Kind of worried my husband lost his job yesterday.

[bluejasmine]

I started a job in mid June(2008) in mid sept I took off for WDW & they even paid me! This was a very very good place to work for until they merged and hundreds upon hundreds lost their jobs in 3 states..

ASMU/POR Dec 16-22, 2012 & CR Sept 8-15, 2013

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

If it were me, and my husband had not found a job by the time you could cancel the trip and get your money refunded (except for the MNNSHP tickets) that is what I would do. No way would I tie up several thousand dollars on travel if the main breadwinner was on unemployment, unless we had other sources of income. There are too many expenses like health care COBRA, back to school, etc. I am way too conservative!!

 

[luvthemouse71]

I've never in my life had a job that would not allow me to take a pre-planned trip simply because it was close to my starting date

Actually, now that I think about it, I've had a pre-planned trip within the first month of each job I started, and none of them penalized me for having a life before working for their company. And two of them gave me the paid time off, and not just unpaid out of office days.

I agree. I just accepted a job and have a trip planned in December. I simply mentioned it to HR and my boss and it's fine. This has been my experience at other hospitals as well. Sometimes it was paid vacation, sometimes it wasn't. Granted, I am not coming from a place of desperation. If they weren't willing to work with me, I had numerous other options.

I'm sure there are workplaces and bosses who won't do this but I'm not sure I'd want to work for them anyway,lol. Meaning, any employer that is going to have the mentality that you should be grateful to even work for them is one to be avoided.

 

[photo_chick]

Our Disney trip is 100% paid off to include mnsshp tickets. Our trip is in 98 days and not sure what to do I am worried.

Having jut gone through this last month, we chose to cancel our trip this year. Not only because of the financial issues (having that money is really nice if you end up exhausting your savings during a job hunt) but also because he's starting a new job and asking for vacation right away is more than a bit odd. Everyone has to do what's right for them though. My perspective comes from my husband having been out of work for a year back in 2004. We were afraid of a repeat of that. Thankfully for us he was only out of work for a week. Hopefully your husband will find a job quickly whatever you decide.

 

[rachel09985]

I just started a new job in November with one of the biggest CPG companies in the world. I negotiated my start date due to vacation and negotiated my paid time off. It is very common for employers to work with potential employees.

 

[rachel09985]

It just sounds like you are tooting your own horn, and btw 50 grand in this day and age isn't a lot, even for college grads starting, and no paid vacation the first year? Your company needs to get over itself.

Agree on the no vacation- that sounds awful! Pay not too bad for starting out though.

 

[WDW in Pearls]

Why? We just hired 4 college grads. We started them at 52 thousand, they get full med and dental. We match their 401k dollar for dollar for the first 6 percent and they have unlimited sick days and flex time. They get no vacation for the first year. We interviewed 161 people for 7 positions. Yeah, it's really a horrible situation. Bad bad company, won't let the kiddies play. LoL

This makes me realize how great my company is. And apparently I get paid pretty darn well for a recent grad!

 

[DebbieB]

I think it depends on the type of job. If it's a job where several people do the same job, one person on vacation might not be a big deal. If it's a job where there's just 1 or 2 people in a position and it causes issues with others having to cover, it could be a big deal. Another thing to consider is some companies have a system to choose weeks in advance so that not more than 1 person is off at a time. Could be the week you planned is already taken.

Only the OP knows the details of their personal finances and if it is better to cancel and bank the money. I sure wouldn't wait until after the vacation to look for a job if money is tight.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

This banter is probably not helping the OP at all. I am sorry that I even posted in this thread.

 

[ironpig70]

Personally I would go and have a great time.

If the husband gets another job at the interview explain that he needs such and such dates off. I don't see a problem with that and have done it before.

 

[Srbright]

It just sounds like you are tooting your own horn, and btw 50 grand in this day and age isn't a lot, even for college grads starting, and no paid vacation the first year? Your company needs to get over itself.

Actually... I have to wholeheartedly disagree with that. The median (not the average) household income for 2011 was just about $50k. That means 1/2 of the population's households (all the people's salaries added together) make $50k or less per year.

For one out of every two people in the US, $50k is a LOT of money. A tremendous amount of money. I can remember when we moved up above that mark and it was the difference between taking any vacation or not. Buying something "because" instead of because we needed. Being able to have savings in the bank.

This is especially true for college grads. Avg (not median) starting salary is $44k; $36k for humanities, $60k for engineers. And when you consider that most of those people (regardless of field of study) leave with at least some debt... for a college grad to start at $50k would be exceptional.

All of the OPs choices are going to be determined by how she/they fit into these demographics. Do they have money saved to get by anyway? Is it a field without much competition that they don't have to worry about it taking 8-12 months to find a job?

Being an adult means making decisions and living with the consequences (I learned that from "Pacific Rim" last night). We do what we feel is right at the time.

