For Lunatic and those unemployed

[Getback]

I'm not real sure it will help but this is when I hit bottom and then it turned around. This was originally posted in February of 2012. Never ever thought this would happen to me.

Four weeks ago I put my last $1.99 in gas so I could make it home from work. Not just any 1.99 either. I searched under the cushions, desk, car seats, and about every place else. Then all the calls to my creditors asking if they could delay a payment a couple of days. My credit cards were staying maxed out and would often go over the limit when interest was added. It was hand to mouth. I think I was on the phone every day calling some creditor or utility about a bill. All worked with me and my credit score never took a hit. Not sure if I ever worked the bills around so much in my life. I kept them all abreast of my situation. Figured that was best and it gave me a feeling of control. I called my insurance agent to see if I could reduce my car and house insurance. They worked with me to drop it a precious $15 a month. Doesn't seem like much but it was to me. Then as I posted my Jeep broke. Mom bailed me out there. At one point I went without auto and house insurance for 7 days. Luckily nothing happened. Then my driver's license expired. Where the heck do I come up with 21 bucks for that. I managed to find it. I did drive a few days without license though. I also did something I thought I would never do and thank God they were there. I went into one of those Paycheck places to see if I could get a small payday loan. They needed a check. I ran out of checks 2 years ago and never had the money to get more checks. I went through several hundred checks to find one where I had started to write a check but made an error. I took that to them and asked if they could use this. They could. So I got some gas money. The fee was $7.50 but I didn't mind too much I had some money to make it. Paid them off the next payday. I also did something else I never thought I would do. I hocked my wedding ring and a table saw. Well at least it was something I didn't have to pay back. I hadn't used the table saw or the the ring in years.

One time I scoured my on-line bank accounts hoping there was something there. There was. Not much but I found $80 bucks. Seemed like a pot of gold. Most of you wouldn't realize it but I took a month or two off FW. Not that I was butthurt by anyone but that I just couldn't take another cut of bad news and there is plenty of that going around these days. The one thing I will tell you is I never felt like a failure. I knew to hang in there and keep doing the right things.

Yesterday I received my second paycheck. In just 2 weeks I have paid Mom $210, made room on my credit cards, have money for gas, and put a small amount in the savings. Then I bought Mom a new 24 inch flat panel monitor. She loves it. Today I'm cautiously optimistic. So far I've done everything I've budgeted for. Work is going very well and I'm excited to be there. Yet you never know.

In March I should have about $1,600 to give to mom or pay off a credit card. Nice dilemma to be in. I think I will give it to Mom. That will reduce my bills by $500 a month by the end of May and then I can snowball that over to the credit card. I'm cutting things close on the budget to pay off debt and save. It's beautiful to see those bills go down and the savings go up. Once I get some security funds in the bank my next major purchase is a Tankless Gas Water Heater. That is something I've been looking forward to for a long time. There are so many things that need fixed from 3 years of neglect but those will have to be done in time and when absolutely necessary.

Things are just so much better than 4 weeks ago. It's amazing and appreciated. I should mention that there are pennies lying around the house these days. Always a good sign.

[homersipes]

Oh man I know how that is . We went through a rough time as well, my wife's old job wouldn't pay her on time, bills fell behind, got behind on mortgage borrowed money to take care of that an not even a month later my hours got cut down to about 10 a week.  I was applying EVERYWHERE but was too qualified for this and not qualified for that.  So yet again bills were getting behind, didn't have $20 even for gas to go looking for work, this went on for about 6 months.  Every day that went by I just wanted to cry actually I did several times, seemed like no matter what I did, it was wrong.  I ended up getting a friend to hire me at a part store, was nice to be working again but by that time all the bills were so far behind all I was doing was playing catch up.  I figured it was better to pay on my house so I lost my truck, and that was when it got rough on me, I had never lost anything like that before, so I beat myself up over it, because I knew next was my house, we had fallen way behind on it.  Everyone kept saying keep faith it'll get better, but didn't seem like it was.  I was totally depressed, didn't eat or sleep at all, all I could think of was losing my house.  I finally got a call from here in north Dakota and spent all of the money I had to come out here.  Started working and played on mortgage but by the time I could make a payment, it was in foreclosure again.  I was able to pay off the back payments in 2 weeks of work, and saved my home.  It felt GOOD to be able to do that, I have money in bank, food on table, LIFE IS GOOD again.  So to all on here that told me to keep positive THANK YOU . To anyone who maybe going through a hard time keep head up and keep faith, it'll get better. Glad your doing better as well bro

