So I've set myself up with a goal- a life plan if you will.
I fully intend to manage a way to have my name legally changed and my top surgery lined up/completed in the next two years.
Am I totally crazy?

Here's the general plan:
I will only be taking two classes this semester unless I can get a student loan since I can't be on aid yet.
That means I will have plenty of time to continue busting my ass at work/paying rent and trying to save money.
In the two years time I will be attending school towards my major: Resort and Hospitality Management.
Around the summer of say...next year, I would like to road trip with friends out to L.A. I plan to scope out the area and consider it as a place to move to.
Over the following time, I hope to have my surgery set up with Dr. Garramone down here in FL.

Now here's my biggest problem-
There is no way in hell I can't save up 8,000 dollars in that time period.
That's like...350 dollars a month.
That's over half my current rent (that, thankfully will be up at the end of July when I plan to move to somewhere cheaper).
Here's my big question, how does everyone go about saving that plus the 300-600 dollars it costs for the name change?
The concept seems to just blow my mind. Does anyone have an tips? Advice? Suggestions?

The last thing I want to do is kill myself working so much but it seems like unless I somehow work 60+ hours a week with two jobs, this is just gonna be some kinda pipe dream.
I don't even know how to qualify for medical loans. :-/

Thanks, guys. <3

Quote from: RenM on November 12, 2011, 12:23:12 AM
Now here's my biggest problem-
There is no way in hell I can't save up 8,000 dollars in that time period.
That's like...350 dollars a month.
That's over half my current rent (that, thankfully will be up at the end of July when I plan to move to somewhere cheaper).
Here's my big question, how does everyone go about saving that plus the 300-600 dollars it costs for the name change?
The concept seems to just blow my mind. Does anyone have an tips? Advice? Suggestions?

The last thing I want to do is kill myself working so much but it seems like unless I somehow work 60+ hours a week with two jobs, this is just gonna be some kinda pipe dream.
I don't even know how to qualify for medical loans. :-/

Thanks, guys. <3

Well, if you are going to be saving up for top surgery and have worked out you will need to save 350 per month for two years, saving money for a  name change will work much the same way. Maybe you could set aside 50 or a 100 a month for the name change and only 300 or 250 for top surgery for the first few months to get the money for the name change, and then switch back to fulltime saving for the surgery?

In terms of medical loans - the companies that provide the loan will work off your credit score, so if you want to finance your surgery, you need to make sure that you are positively building credit. I don't know how old you are, but if you are in the 18-21 range you might not be able to start that process yet. Once you are 21 I think you can begin,assuming you live in the U.S. as I don't know other countries credit standards, but be super super careful, of course, and only use the cards when you know you have the money to pay it back.

After your credit is established, a whole new world of top surgery financing can become open to you. That's the long route though, and only for people who know they will be able to pay the credit loans plus interest back.I know of people who financed the surgery completely with multiple credit cards.
The best option is, of course,to pay upfront in cash, but that isn't always possible and credit can allow you to get the surgery and pay it back over time later, as long as you are responsible and cautious.

I've heard that if you qualify for medicaid in some states you can get covered. One option is to sell stuff...ex: if you're an artist create something and sell on etsy, or open a chip in account and create something for your donors. You could sell legalize trans shirts. You could go to garage sales and find something valuable. Crochet hats with beards, etc.
You could also try creating an event, like a party, charge people at the door and do a raffle.
Using an extra student loan could also help.

Thank you for the swift reply! I actually just turned 24. I've never owned a legit credit card in my life- my family forbid it when I was younger, as a means to make sure I was dependent on them further.
I do have my work card that's from a federal credit union. It runs as both debit and credit so I don't know if that counts? Cause it's sponsored by Visa.

My biggest trouble with saving is the flux of hours at work. Example: one week, I'll get 12 hours. The next? 45.
It jumps around so much that I'm always paranoid I won't make rent.
Luckily I'm on good enough standing my mom at the moment to lean on her.
I was thinking I might just stuff away 100 a month- no questioned asked- and then just lean on her for that 100 since she still owes me money for helping her out. -_-;
I had 1,100+ saved up prior till she needed to pay some bills and my grandmother went into my account and took all my money I had saved then put it into my moms.
I asked her if I would ever get it back and she said "No, it's for the roof over your god damned head so DEAL WITH IT."
/sigh

Anyway, that you for the advice! I will have to look into getting a credit card of my own since I need to build the score up.

Nygeel:
I am an artist, actually, but I don't usually show off my work cause I mostly do monster designs. I've had my share of friends comment that I should sell my work to game designers as monsters for new games buuut eh...
I do like the legalize trans shirts idea!
Thank you!
Maybe I could try and combine that somehow with a chip in account...I just wouldn't know how to get the word out. lol I'm not huge on Facebook or anything.

Okay, well, I just want to throw out that if you are on medicaid in Oregon (OHP), you might get T-related labwork covered, but not any transgender-related surgery. Not this year. It isn't because of overt discrimination, it's because of biased and mean prioritizing. There's a list - http://www.oregon.gov/OHA/healthplan/priorlist/main.shtml.

Not expecting people to be on OHP, just offering my experience. I'm screwed, and I cannot save anything. If I could, the money saved would go toward last winter's electric bills, or toward purchasing picture day photos from my kid's school. Extortionists, they are. They know how much all parents want to order their product, and they exploit us.

Anyway, don't wear yourself out, and don't worry about keeping others informed of how much you work or save. Be stoic and put that money aside, and at some point, you'll be able to fix your body the way you need to.

Just a note on the name change fees, it might be worth looking into to see if your state will waiver the fees (or the guidelines for waivered fee), if you're having trouble with the cost.

I don't have much to add as I was in a similar predicament as you before I left the US.  I would never have even been able to see a gender therapist there.  But because the minimum wage in South Australia is about 15 USD per hour, it's a lot easier to save for surgery - plus the surgeries here are about half the cost of what they are in the US and are covered by private insurance, at least partially.  I would have been saving for years if I was still in America, and I wish that US transfolk had the same kinds of income opportunities and healthcare options we have here.  But saving up is do-able, it may just not happen in the timeframe you'd like.