carrots (and whatever else you like in your pot roast), and bouillon or beef broth (or Better Than Bouillon for organic).

Venison is just different, not worse. Those animals (like us) have to fight to survive. Their muscle won't just fall apart and give up, either. With some patience, and expanding your horizons, though, it's just as good. I had a beef burger the other day. I thought IT was weird.

The beans were probably dried bagged beans (I like chickpeas and black beans best). Just follow the directions on the package - Soak overnight. Drain and refill with water. Then boil for... sometimes an hour. Now they're just like canned beans, except you get about 10x as much for the same price.

I love www.food.com. Search for a recipe, and then choose the one with the Highest Rating. On that page is always the recipe I want.

Your tomatoes will probably need to be sprayed for fungus. Jerry Baker has a good tonic: 1 c dish soak, 1 c chewing tobacco juice, 1 c ammonia, 1 c mouth wash. Put it in a 20-gallon sprayer at the end of a hose. I find this to be cheap and "okay." Lowe's and Wal-Mart usually have some organic fungicide options. Be sure to feed your soil with compost.

miliciasarah@yahoo.com if you want more...

And one more thing... I have a neighbor who is a medical coder. In her opinion, coding will never be outsourced or computerized. It's too specific, too risky. She got her cert at Penn Foster.

This is awesome! - except for one thing

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I do believe that coding will be outsourced, as it already is. MQ is already doing it!

Sheesh. - Soon-to-be farmer

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Yeah, and I'm not able to fork out $1200 for another certification, either... I'm no expert, just thought I'd pass it along.

thank you for the ideas! - OP

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I plan to e-mail you tomorrow with where I live. I heard soaking venison in coca-cola takes the gamey taste out, but never tried it. Too afraid.

Thank you for the help and look for my email tomorrow. Thanks.

Me As Well - Sally Sue

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I tried growing different types of lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers and strawberries last year and was amazed at how much produce I got from container planting. Now you have me thinking about planting grapes.

anybody see doomsday preppers? - sm

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There were some good ideas on that program. Using wood for fuel for cars, teaming up with a couple of families, each with a task for survival. One dehydrates food and collects canned food, also buckets of salt for preserving meat. They have all learned how to shoot and practice daily. They have a huge farm with gardens, chickens, cows. They make their own flour. They can survive off the grid, thats for sure. There was more but I forget. Very impressive. I'm scared too, but right now we do not have the means to even prepare.

NOT MEANING TO WHINE - Nature

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I am 63. A year ago this last April, I partially retired and now get my Social Security early. Yes, I only get half of what I would have if I waited, but I do not know if I would be sane and healthy at 65, as I was so stressed. Now I work 24 hours for MQ and receive my SS. My stress is so much less now. I am blessed with just as much as I had before (if not more) I semi retired. My stress is so much less. I don't have to stress myself out about doing 200 lines an hour to be able to make a decent living. I am so much happier. I don't know what will happen to me once I am unable to work part time, but I will do my best and leave the rest up to God. I so hope your stress level gets better, as it affects so much of our health. A lot of people have given you some good advice. I hope it will help you. I have already said a prayer for you.

Sometimes ya just gotta whine to keep going/move forward - dnr

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Living on rice and beans myself - not lying. Make a batch of beans every week. Pretty good making them now. $1.28 for a bag of beans, and that lasts almost a month. Also living on bananas & carrots. Couldn't even dream of buying grapes :( My motto has been, if it's under a dollar, I'll eat it :) (not fast food though - not worth the sales tax).

Speaking of rice and beans - anon

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I too live in an area where there aren't a lot of jobs. I've worked for MedQuist for 7 years now and the first 4 were just great and fool that I was I thought it would go on until I retire (9 more years now). But NO! And I lost half my wages because of ASR, lost my home I bought in 2006, and lost my car.

My friend lost his job in 2007 because of an injury and thankfully he is on SSI now and that helps, but we are barely making it each month. I have a 17-year-old son with disabilities and we live off my friend's $200 monthly food stamps plus we go to our area's free food pantry once a month.

