Anastacia’s Story: Helping Others in a Time of Need

Meet Anastacia, an intensive in-home counselor who lives in Roanoke, West Virginia.

What’s it like where you live?

I’ve lived in Roanoke for eight years now. I live with my boyfriend and two roommates in a house. We’re actually getting ready to move with our roommates to a new home in the same community!

My boyfriend and I aren’t sure about our plans for buying a house in the very near future, because we’re not sure where we’ll be at that point in our lives. We may move to a surrounding state soon.

What do you like about your community?

I like the Roanoke area because it’s very outdoor oriented. Everyone here in the community either runs, hikes, or bikes. We’re all very involved in our community and we support one another.

What’s your profession?

I am an intensive in-home counselor. That means I provide services to at-risk youth. I help them learn coping skills, anger management skills, and teach them how to deescalate the situation from getting physical so they don’t have to be removed from their home.

I’m going to be celebrating my two-year anniversary at this job soon.

What does a day in your life currently look like during the coronavirus lockdown?

It really depends on what I have to do because no one day is the same. Our office has had to adjust from providing face-to-face care to doing telehealth. My current schedule is a lot different than what it used to be. I’ve ended up having a lot more online meetings because we’re not able to see our different supervisors and coworkers throughout the day. My colleagues and I are doing more check-ins. Nowadays, I could have several meetings back-to-back before having a check-in with a client. In addition to that, I’m constantly checking my emails and attending trainings.

How is your household coping with what’s going on in the world?

We’re all trying to be a lot more mindful and take advantage of all the down time we have. Because we’re in the process of moving, this time at home has given us the opportunity to go through our belongings. We’re cleansing and purging all the things that no longer serve a good purpose.

I’m getting together my clothes and books that I no longer use. Because of the nature of my job, I have quite the number of games and activities that I’m looking to donate. There are a few local community organizations that are accepting those types of items to give to kids in the area, so I’m currently trying to figure out the specific donation protocol. I hope to donate them either by curbside pickup or by appointment.

Have you had to dip into your savings to help weather what’s happening?

My boyfriend and I had the perfect storm of things happen along with COVID-19. Our situation escalated right after we got back from a road trip where we attended a wedding. Our car broke down on the way back, and our budget has been off ever since.

Before all that, I was in the process of building some savings. Unfortunately, I had to use a lot of that in addition to credit. I used what we had saved to pay for our hotel, rental car, and car repair. Now we’re trying to do damage control, build our savings, and pay off the debt that incurred.

What would you like to do after this is all over?

I mostly want to visit some family members that I haven’t been able to see for a while. My stepdad is immunosuppressed and just finished up a round of chemotherapy, and he lives two hours away. It’s been a month since I’ve seen him in person.

What does money mean to you in your life?

It usually means stress, but I’m looking to change how I actually think about it.

How did you found out about SaverLife?

I discovered SaverLife from Instagram actually, and I’ve enjoyed it so far! I think it’s been very beneficial and rewarding. I’ve taken advantage of everything that’s been offered on the site. The financial coaching has especially been helpful. I’ve gotten several cash rewards from some of the savings challenges I’ve participated in.

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