Why can't some decisions be easier???

[marcyinPA]

Some of you may have followed my threads on my DH being laid off. He's been laid off since February. His previous employer called yesterday to offer him a "position" and bring him off lay-off. He went in to talk to them today. The offered him a lesser position, all they apparently are authorized to hire for right now, making $16 an hour. This is $800 a month less than what he was making before. He is making more on UE right now!!

They said they said that there is a possibility in 30-60 days that they can give him his old position back with his previous pay, but they can't guarantee it.

DH is torn. Does he stay on UE and pray for a better position to come along, when it has been VERY slow in that department? Does he take this drastic cut in pay (and in responsibility) and pray that they can re-instate him to his old position/salary soon? Or does he go back, continue to look for another job, and pray that one comes up SOON?

How on earth do we survive on $800 a month less? We are already down to the bare bones...I could not cut $800 of crap out of our budget...there isn't enough there to cut!

We have two kids...a teen and a tween....I just don't know how we're going to do this! I wish I knew what the lesson is for us...I can't figure it out.

 

[Magic Mom]

Ouch, that's a tough decision. Can he take a part time job on the weekends to help make up part of the difference?

 

[happygirl]

Some of you may have followed my threads on my DH being laid off. He's been laid off since February. His previous employer called yesterday to offer him a "position" and bring him off lay-off. He went in to talk to them today. The offered him a lesser position, all they apparently are authorized to hire for right now, making $16 an hour. This is $800 a month less than what he was making before. He is making more on UE right now!!

They said they said that there is a possibility in 30-60 days that they can give him his old position back with his previous pay, but they can't guarantee it.

DH is torn. Does he stay on UE and pray for a better position to come along, when it has been VERY slow in that department? Does he take this drastic cut in pay (and in responsibility) and pray that they can re-instate him to his old position/salary soon? Or does he go back, continue to look for another job, and pray that one comes up SOON?

How on earth do we survive on $800 a month less? We are already down to the bare bones...I could not cut $800 of crap out of our budget...there isn't enough there to cut!

We have two kids...a teen and a tween....I just don't know how we're going to do this! I wish I knew what the lesson is for us...I can't figure it out.

I know lots and lots of people who live on much less then 16.oo an hour. It can be done If he turns down this job won't he loss his unemployment?

 

[marcyinPA]

He does part time security work for local colleges/private schools right now to supplement UE. Of course, that slows down in the summer. It would give us a couple of extra bucks, but not enough to close the gap. I teach preschool and don't work over the summer, but I've also been looking for part-time work and have been coming up empty handed. Even though my kids are older, one of us needs to be here most of the time while the kids are on summer break. A tween and a teen can get into a lot of trouble if mom and dad are always working, morning noon and night....

 

[marcyinPA]

I know lots and lots of people who live on much less then 16.oo an hour. It can be done If he turns down this job won't he loss his unemployment?

I don't know. I didn't think so. It's a lesser job...

Ok...HOW do they live on less than $16 an hour??? And where do they live?? We are in that Philly/NYC area, and cost of living is kind of high. Luckily, I've always been a cheapskate and we've always lived below our means. But if we have to pay $340 a month for our health insurance benefits from that $16 an hour, plus our $830 mortgage, and a $200 car payment (2006 van...$4000 to go until it's paid off), and then the normal heating oil, electricity (which has almost TRIPLED in three years! Seriously OUTRAGEOUS!!), we will have nothing left. How do I feed the kids? We have no credit card debt, so nothing there. We have the minimum cell phone plan, which we both need for work. We have the $20 a month cable, which I guess we could cancel, but $20 isn't going to make a big difference.

I just can't see how this is going to work. We do have some savings, but it's not going to last forever....

 

[moburg]

If it were me, I'd try to negotiate pay at least equal to UE. But I'd probably take the job anyway and be proud to be working for the paycheck. And keep the extra sides jobs as well.

 

[Heidict]

I know lots and lots of people who live on much less then 16.oo an hour. It can be done If he turns down this job won't he loss his unemployment?

I was thinking the same thing. If the employer notifies the UE office that he turned down the job offer, they will cancel his benefits.

Your hubby might be able to collect partial UE money. They would take into consideration the amount he is getting paid, and then give him a small amount. Not sure how it works in your state, and heck I haven't had to do it out here, but I have heard that you can work and get some benefits.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I was thinking the same thing. If the employer notifies the UE office that he turned down the job offer, they will cancel his benefits...

Agreed - and they have an incentive to notify UE, as they are contributing to his benefits.

 

[wvjules]

I say take the job. You never know when another one will come along.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Ouch, I am so sorry to hear this. I wonder if you could get your existing bank to allow you to refinance your mortgage and/or auto loans to longer terms & lower payments? Also, most of the local utilities will allow you to use a budget plan which averages usage and equalizes payments. Many people completely cut off their home phones and instead use cell phones as their primary number. I also wonder if you can drop some expenses with your homeowners and car insurance policies, this might be a good time to review. Another thing is your lower income might make you eligible for Pennsylvania's CHIP program ... just check out their website, they have income guidelines available. Then there is SNAP which also lists its requirements. I wonder if you can find a social worker who can help your family navigate through this tough time, maybe check at the kids' school.