[zack1234]

AH is worth every penny

[Dichotomy]

I've been going through a similar situation for the last six months.  Thanks to good friends and family things are okay and I'm hopeful for the future.  Bottom line is never give up.

[Serenity]

I'm glad to hear you all are rebounding and doing well! It's always hard to see a family member (And in AH, we ARE family) struggle at all, and as a young'in just starting out, hearing about such responsible and qualified people as yourselves struggling, the future looks... daunting...

[Rob52240]

Last year I stopped receiving commission checks at work.  My income dropped to about $50 a week after expenses so I walked.  I ended up moving back to my hometown and taking a job as a butcher (the trade that put me through college) and worked 6 days a week for straight time and a low wage while I looked for something closer to my field.

After I year I'm finally back to making what I was before the recession.  I also got my self respect back.

[guncrasher]

Last year I stopped receiving commission checks at work.  My income dropped to about $50 a week after expenses so I walked.  I ended up moving back to my hometown and taking a job as a butcher (the trade that put me through college) and worked 6 days a week for straight time and a low wage while I looked for something closer to my field.

After I year I'm finally back to making what I was before the recession.  I also got my self respect back.

you always had your self respect.  fact that you didnt quit and rolled over is proof.


semp

[Rob52240]

Confidence would be a better way of saying it.

[LePaul]

I just had my position eliminated due to budget cuts.  My last day was Friday and worked at the medical center for 7 years.  I was last unemployed in 2004 and was able to leap into another job within a couple weeks.

This time seems a lot harder since the local paper mill 18 miles away announced it is closing this week.  570 will be out of work in December.

I sure had a heavy heart applying for unemployment yesterday and again hope its for a short period of time

On the good side is that I have applied to a number of other positions at the medical center that I have a good shot at. 

There's just no job security anymore.  Management will drop the worker bees in an instant if it means saving their butts from bad decisions.

The medical world is getting clobbered right now and it seems to just keep getting worse.

Thankfully everything is paid up, nothing is behind or maxxed out.  And the vacation time I had hope to take...about 350 hours worth, will get cashed out (sadly it will be taxed at 38% tho).

Everyone always says those cliche' things about new doors opening, yada yada.  And I know they mean well.  But this gut punch from the employer will take a few weeks to get over.

[Gman]

Many of us have been there.  It sucks, but in its own way, can be a positive life experience.


I know what it is to find hard times as well.  After I was divorced, I ended up losing a contract due to the US government changing it's mind on foreign contractors working in Iraq for PSD companies, this included Canadians.  Having few prospects and a lot of debt thanks to the divorce, as well as losing my place to live, things seemed pretty hopeless.  The same time next year I was making 1500$ USD per day, had more work than I could possibly do -  Things can and WILL turn, if you stay positive and keep swinging.  Don't give up, or give in to depression, although that is easier said than done, I know this from experience.  

