An Unwelcome Club

Yesterday we joined an unwelcome club - unemployed families! Jeff lost his job after weeks of suspect activity on the part of managers and after months of working in a position that was essentially a demotion from his former managerial position. He's been looking for a new position for a long time and was hoping to have his salary leverage to negotiate with new, potential employers. But no such luck. He had a meeting with his boss and her boss (both of whom are underqualified in both career skills and personality) and was told his position was being eliminated. To rub salt in the wound, he was handed several boxes and told to have his belongings out by 11 a.m. Ten other employees faced the same fate yesterday.

Obviously, this economic downturn has affected many so we're among millions of other families who are facing the same challenges. Which also means Jeff is among millions of other people looking for work, thus the competition is daunting. His skills are many and he will be an amazing addition to any company lucky enough to have him, but it's going to be a long road. One that, hopefully, lasts less than six months because that's how long we have in severance and insurance. After that, we really don't have a plan.

They say the average family should have four to six months of emergency reserve money set aside for just such an event. But there is just no way we could ever have amassed that amount of money. For one thing, our mortgage is more than one of Jeff's paychecks each month. We'd sell the house, but the market sucks. We are totally willing to relocate and realize the distinct possibility of that happening soon. Change is good. But to be unprepared in the face of such a huge life change is scary. Thankfully, I have a part-time job, but it will pay for groceries at best.

So, off we go on a rocky adventure. Jeff has never been laid off or fired in his entire life so this is all new to him. He's an extremely hard worker and keeps very busy so having entire days to himself will be a new experience. We will make the best of what we have to work with and hope and pray that he finds a position that is interesting and challenging (and heck, let's face it, as long as it's a paycheck!) soon. Both Jeff and I have t-shirts from the "Life is Good" line. Recently, he said "I wish I had a shirt that says 'Life is O.K.'" But we have a lot of blessings and so we'll focus on those for the time being. And keep an eye on the want ads!

Random

I don't really have anything to blog about but just feel like I should add a post to my blog! HA! Today we took Arlie to a birthday party, then went to Nordstrom to buy Jeff some "interview" clothes. He's been on one interview and is hoping to schedule a couple more in the next week or so and he has exactly one suit to his name. It's ok, basic, pinstripe, but he's gained a few pounds and it doesn't fit so well. Not to mention his ONE dress shirt is too tight around his neck (that can't have been pretty in his first interview) so we bought him clothes that actually fit. And they were ridiculously expensive. Why are men's clothes so damn expensive? I mean, seriously. There's no more fabric there, really. And they are so boring - grey pants, black jacket, white shirt. At least with women's clothes you are delighted with patterns and colors. I chose Nordstrom because Jeff is a hard fit (example, he had to wear the "tailored" version of the dress shirt because the regular was too square on him, thus too much fabric, however, in a jacket he was a 42 short, because he's a short little guy but has really broad shoulders and a tiny middle!). I figured they could fit him well, alter what was necessary and had a good return policy in case everything isn't fabulous. Still, OMG. I had to get out the credit card since I have no $$ in my checking account. I'm so sick of not having disposable income! Thus, the new job for Jeff. But also because he is SICK and TIRED of his job and their asinine ways (wait, does anyone from his work read this? I hope not. Actually, I don't care. You are all idiots!). He interviewed for a job about a week ago and did not get an offer, which was really disappointing. Needless to say the general mood around here is somewhat reserved. The economy sucking has only served to enhance our money woes. Thank God the kids aren't even doing much extracurricular because we really can't afford it right now. Harrison and Arlie are both skipping softball/baseball this season and Arlie just quit her dance class. That leaves art class for the girls, gymnastics for Arlie and nothing for Harrison. I wish we could afford more like drama classes, piano lessons, etc. But I really don't know how people do it! And the kids are begging to do to Disneyland. Arlie has been dying to go to Hawaii for years now. But those things are just not in the cards for us (and many other families) at the moment. Things are tight and we're all learning to have fun on less. But today I did take out a notebook and compose "The Big List". It's basically a list of things we want or want to do that we can't afford right now but want to work towards. Like that trip to Disney (and Disney World to swim with the dolphins). And buying a treadmill for the house. And a Wii. Jeff added visiting Gettysburg. So much to do! Sometimes I want to move to a tiny, cheap house so we can afford these extras. Because our mortgage here is ridiculous. And who knows? Jeff's job search could take us anywhere. And you gotta do what you gotta do.