Showing posts with label Social benefit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social benefit. Show all posts

Sunday, June 10, 2012

MY NEIGHBOR FEARS TO OPEN HER MAIL BOX


A mailbox

A mailbox


Gone are the days when people fear opening their mailboxes at home when terrorists laced letters with anthrax or the fear of being killed by a letter bomb.


Even though Belgium is one of the safest countries to live in  Europe, many fear opening their mailbox in the morning, afternoon, or evening. Don't be mistaken. There isn't any rattlesnake hidden in the corner of the post box, but unexpected bills to pay scared many not to opening mailboxes.

Many times, you may see a box full of letters you might think the owner is in the hospital or even dead. Not at all. The owner is living. Imagine you've lost your job and are living on a social benefit. How long could that make you happy when one needs to pay their house, electricity, gas, and other bills?

There is nothing I could compare paying bills with difficulty to than a headache in the middle of the night. "You will be on the bed all night, but your eyes will be gazing at the ceiling", said a neighbor, who is having nightmares of paying bills because of her financial situation.

I have been through this and I survived. One early January, I could still remember when I displayed about twelve bills to pay on my dining table. This is how I did it, and I will encourage anyone who finds themselves in this situation to follow this simple task.

1. Many bills are given time to pay, and others are not. Pick up those with stated duration and clear that first. Otherwise, when the time to pay expires, you could be punished with a higher amount.

2. Always try to pay those with higher amounts first. That is the most difficult task. Paying a bill with a big amount is not easy, but when you can do that, you will find it easy to pay those with a lesser amount as easily as ABC.

3. If the amount is really high and there is no way you can submit to the payment plan. Please go to the office that sent you the bill and explain your situation to them. They will definitely give you a simple and easy monthly payment plan to follow.

4. If you are a regular visitor to the restaurant, the cinema, or doing anything you love most that costs you a fortune, try to save by avoiding those places or things. This could help you save enough money to clear your bills within the shortest period.