Starting down the road to Financial Freedom…
It’s been nearly a month since I started the Spending Fast. I committed to the process because I decided it was time to make a change in my life. I decided that I must change and for me sometimes…
These first few weeks have been quite difficult in a lot of respects…
Finding Hell instead
My mother notified me that she received a letter addressed to me from Missouri Department of Revenue (MO DOR). I found this quite odd, because I haven’t lived in the State of Missouri, since 2013. The letter notified me State of Missouri was claiming that I owed them over $6,000 in taxes!!
Even though, I knew that I shouldn’t owe them money in taxes, because I was living and paying taxes in Hawaii during 2015. Panic set in as my stomach started to churn. “Why is this happening to me,” was the only thing I could think. This primal instinct for survival triggered within me. I was in a shituation (yes, that isn’t a typo) on a Sunday evening and I wouldn’t be able to set this straight until Monday morning.
I was laying in my bed with a sense of dread and the totality of my being was focused, my mind racing. Normally, I have no problem sleeping, but I couldn’t stop thinking about my situation. How long have they been sending letters, how I am going to prove to Missouri I don’t owe them taxes, who will actually help me in my time of need, and so much more! My thoughts were swirling into chaos and were no longer serving me.
The fight for my way of Life
In the morning, I called off of work because I simply had to address this issue ASAP. I called MO DOR and patiently waited as caller number 9 in queue… Like one of my favorite Einstein quotes on Relativity, I had found my hot stove!
I spend virtually the entire day on the phone and collecting documentation to prove that I was innocent of gross error that MO DOR had accused me of… TAX Evasion! The lady that I spoke to on the phone was very patient with me and answered all of my questions with such ease. Normally, I would be impressed and fortunate to experience such a high level of customer service. Given the circumstances I found it quite bizarre in fact… I told her, “What bothers me the most is that you aren’t phased by this… It’s like this happens all the time,” she responded with a hushed tone “Unfortunately, it does.”
Options
She told me that I had to either mail my documents off or fax them, because I wanted to resolve these matters quickly I set out for a fax machine. I went to FedEx and I couldn’t have mentally prepared myself mentally to see that they were charging $2.50 a for the first page and $2.75 per page after that! I quickly went to the post office to send the paperwork via snail mail. When I returned home, I had the urge to call them back. This time I was caller number #32 in line.
After waiting on the phone I spoke to another person from MO DOR and they notified me that I my bank accounts were going to be garnished for 60 days to collect the lien. Again, this primal guy instinct started to course through my veins and I asked to speak to a manager. The manager notified me that upon receipt of the paperwork it would take 4-6 weeks to process.
Living a nightmare
I was quite literally living a nightmare…
I told her, “I am supposed to pay my mortgage and my car note, how will I do that now?”
“How am I going to pay for food for my cats? Who is going to pay for all these late fees that will incur because a lack of sufficient funds to pay for my bills.”
She had no answer for me and simply listened, because of how quickly this escalated to a threat to my survival and my way of life. I yelled over the phone, “If you so much as take one penny from my bank accounts, I will sue MO DOR and I will make it my mission to expose this gross misconduct of State issued powers.”
I was emotionally drained and it was after 4pm in the afternoon, and I wasn’t any closer to fixing my issue. It was at that very moment I asked the manager to speak with someone in garnishment to see if they could expedite the process.
The next day after extended conversation with MO DOR, I was able to prove to them that I didn’t owe the debt they claimed I owed. MO DOR issued a letter for release of garnishment on the 29th of August. My bank had processed the original garnishment letter and not acknowledged the release. They placed a hold on all my assets and brought their available balances down to zero!
Mistakes were made
Just the week before after the excitement of my spending fast…
The first week of the spending fast I paid all of my bills and had dropped a significant amount of money towards my debt. Not my best timing ever not to mention it was a holiday weekend. I called my Bank they failed to actually find the record of that fax at the time when I first called. I called MO DOR again and they had to coordinate with my bank to fix this issue.
Ultimately, I got my assets back after fighting long and hard. The events of those two weeks of hell had already made a drastic impact on my life. I had regained about 12 lbs that I had lost and kept off for over 7 months. I was desperate to find the good in all of this and to try to grow from these circumstances.
Looking for the Lesson
One of my best friends gave me the opportunity to express myself freely about the topic. I realized that money is a trigger for me, when I am stressed out I tend to eat emotionally as an attempt at self-care. This was also tied very closely with my self-confidence and self-worth, I knew that I was going to have to start doing a lot of work to unearth those limiting beliefs surrounding my worth in relation to money.
I haven’t found a lawyer to represent me against the State of Missouri. Ultimately, I may not sue, but I am glad to have trusted in my strength enough to weather this storm. I feel compelled to share this story, I feel that I’m allowing it to be my teacher in my journey. It’s important for me to stretch myself to find the lesson and I encourage you to find opportunities for growth in your own challenges.