Its official...Update #2 post 42

[sdoll]

My husband will be losing his job. I actually feel a little relieved now that we know what is happening vs. speculating for months. So right now I am focusing on the things that really matter. We have a great family, We will be home more together, one of us will be home to tuck our boys into bed everynight, family dinner, my husband will be their for my son as he starts kindergarten in the fall. With unemploment we won't be too far behind from where we are at. (I think) we have a lot to learn because we have never been on unemployment before so we really have no idea.
Luckily I still have my job so we will keep plugging away. Scary!!

 

[Leshaface]

My husband will be losing his job. I actually feel a little relieved now that we know what is happening vs. speculating for months. So right now I am focusing on the things that really matter. We have a great family, We will be home more together, one of us will be home to tuck our boys into bed everynight, family dinner, my husband will be their for my son as he starts kindergarten in the fall. With unemploment we won't be too far behind from where we are at. (I think) we have a lot to learn because we have never been on unemployment before so we really have no idea.
Luckily I still have my job so we will keep plugging away. Scary!!

I'm sorry to hear about your husbands job

But I'm so glad to hear that you're looking at the positive vs the negative. This is very inspiring.

 

[jsgrand0]

.

 

[fireflymedic]

sounds like he was gone from home alot, hope he can find something that he wont have to travel so much. It hard having to be gone alot with young kids at home they change so fast and dont realy understand why dady cant be there

 

[DebMcDonald]

Been where you are, but we didn't have any advance notice. It happened to my husband in February 2009 at that time he traveled for a living all over New England and I did home daycare, we immediately switched rolls and I went back to an old job that was available that offered health insurance and he stayed home with our kids while job searching. He ended up taking a job for alot less money in October of that same year. It was a long depressing time for him, but we got though. I think in the end, it actually brought us together from a family standpoint more than we were, having all that extra time with the kids made him realize what he was missing. He actually now really loves his job, but in the beginning I think he took it just to have something.

I made major changes to our financial lifestyle on day one. Canceled our newspaper delivery, decreased our phone service (canceled texting), downgraded cable, all in all I decreased our extra monthly expenses by $1400 a month, only shopped using coupons, didn't really stockpile, because that was additional money out of pocket that I didn't want to spend. I'm also embarrassed to say, but I put my kids on free lunch at the time through school and that itself was a saving of $300 a month, every little bit helps.

If you ever need an ear, please feel free to reach out.

 

[puffkin]

We have been there as well except both of us lost our jobs within 2 months of each other.

We both got PT jobs immediately. It was very humbling to work retail coming from professional backgrounds but I think it made us better people in the long run. I worked evenings at Bed Bath and Beyond and he worked mornings at Target so we could always be available for DS. We could each work about 20 hours a week before our unemployment benefits were reduced so this brought in an extra $1000K a month.

I too made a chart with wants and needs for our regular monthly bills. I cancelled the paper, extra features on cable, etc. I did keep netflix and high speed internet though for job searching and for entertainment since we were home all the time.

Something else we did is take a modest amount aside for "fun" money. It was just $50/week but that was so necessary for our sanity. It allowed us to do so many things with our son that we otherwise never had the time to do while working. You would be surprised how far that $50 stretched every week and what a difference it made in our overall morale. We found so many low cost things to do in our area.

I think you are the right track. Just take a deep breath and realize that there are tons of people who are in similar spots or have been there that can help. The most important thing is to stay positive and supportive of each other during this time. It will pass

 

[Mary•Poppins]

I am so sorry to hear about your husband's job loss.

You have a great attitude about it. Hope he finds a new job quickly.

 

[princessmorgan]

I'm so sorry! We just went through this last month, and luckily DH was able to find a new job within the same company in a couple of weeks. It is a promotion and a job he really wanted, so it ended up being a good career move for him. You have a great attitude! Good luck!

 

[lakelandgal70]

I'm sorry to hear about your husbands job

But I'm so glad to hear that you're looking at the positive vs the negative. This is very inspiring.

Totally agree! More people need to try and have your attitude.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

What line of work is your husband in?

What you learn from this experience will make you stronger. Come fall if your husband doesn't have a job, have him look for leaf raking jobs. We can always use an extra hand with that task!

Check to see if you qualify for food stamps. Every little bit will help.

If you don't already, now is a good time to use coupons. I manage to save $30 - $40 on every shopping trip.

 

[kayrosek]

You have a marvelous attitude. The kind that will help get you through this. I was trying to tell a friend these same things just a little while back. Many years ago my husband lost a lucrative job the day before our wedding. We had three small children at home, one of whom was special needs and I was staying home to care for him. After the intial shock I chose to focus on the things you mentioned, the positives like the fact that he was home more and we had that time to make memories together. Like others have mentioned we cut back our bills but did take that time to find inexpensive things to do, both in and out of the house that gave us wonderful memories of time together while the kids were little. One of my favorite memories is of all five of us piled in mine and DH's bed watching a particular show every week. It was just the little stuff and having us all together

 

[timmac]

I also want to compliment OP on the attitude and mindset going into this.

