Praying for you gals. I hope things pick up for you both.
This is such a hard economoic time in our country. Shame on the government allowing companies to ship our work overseas, etc.
They really need to start charging duty taxes for items brought in! That could create jobs by the thousands! Opps, soap box fell over.........but everyone is feeling this in one way or another.

Thanks Diana, we can use all the help we can get!

Last year, when there was talk of layoffs at my place of employment, I was filled with anxiety about it. It's scary when the sole wage earner in a household is without an income!

What helped me counter that anxiety was to review my budget to come up with a bare bones budget and various income earning options, such as child care, elder care, house cleaning, getting a roommate/renting out rooms, etc. I'd have needed 2 full-time minimum wage jobs to cover even the bare bones budget, but knowing that gave me a sense of having some control over things.

You're right Bless. DH and I have come up with a list of things we'll cut if we have to.

The biggest frustration is knowing that he'd be working now if someone in his chain of command was a)competent and b)willing to stand on someone's desk with his/her hair on fire. Okay, maybe not on fire...smoldering would do. The guy they should have hired second is sitting there twiddling his thumbs because the bosses want DH to train him. But someone messed up and hired this guy first and DH second, which put DH's package in a pool of packages being processed and delaying his return to work.

Of course, if the personnel folks got pestered enough they could, out of spite, put DH's package at the bottom of the pile. I'm not saying that WOULD happen, but it COULD. So it's a double-edged sword...but some sweet, gentle reminding might go a long way to fixing this.

I've come a little late to this thread, but I can really empathize with you, simplicity, and the others who are suffering through long-term unemployment. Back in 2000 I lost my high-tech writing job and my career never recovered. I was out of work for about 3 years, existing on unemployment (back then, they kept extending benefits), part time work for Hallmark Greeting Cards, and the kindness of church and personal friends. I had many friends who were in the same boat due to the dot com and technology crash of that time.

I too wondered why I wasn't getting more done around the house now that I had all this 'free time.' The stress of looking for work, worrying about whether I would get hired, really took a toll on me. I stopped going to church because I couldn't handle one more person asking me how the job search was going. I won't go into detail, but suffice it to say every so often I would get really disappointed in myself.

I can't really add to what the others have posted, other than to say hang in there and don't isolate. That was a mistake I made, and once I got out of my shell and out of my house I started feeling better. Friends would encourage me in different ways, and I began to spend time either on the phone or in person with people who cared about me. I developed flexible routines that would give structure to my day. I think I even started posting more here and got more involved with some of the threads LOL

Feel free to PM me if you want to chat about ways I found to make money or to keep myself sane.

Cari
Congratulations on sharing your difficult time. Hoping things are a ton better now for you!

Thanks, Diana. Yes, life is much better for me now, in so many ways and on so man levels. It's been an interesting journey. Now I'm self-employed, semi-retired, and loving life. I'm still not where I would like to be, but I have to realize that life is a journey, and it's experiences that count, not whether my house is straight. Gee, where have I heard that before? LOL

Cari,I cannot imagine! LOL Good going on your life's journey.

Cari, I love your attitude!

We're getting some things accomplished. DSS came for the weekend to help us cut trees up, so DH is very happy about that. Makes things more harmonious.

DH heard from his boss today, seems like we should hear something more in about two weeks. So they still intend to bring him back. I'm crossing my fingers...we're already having to dip into savings. Thank goodness we have our military pensions. They aren't much but better than living on unemployment insurance alone.

The good news is, DH is much better after a knee and hip replacement and can do more, so we're doing as much as we can outside before he gets called back to work. That keeps him happy.

School starts in a few weeks so that will help as well, since I'll only have him to deal with during the day.

Amy: Sounds to me like you are getting lots done!