. . . I only had 11 years of paying into it so I only get $1100 a month.
It's heartwarming to see that friends here are able to help you.
I am very lucky because I worked for 45 years and paid a lot into the system, and now I get as much Social Security as one can get.
Unfortunately, because of unstable economic conditions I worked for 12 different companies during that time. I was also self-employed for different periods, working as an itinerant artist, freelance drafting and engineering, and once ran a welding shop doing irrigation projects.
I fixed a lot of cars on the side, doing air conditioning jobs, tune-up work, and minor body repair.
From 1994 until 2016 I worked for one company, that was run by very good people, and everyone got a retirement plan.
If the stock market recovers and I do not catch the flu, I may get to spend the rest of that money before I die.
I invested a good deal of it into fixing up this house and property, and setting myself up to raise tropical fish.
Of course no one's going to buy tropical fish in this environment, so they grow larger and more impressive.
Fortunately I don't think you can catch the virus from fish.