Again, I am sad this is happening to you and good luck

 

[marcyinPA]

If it were me, I'd try to negotiate pay at least equal to UE. But I'd probably take the job anyway and be proud to be working for the paycheck. And keep the extra sides jobs as well.

He tried. No negotiating. They are firm. Believe me, we aren't the type of people who think we are entitled to more. We aren't unappreciative. It's just going to be really hard to live on this income. We will have a deficit every month. It's scary. I'm sure anyone who has been in this kind of situation understands!

 

[marcyinPA]

I was thinking the same thing. If the employer notifies the UE office that he turned down the job offer, they will cancel his benefits.

Your hubby might be able to collect partial UE money. They would take into consideration the amount he is getting paid, and then give him a small amount. Not sure how it works in your state, and heck I haven't had to do it out here, but I have heard that you can work and get some benefits.

I think in order to get partial benefits, you can only work part time.

I need to have DH call tomorrow.

 

[Minnesota!]

I say take it. Like someone else said, if he rejects it, they can cut off his UE. And fast.

My BIL/SIL and child live on $16/hour. She doesn't work at all. You just make it work.

Get rid of cable, ive off cheap food for a while, ebay stuff, etc. There are always extras that can be cut when need be. I have been there. Not so long ago.

Get on a budget for your energy bills, cut down any frivolous driving, save every penny. Sure, it's not fun, but it's essential.

 

[marcyinPA]

Ouch, I am so sorry to hear this. I wonder if you could get your existing bank to allow you to refinance your mortgage and/or auto loans to longer terms & lower payments? Also, most of the local utilities will allow you to use a budget plan which averages usage and equalizes payments. Many people completely cut off their home phones and instead use cell phones as their primary number. I also wonder if you can drop some expenses with your homeowners and car insurance policies, this might be a good time to review. Another thing is your lower income might make you eligible for Pennsylvania's CHIP program ... just check out their website, they have income guidelines available. Then there is SNAP which also lists its requirements. I wonder if you can find a social worker who can help your family navigate through this tough time, maybe check at the kids' school.

Again, I am sad this is happening to you and good luck

Thanks for the hug...Kids are on CHIP...and are on free lunch. We qualify for foodstamps. I just haven't worked up the courage to apply for them. I've been trying to make ends meet on our own. Cutting out our home phone would save us $30. Maybe it's time to do so. Can't cut out internet...we need that on so many levels!!! We lowered our homeowners policy when he was laid off in Feb. Saved us $200 a year. Car insurance is as low as it can get. We have USAA, so very competitive rates. I don't know if we can get our mortgage much lower. $830 a month including PITI is pretty low already. Taxes are a big chunk of our payment. Can't do much about those!

I think we are not going on our meager vacation to Williamsburg, even though the hotel is paid for (and I scored it at $40 a night...)

I'm just so sad about this whole situation....

 

[mamacatnv]

First off I just want to say wow that his UE is more than $16hr - here it is approx $400 a week and that is for the top tier earners.

Secondly, yes look into the difference - If the new offer is less than UE it is possible that he can continue to collect UE for the difference (this seems to vary state to state)

What about benefits? Will he get benefits back (if he had them to lose)

As for the teen and tween, time to have a sit down family chat - they are old enough to know that things are tough and that everyone needs to make some sacrifices to keep the family unit running. That includes behaving themselves and taking on a bit more responsibility for their actions etc.

Lastly, I don't know what the statistics are in your area, but the UE here is so high, people would jump at anything.
I would take the job

I am so sorry, been there. It sucks.

 

[padams]

Can your tween babysit or pet sit this summer to make some money (so he or she has some spending money)? Is your teen old enough to get a job?

When DH was a teen, his parents divorced. He had to go to work to help put food on the table for his mom and siblings.

 

[kwelch10377]

Do you work at all? If not maybe at least try and pick up something PT in retail for a few months. If you do maybe you or your husband could pick up another PT job for a few months, at least until he gets a better idea of whether or not they would be able to put him in his old position and pay. I know it would be tough, but your kids seem old enough to help out more around the house and stuff.

 

[marcyinPA]

Do you work at all? If not maybe at least try and pick up something PT in retail for a few months. If you do maybe you or your husband could pick up another PT job for a few months, at least until he gets a better idea of whether or not they would be able to put him in his old position and pay. I know it would be tough, but your kids seem old enough to help out more around the house and stuff.

I am a preschool teacher. I work part-time. I don't work summers (no school). I've been looking for another part-time job to supplement the one I have since February.

 

[marcyinPA]

Can your tween babysit or pet sit this summer to make some money (so he or she has some spending money)? Is your teen old enough to get a job?

When DH was a teen, his parents divorced. He had to go to work to help put food on the table for his mom and siblings.

My kids are 10 and 14. Both boys. Neither old enough to work a "real" job. I don't think I'd feel right taking money from them (at their current ages) to put food on the table. If they can earn a few bucks for their own spending money, doing odd jobs for neighbors, that's fine.

 

[padams]

I am a preschool teacher. I work part-time. I don't work summers (no school). I've been looking for another part-time job to supplement the one I have since February.

Can you teach reading? You might consider looking for tutoring work for the summer. Spread the word that you can teach this summer, and you may find some parent customers.

Good luck.