So when we got back from ALA, there were two envelopes addressed to me, each announcing that the government owed me money, and that these two companies could get it for me. Of course, both of them set off my "scammer alarm", and I almost threw them out.
Just out of curiosity, I opened both and compared the dollar amount. Oddly, both reported the same exact figure. I did a little Googling for government refund databases, and after a few tries, I found my name on one of them -- next to the exact same dollar amount in the two envelopes! I called the number on the site, and I'll be darned if it wasn't legit. Turns out I'm owed money on the FHA loan I took out when I first purchased this house. They'd been sending refund applications to my old Ann Arbor address for the last two years, so I never knew. Now they're sending another application to this address, and all I have to do is sign my name, get it notarized, return it, and the government will send me a check. It's enough money to keep me afloat for an entire month if I don't find work.
Let's hear it for minor miracles. Woo!