I also wanted to say any of you who can legally get into Canada, if you want work, I can help you find it in Ft McMurray.  My missus works there as a power engineer in Suncor's plants, 6 days on 6 off, and they pay part of her travel expenses to commute(fly) every week, often working 15 on 15 off instead.  She makes excellent $, well over 8$K take home/month,  considering her education in this field was a 1 year course.  About 7 years ago I worked 6 months there when I was off for 6 months from my other overseas contracting work - very simple job, monitoring pumps for underwater divers, and I still took home over 6$k per month and another 1500$ in living allowance tax free, only working 6 days on 6 off as well, which is typical there.  This was a job where you needed NO previous skills or training, it was all provided.  There are many, many such jobs always available in the Tar Sands mines.  Always, so don't worry about qualifications and such, although depending on your past experience, it can provide you with more opportunities, but my point is regardless of that, there is ALWAYS opportunities there.  There is currently another labor shortage in Ft Mac, and if anyone in dire straights such as Lunatic or anyone else can work in Canada, doesn't mind wild temperature swings of -50 to +40c out on the sand, I'll do what I can to point you to the right people and places.  There is always work for the able bodied, and extremely well paid compared to anywhere else.  It's isolated, but there is STILL a city there with all the typical city stuff, it's like a 50k city size type of environment, but 5 hours North of the next closest "real" city, which is Edmonton.

Living in Ft Mac also gives one the distinction of living in the city with the most Harley Davidson motorcycles per capita anywhere in the world, along with the worlds largest trailer park.

[Getback]

I just had my position eliminated due to budget cuts.  My last day was Friday and worked at the medical center for 7 years.  I was last unemployed in 2004 and was able to leap into another job within a couple weeks.

This time seems a lot harder since the local paper mill 18 miles away announced it is closing this week.  570 will be out of work in December.

I sure had a heavy heart applying for unemployment yesterday and again hope its for a short period of time

On the good side is that I have applied to a number of other positions at the medical center that I have a good shot at. 

There's just no job security anymore.  Management will drop the worker bees in an instant if it means saving their butts from bad decisions.

The medical world is getting clobbered right now and it seems to just keep getting worse.

Thankfully everything is paid up, nothing is behind or maxxed out.  And the vacation time I had hope to take...about 350 hours worth, will get cashed out (sadly it will be taxed at 38% tho).

Everyone always says those cliche' things about new doors opening, yada yada.  And I know they mean well.  But this gut punch from the employer will take a few weeks to get over.

Yes, the Medical field is getting hammered. Use to be one of the most secure fields. We have a former hospital worker with us and I work for a wholesale bakery

[Yankee67]

I once had 28 employees.  We fabricated chemical process equipment in a nice little shop.  Last job we did was 14 final-stage process skids that ended up at the Pearl GTL Gas Complex in Qatar.  All 100% x-ray welds.  Beautiful.  Each skid was flown in a modified Airbus out to the Middle East.  That was October 2008, and we had invested heavily in new equipment for that job.  Then the economy crashed, and by January 8 of 2009 we were down to 6 guys.  You don't recover from that.  We had to sell the equipment and close the doors.  And being self employed, you don't get unemployment.  For almost 3 years I sucked my savings dry, trying to find steady work.  But the economy in my area changed.  Manufacturing plants were going bye bye, and they were my market.  I had to reinvent myself quick.  At the most dire point, we were down to the last cans of tuna, making sure the kids ate while we had coffee.  I remember driving through my neighborhood one afternoon and thought, man this is it.  Then the very next minute my wife calls me and says 'take the back roads home, you have a warrant out for you, don't get pulled over.'  LOL, that was a kicker. (Unpaid speeding ticket.) 

But then that week, I made a choice.  Either keep looking for what I used to do, or reinvent my career midstream.  So I took a chance.  I ended up bartering my way into some training in another state, and hopped in the truck and drove out there, knowing there was a possibility my checking account might dry up while I was out there.  Sure enough it did.  I didn't eat a square meal for 3 straight days that week.  Drank hotel coffee and ate the danishes and bagels at training.  Then by some miracle my wife waitressed a few shifts and made enough cash for me to buy gas to get home.  Long story short, I parlayed that training into the Act 2 of my career.  It took another year, but now I finally have a dream career.  Travel a few times a month to places like South Beach or PEI, work from home for the rest of the time at whatever schedule I choose.  Funny thing is I take home more now than I ever did running a fab shop.

But it took being at the very end of the rope to induce me into making a change.  And I never gave up hope.  I forced myself to believe that this was just temporary, and it was.