Too often on these boards I see posts about people who are having financial or life troubles of some sort, and their biggest worry seems to be what it might do to their credit rating. Understandable concerns, but completely overshadowed by the importance of keeping family healthy with a roof over their head and food to eat.

Whenever bad news hits, taking stock of what's really important, being realistic with our planning (as it seems you have done, since it was implied that you'd run some numbers already), is worth a lot.

 

[sdoll]

We have been there as well except both of us lost our jobs within 2 months of each other.

We both got PT jobs immediately. It was very humbling to work retail coming from professional backgrounds but I think it made us better people in the long run. I worked evenings at Bed Bath and Beyond and he worked mornings at Target so we could always be available for DS. We could each work about 20 hours a week before our unemployment benefits were reduced so this brought in an extra $1000K a month.

I too made a chart with wants and needs for our regular monthly bills. I cancelled the paper, extra features on cable, etc. I did keep netflix and high speed internet though for job searching and for entertainment since we were home all the time.

Something else we did is take a modest amount aside for "fun" money. It was just $50/week but that was so necessary for our sanity. It allowed us to do so many things with our son that we otherwise never had the time to do while working. You would be surprised how far that $50 stretched every week and what a difference it made in our overall morale. We found so many low cost things to do in our area.

I think you are the right track. Just take a deep breath and realize that there are tons of people who are in similar spots or have been there that can help. The most important thing is to stay positive and supportive of each other during this time. It will pass

Not sure of our chances for work in retail. My husband and I are both retail managers. While we certainly would work any job (and have both worked for those specific retailers we met as managers at Bed, Bath and Beyond) I fear we are "over quilified" a word I hate in these days. But he has deifinatly put out feelers at our previous companies. We have been cutting way back for a while but we can cut more and will cut more. This just seems so unbelievable. But i know this is real!!

 

[ilovemk76]

Did your husband work for Borders?

 

[sdoll]

You guessed it!!!

 

[ilovemk76]

You guessed it!!!

What do I win!

Good luck.

 

[klmall]

Just wanted to say that ever since I first read this post yesterday I have been thinking about you and your family. I am so sorry about his losing his job and even though you knew it was coming it is still an adjustment I'm sure. DH is retired and I retired, stayed home for one year and then went back to work to help cover expenses. Our DS landed a great job after graduating from college in 2008 but was downsized and has been unemployed since December 2009. He has really tried hard but not found anything and is becoming a little depressed I think! Luckily he still lived at home and had a nest egg but we can't move on until he does! This recession has really changed so many lives.

Anyway, here's hoping that DH finds some work and we are here at the DIS for you!

 

[Aisling]

I hate reading posts like this, they make me so angry and depressed. It's "oh God, not another one". There's hardship everywhere I look. OP, you are my hero with your attitude. I pray that he gets another job SOON, a GREAT one.

I also want to compliment OP on the attitude and mindset going into this.

Too often on these boards I see posts about people who are having financial or life troubles of some sort, and their biggest worry seems to be what it might do to their credit rating.

I was worse! I worried about having to downgrade our cable! I disgust myself now. I never had to worry about money, but with the economy the way it is now we have to tighten our belts very much and I didn't want to let the luxuries go. I didn't even SEE them as luxuries, but as necessities! If anything, this economy (and this board) has taught me a BIG lesson in priorities and what really matters in life. We'll all get through this.

Yesterday was my DHs birthday, and instead of spending $20 on a cake, I baked one for $5 and everyone was happy!

 

[HugsForEeyore]

Did your husband work for Borders?

You guessed it!!!

Just wishing the best of luck to the OP! I also work with books (I am a librarian) and it's pretty clear the ebook contributed to the demise of Borders, and will eventually kill most places that deal with with physical books. (At times, you could almost rename the Budget Board the "Nook/Kindle Board" since there are so many threads about how everyone is getting an e-reader). I suspect I will be unemployed a some point in the future as libraries and book stores become more and more obsolete.

I am saving my money now, but have no clue what other fields of work I could go into in the future, or what degrees if any I could earn that would lead to more employment. Scary world out there. No easy answers.

I do admire the OP's optimism - hope the new job comes along quickly!

 

[njmom47]

To OP. DH was reduced from full-time to part-time at his job and collected partial unemployment in 2009. The best thing that came out of this situation was that he was home with the kids; ds especially benefitted from him being around more often. Thankfully, I work full-time and pay our health benefits. DH did actually find a full-time job in his field after a year or so (working 3rd shift) and is still working part-time at his previous part-time job. It certainly does make you rethink your priorities.