I stay awake nights worrying about where I'll be in a few years or even a few months from now. Things just aren't that secure. It's so scary.

me too and on top of all of the above I have incurred a debt of over - forty five thousand when I attempted

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to go back to school, only to find out there are no jobs for teaching either and many, many districts in my area are having "hiring freezes or only hire within"... I am petrified of the debt and for my future, but I have a lot of cheap recipe ideas and also garden, not for a hobby, but as a necessity. I think if it weren't for canning and freezing, I would literally not make it through the winters.

With all of us complaining, has anyone ever thought to submit a story to a national news agency, to enlighten them as to our plight? I think someone who has a way of conveying a message informatively should try to bring our story to life. This used to be a lucrative industry and because of NAFTA and outsourcing and the US selling it's citizen's out, look what's happened to so many of us! We are practically in the poor house, if not there already! Barely making enough to buy food??? Can't pay our bills and still they "audit" to cut our pay more? Is it legal? is it moral? Are they (CEOs and higher ups) in this industry deaf to our cries and troubles?

Someone should submit a story to the national news... I know it won't help us, but at least maybe the students in the MT schools, thinking they are going to get a job will think twice before wasting their money for a job that is not available...

I also don't drink sodas or juices anymore and milk is becoming a luxury. Thank goodness our city water is drinkable.

Great idea! - I wanna hear your ideas.

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I would like to hear your cheap recipe ideas! I need all the help I can get. Also, I am not doing well at gardening and could use any help with tips and tricks or websites that are trusted.

I am not a great writer, but would help with ideas for the story. Have been here at the Q for over 15 years. Have lots of stories and every check stub... you guys would be shocked and the pay difference.

OMG... That breaks my heart - Soon-to-be farmer

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I've been checking this board just to make sure I wasn't "jumping the gun" when I started looking for another job a little over a month ago. I love working from home, just like all of you. I count my blessings that I haven't been hit as hard as many of you... yet. My heart truly aches for all of you. I desperately wish I could help in any way.

Unfortunately, this is the same scenario played out all over the country right now. So many people wronged. No one *truly* to blame, although it might make us feel better to point fingers.

With that being said... I'm a writer. I'm not sure if I could commit to anything, but would be willing to collaborate. Anyone have any ideas on how to make this story public?

Living off the land - Hunter and gatherer

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I'm relieved to find so many of you out there in similar circumstances. I'm living alone in my 50s and down to bare-bones living, literally. My only things keeping me from going crazy (no neighbors, no husband, no kids) are my dogs. Even their food is getting more expensive, so I've taken to hunting. It would have bothered me in the past, but I've taken to hunting rabbits. I had a trap that I used to use (out here in the country) to keep squirrels out of the food I used to give my horses (now long gone), but the rabbits come up to my leaking garden hose. I'm trying to justify my trapping them as I've fed them already for the 7 years I lived out here in the country, thinking it would be my retirement home, but I'm close to losing that. I just can't stand the thought of giving up my dogs, so they get to eat rabbit a la crockpot (to kill off any disease that they might carry). I tasted it the first time I cooked rabbits in the crockpot. It smelled a little like beef stew, but tasted like chicken and tuna fish, couldn't swallow it. But my dogs LOVED it. I figure I'm saving $30 a month this way. I live in California so if any of you are needing some land to squat on, consider yourself my guest. I may soon be squatting on it myself if I lose my home. I'm only 52 and don't qualify for any disability, Social Security or retirement of any kind. My neighbors are ex-firemen, ex-policemen and are all retired, yet younger than me. I've also started my own garden and might turn vegetarian as meat prices are exhorbitant.

Rabbits, etc. - Soon-to-be farmer

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Excellent! I went to a survival class 10 years ago in which the teacher told a story. Once upon a time, a vegetarian woman stood up and announced that she would not even listen to a class on trapping small game for survival. She said she would rather die than eat the flesh of an animal. The teacher implored her to stay and at least listen, so she did.

A few months later, the woman was on a research expedition in Alaska, storm came in, plane couldn't bring her supplies, and she was stuck.

