Unemployed?

[TexasVet]

Things are grim here too. DH started a new business (www.Click2Try.com) that launched just as the world tanked. Looks like the last paychecks will be issues around June, unless the site takes off or they find an investor. So at 54 he may be out looking for a job again.

I'm a self-employed technical writer. By April I'm usually booked through the end of the year, mostly creating test banks and PowerPoint presentations for McGraw-Hill's college textbooks. This year I've got zero, nada, zip. I've been told I'm at the top of the list when work becomes available, but nothing has. I think McGraw is conserving cash by using the older textbooks a year longer than usual.

In the meantime I'm hatching chicks and ducks, working the garden, and trying to make a few cents through ads on my websites... www.CountryChickens.com and www.AustinCountyBB.com. Not having much luck with the Websites, but the ducks are sold before they hatch and I'm getting $8 to $10 for 4-month old hens.

We never thought we'd be basically starting over in our mid-50s, with two teen kids still in the house, but here we are.

Kathy, Bellville TX

 

[EweSheep]

I agree that some would need to go out LOOKING for work however one thing you have not mentioned is MONEY! If you have no money available, waiting to cash in your emergency funds or 401K funds, then you are out of luck until the unemployment checks come in IF you got approved. It is a hard rock and place to be when there is NO income or emergency money coming in and looking for jobs, you would have to devote two or three days of looking for jobs before your budget for gas is depleted. I have been there and done it and had to cash in my 401K plans because my unemployment ran out and I was stuck, pregnant and no one wants to take on a handicap person. Jobs are HARD to find and teenagers are having a very difficult time finding "cheap" labor as well.

For the rest of the time you are not looking for jobs, find things to do around the house that needed to be done or projects that were not done or put aside, its a good time to do that in between time of looking for jobs. That would save your mind and makes you feel better that it was accomplished.

 

[Bwaaak!]

I have been unemployed since Jan of 2008 due to back injury (non work related, although Im now begging to differ) and subsequently Back surgery. Employer wont take me back with my permanent restrictions.

I too, am bored beyond reason. Housework is not a motivation for me. Even my hobbies dont look very enticing right now. The tv has been a good friend, along with this wonderful site!

Ive thought of a vegetable garden but cant bend over low enough. Cant even weed my two flower beds. Raised beds are a thought but I really wanted one that I wouldnt have to worry so much about watering during the summer. Ive tried beans and zucchini in containers and failed, due to the pots dried out so quickly every day.

I know I wont get my job back, and maybe in the future, I may be able to beg a light duty job somewhere. But who would want to hire a half psychotic, feels like 100 years old, not a beauty queen and almost 100 recluse person like me?

Im not terribly depressed anymore, maybe because its sunny out today. Its been terribly humbling to have to be 100 dependent on husbands income. I hate it.

Barb

 

[farmgirlie1031]

My dad and I both have the same problems. Everybody says sorry you are over qualfied so we can't hire you. They don't want him because he is a professional engineer and they don't want me because I have 2 degrees so they can pay a HS student less money than me because they have no degrees. So I have started my own online company besides raising some chickens, ducks, goats, and rabbits to sale. My online company is just starting to do well. Not great but better than nothing at all. I would do more on it but our Internet got shut way down because I was using it too much to upload all the stuff to the site that now I have to cut back on uploads or risk us being slowed to snail speed again. So now I just upload a few things every day or every other day instead of spending 8 hours a day every day uploading images to my storefront.

 

[Tala]

Oh we aren't stuck on two incomes. We bought this house on one income alone in 2007, so we CAN do it, but there's just nothing leftover. NOTHING out of the ordinary. Yes we have budgets for semi-annual things, like car insurance, and a small spending budget, but somehow EVERY single pair of DH's jeans busted out in the same month??? UGH!! I don't qualify for unemployment at all, and I already cashed out my 401k, we had to pay taxes this year so that's where it all went


And I have been out looking for a job, and had to stop at my mom's house to ask for money to get more gas to make it the rest of the way home. It sucks, majorly. I have gotten up and dressed and prettied up, and filled out a bazillion applications, sent in half that many resumes, fought with at least 1 printer and 2 fax machines and I have only gotten TWO interviews. TWO! And the one that seemed promising . . . zilch. "maybe next time, maybe the next job, maybe next Sunday's paper, ..."
What's the point anymore? I quit that job. I'm trying to learn to be happy where I'm at.

 

[TexasVet]

Quote:
That sucks, doesn't it? We're out in the sticks, so wireless or satellite is all we can get. It's much better than dialup, but when they FAP us for using too much bandwidth we're slower than dialup for about 10 days. We're switching to a local WiFi service next week because they claim to be faster than satellite, with no bandwidth limitation, and 1/2 the cost. Sure hope it works, because ALL my work comes via the Internet.

Kathy, Bellville TX
www.CountryChickens.com

 

[menageriemama]

I am getting divorced and am looking for my first job in ten years (other than taking care of the kids, house, animals etc). To say that the job search is not going well is an understatement.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

I got layed off the beginning of Feb and am starting a part time job that is $2 less an hour on Monday. But I have been sending my resume out to jobs I know I can do that I dont have too much experience or education for.

Around here those two things are working against me something fierce.