Stacy

 

[wdwmom0f3]

I have not read any responses, but if my husband came home with this news there is no way that I would still go on the trip. With it taking some people months and years to find a job I find it highly irresponsible to risk spending that kind if ca when you may need it to live on. A week in Disney vs a month of expenses to live on. That's a no brainier to me. I know it stinks but Disney will always be there.

 

[australiankaren]

I have not read any responses, but if my husband came home with this news there is no way that I would still go on the trip. With it taking some people months and years to find a job I find it highly irresponsible to risk spending that kind if ca when you may need it to live on. A week in Disney vs a month of expenses to live on. That's a no brainier to me. I know it stinks but Disney will always be there.

like

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Wait, who is taking a trip to Disney that's worth a MONTH of expenses?

 

[Patience]

I don't know where everyone works that asking for time off right after starting a new job is ok. If I'm looking to hire someone, it's because I need help and want them to start working. I would be completely taken aback if someone asked for time off before I even hired them. I would thank them for coming in for the interview and move on to the next resume. The last time I hired an assistant, I had over 100 resumes submitted for one job.

Op, I would cancel. You may need the money and regret spending it. Disney World will be there after your husband finds a job and is able to take a vacation.

 

[dpswift]

Our Disney trip is 100% paid off to include mnsshp tickets. Our trip is in 98 days and not sure what to do I am worried.

The same thing happened to us. Only we had 2 days at WDW and a 4night Wonder cruise(booked under KSF so no refunds) We went and it was a nice break from everything we were going through.

The main thing that I would have done differantly would have been to cancel our Boma reservation. It was not worth $200 when money was so tight.

It was also our DDs graduation trip.

 

[NYDisneyKid]

Our Disney trip is 100% paid off to include mnsshp tickets. Our trip is in 98 days and not sure what to do I am worried.

Apply at Disney online. Hey you cant beat the perks

 

[Peachkins]

I had a long thing written up but, I edited it out.

It wasn't on topic. I just was surprised at some of the responses to this. Surprised to know 52k starting wage is not very good... guess I am not living in the same world. In my world the US average starting income for someone with a BS is 44k and the average median family income is only 50k.. so either way you look at it, 52k starting out is pretty decent, considering what is the norm in the US.

I was also surprised to know a company that won't give someone a vacation right away is a bad company to work for... to me that idea is ridiculous.

I am curious about this now so, I am going to do my own little survey and ask those I know with employment, their company's policy about this sort of thing.. I think most companies would have an issue with a new full time employee taking off for a vacation so soon.. but, I could be wrong.
I am guessing a smaller company would have more flexibility and a larger company with policies regarding this sort of thing would be much stricter about it. I am curious to find out.

The average vacation time for US workers is 12 days.. thought I would add that considering some are saying they get way more than that in the first year. I am not questioning them.. just interjecting that the average worker in the US doesn't get anything close to that. What they experience is NOT the norm.



I feel for the OP... this is a tough decision for sure. I won't give advice because only she knows what is right for her family. For some families going on the vacation would be a great distraction during a rough patch.. other families wouldn't have any fun because they would be worried about money or they feel the vacation money could be put to better use. Its a personal decision.

To answer your question, I work for a large, nationally-known company in an office environment. From the time I started I received the same benefits as everyone else, which included full health insurance including vision and dental, as well as a 401K that my employer matches my contributions to. I started with 18 days that I could take per year. These days can be used however I want: sick days, personal days, vacation- it doesn't matter. I did not have any big vacations planned when I started, but I have no doubt they would have given me the time if I needed it.

My husband also works for a large, nationally-known company. He works on a factory floor doing maintenance, and he is also part of a union. When he started working there, he received no vacation or sick time until his first year was up. Had we had a vacation scheduled when he started working there, we would have had to cancel.

Back to the OP, I agree with those who say to wait until the 45 day mark and see what happens. If your husband is able to secure a new job by then- hey, fantastic. If he has not, I personally would cancel the trip if you can through the travel agent. Even if I had a good chunk of money in my savings, I could not in good conscience go on a big vacation knowing I am spending thousands of dollars I may need later. However, I don't know your full situation, so like others have said, the decision needs to be yours as you are aware of all of the factors involved. This was just my two cents. I wish your husband well on his job hunt!

 

[ilovemk76]

Our Disney trip is 100% paid off to include mnsshp tickets. Our trip is in 98 days and not sure what to do I am worried.

He. Didmapply for unemployment yesterday as well.

I read the first three pages.

The title, "Kind of worried my husband lost his job yesterday.", makes me worried. He was not laid-off yesterday. Did they tell him they were downsizing or did he do something that jeopardized his job?


Since you are worried, I would cancel as soon as I knew if he lost his job. That money would pay for a few months of your mortgage and possible expense away from your home if your DH has to take a job not in your area.

 

[mefordis]

If you have at least a year saved of living expenses, I'd go. If not, I would cancel.