Guess who clubbed a ferret with a broom handle and ate it...just to survive? No joke. Desperate times, my friends. There IS dignity in survival.

I've been feeding my dogs old venison that was long forgotten in the freezer. They love me. And I recently read a make-your-own cat food from rabbits recipe... written by a veterinarian. That's a good endorsement. Come on, it's natural! Nothing wrong with that.

Just remember to cook it well - Hunter gatherer

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I cook my rabbit for 8 hours on high in the crock pot. I know Parvo, Corona and maybe heartworms is rampant in wildlife. In researching on the Internet, the agreement is that it's safe to cook in a crockpot. The meat needs to reach a sustained temperature of at least 165 degrees which crock pots do even at a low setting, but I just want to be certain.

When that days comes for me, i think I'll feed my - dogs ground-up CEO meat. Yum! Tasty!

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.

I cry at my desk most every day. - another old timer

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It is sad what this job has reduced MT's to.

it's sad but it is not just MTs and I would encourage - eskay

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anyone who has grandparents still to ask them how they got through the tough times! I have learned how to get by on very little cash from my grandparents and parents. They were "dirt farmers or migrant workers" and my grandma told me there were times when stores were not accessible, so they'd hunt, fish, gather, and she WAS HAPPY! She said she has wonderful memories of her childhood and since that is the way they grew up, she never new that it was "tough livin"! My parents also grew up that way, but my father set up a home after the third child, and mom would join him when it was possible, and us kids would come along.

I remember great times and like grandma, didn't know it was tough times because thats all I knew. It wasn't until I grew up and married into a more conventional kind of lifestyle that things got tough, then I got divorced, lost my home, my vehicle, now my job has tanked, but I've come around to remembering how things used to be and I'm getting by with the help of my family. grandma has been a blessing with her "don't ya remember gal" stories and helpful hints. We also have a garden, out of necessity too and come fall me and pa are going to bag a couple of deer.

I also feel so thankful to know that its so many of us. Society makes me feel like a failure and sometimes I am embarrassed that my situation sometimes seems dire. I have friends who always travel, go to shows, go to eat, buy cars, clothes... but who knows! We may all be "trend setters" because the way our economy is going, I don't see improvement or change anywhere on the horizon.

nothing to be embarrassed about - L&L

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In these uncertain times, it is a really good thing to be able to put food from nature on your table. Luxuries will probably be going down the tank for everyone in a few years, and those who rely on grocery stores to feed themselves will be out of luck. People sell meat canned to last 10 years. If you could figure out how to put up your deer for the long term, you'll be right alongside all the survivors. Keep up the good work. You should be proud to know how to take care of yourself. My hat is off to you.

agree, don't be embarrassed-sm - anon

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I'm really considering moving back home to my parents. Things are so bad and MT isn't cutting it. Finding a job is very difficult as well in my area.

Mom has a garden going again, dad's planning on hunting yet again this year. My mom needs help canning all that meat and stuff from the garden, AND I need to learn how to do it myself...bad times are coming.

youtube depression cooking link - anon

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Here's a link to a show about a 91-year-old cooking recipes from depression.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuMkW35BwK8

If link does not work, just google youtube depression cooking.

I feel the pain - Dinosaur

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I know how you feel I went from making a good living to near poverty level in my yearly earnings. Since you are nearing retirement you may want to look into a reverse mortgage. I don't know the details of your situation as there are some restriction for a reverse mortgage, but it is worth looking into.

Not meaning to whine but...... - oldtimer

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Thank you so much everyone for listening. It's a shame what we are all going through and it's great to know that there are people out there who understand and care. Good luck to all and God Bless.

Old timer, at least I assume you are close to retirement, - Kiki1

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I am only pushing 50 so retirement kinda far off but still kinda too old to start over with something else. At least in my tired mind anyway.

retirement? - runawayMT

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Retirement? Who can afford retirement if they've worked in this biz very long?? and it's hard finding other work nowadays, especialy the older one is - and I'm in my late 50's.

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