About time to "Batten Down the Hatches"

by AK - Jeff 22 Replies latest jw experiences

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  AK - Jeff

  My wife has been out of work now for over a year. She is tail-ending her unemployment very soon.

  Our county is experiencing close to the worse rates of unemployment in the country right now [ Elkart, Indiana - Obama's economic poster child ] is just 50 miles away. Our county has a rate nearly equal to theirs. In the past year my wife has probably sent resumes/applied to well over 1500 places of employment, cutting thru every sector of industry and business she can to find employment. In all that time, she has had two interviews and no offers. I have honestly never seen anyone look so hard for work.

  A couple of serious matters affect this: We have, for lack of a better word, inherited responsibilities and legal custody of our three grandchildren. This limits her ability to literally move, or to commute too great a distance. Like many Americans, our housing industry is totally in the toilet here, so there is virtually no chance that we can sell and move.

  I have a good paying job [for a non-college educated former window washer, over 50]. But without her income things are already tight. We might end up cutting off all but the essentials. We hope to keep the van - but who knows? We have eliminated a phone bill by going to MagicJack, but that requires we keep broadband. We have reduced to absolute basic cable for the television, but may cut it entirely in the next few weeks. I may look for a way to eliminate garbage removal [we are in an area legal to burn, and we could recycle most everything else].

  This may be a very long winter if things don't change soon.

  Not whining - just expressing a relatively common situation nowadays. This economy sucks.

  Jeff
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  PSacramento

  I feel your pain, I have been having a heck of a time keeping my people busy, I don't wanna lay any of them off, I probably shoudl have a couple of months ago, but I am trying my best to keep everyon full time.

  Most local business have gone to 4 and 3 day work weeks, one of my neighbours has been doing 3 day work weeks since April.
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  OnTheWayOut

  Yeah, I hope it works out for you somehow.
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  AK - Jeff

  I am optimistic.

  We'll be ok. But it is going to get tougher before it gets easier I think.

  Jeff
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  Cadellin

  I'm so sorry. It sounds like you're handling it very intelligently. We are just hanging on, financially, watching our debt tick upward month by month. I start working in Sept.; until then, it's touch and go. Actually, it'll be touch and go after that too. God, my whole life has been touch and go, now that I think of it.
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  NewYork44M

  Jeff, you have just described a situation where there is no answer. It would be nice if you could plan on a rapid economic recovery, but don't bet on it.

  Not having the ability to move severly limits your options. Best wishes for you. I would say that my prayers are with you, but I have been informed that they are no longer heard.
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  AK - Jeff

  NY44M - Yep. Me too. I have given up on prayer - though I am not sure if on God entirely.

  We'll hold it together. As long as we keep the house things will work out IMO. The kids go back to school in a week, and wife and I might both be scrambling to get a burger-flippin' job part time to help out. My job looks solid - but I work for a co that has a bad habit of taking out long time employees to keep down expenses. Hopefully I am not on the hit list.

  Jeff
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  dinah

  It seems that most people I know are working 3 days a week, or every other week. That way the unemployment numbers look better. I have a friend who is a supervisor at a Wal-Mart Distribution Center and even they are not working full-time either.
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  AK - Jeff

  You have a PM Dinah.

  Jeff
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  SnakesInTheTower

  AK Jeff.... that sucks that you cannot move. There are a lot more possibilities if you can get out of the area you appear to be located.

  I have a job but I actually had a week off for the first time in 4 years and a real light week last week....so I am getting hit too...

  I finish my last class and final this evening in about an hour. Presuming I get at least a C in all of the classes, I am done with my AS in business.

  That and about $2 gets me a cup of coffee at my fiancee's place of employment (Panera).

  The Associates in Science degree is the new high school diploma. You better have it or you are up $hit creek.

  A few years ago I could have had a sweet job with the Census Bureau (nice government job) that was FT permanent....not temp.... but I needed a degree.... never mind that I blew everyone else in the room out of the water on the exam.... they failed to ask me before if I had the degree. After, the people doing the hiring were disappointed that they couldn't hire me but their hands were tied..... they told me off the record that the degree requirement had nothing to do with the job itself and everything with being used as a filter to keep the so-called "undesirables" (ie, welfare moms, minorities with GEDs, etc) out of the pool of applicants. They allowed them to test knowing they either wouldn't pass or if they did they wouldnt have the degree...but they could point to the fact that all of these people were applying for and testing but not passing....

  Now I have the degree but better stay with my current job...bill collector for a cable TV contractor. People want their cable and people have a hard time keeping up with the bill...so I should have a job for awhile..lol.............My fiancee wants to go back and finish her AAS as a paralegal...but she is holding on to her job too....if for no other reason to get insurance for all of us when we get married in a few months.

  hang in there...don;'t know what else to say on your situation...just consider ourself lucky that you are still employed..... soon we all may be working for Walmart......

  Snakes ()