I was really hoping this could have waited until I could retire....but that's a ways off yet. So here I am, patiently waiting for my bailout. But, alas, I'm not a bank so I won't be seeing any cash flowing in. No stimulus check for Grandpa Eddie. Gotta wait for the...god I hate these words...trickle down effect. If the 'poor' banks don't start loosening up with the cash we taxpayers so graciously gave them, the only thing trickling will be all of us trickling out of the homes we can no longer pay for.
I first got laid off for three days the first week of January. No big deal, pretty normal for the business I'm in...especially right after Christmas. Next was the last Friday in January. No big deal there either, only one day.
The following Tuesday, Feb. 3rd, the ax fell. Heard those scary words "We'll call you." I knew that wasn't good. Had always been given a time period before, every time the last three years. Not so this time...and I had to go home and tell my wife, who's under super-stress already. With the health problems she's been having of late this was the last thing she needed to hear.
So I filed for Unemployment, still haven't gotten check 1. That's been over a month, there was a computer glitch...or that's what I was told. Even with UC, the loss of money coming in is going to have a profound effect on our budget. We were just making it before I got laid off, now it's even harder. We dropped the cable internet and took up DSL which cut that bill about in half. We both had quit smoking to save some money (about $300 per month) and for health reasons. We did all this last fall before the economy got real bad. It didn't take long to eat up the extra cash once the economy went into the shitter.
Mary crunched the numbers the other night. She told me that if I'm out of work for too long we face loosing the house by summer. We're having enough trouble keeping the Electric Co happy right now. On top of that, I have to keep paying my portion of my health insurance. With the RA, I can't be without the insurance, can't afford the Dr appointments and the prescriptions. I don't know what we're gonna do if they close the doors at work. It's a damn good thing Mary has coverage through the state.
I guess we'll have to keep pluggin' along....hope those UC checks start comin' soon, cupboards are startin' to a little bare.
I saw 'The Donald' on CNN yesterday. He said we're in a depression not a recession. I gotta agree with him.
More later, kids.
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2 comments:
Wow, I'm sorry to hear of your plight. I wish I had some encouraging suggestions. I live in fear that it could happen to me, too. I hope we don't have to learn any new survival skills, like how to hop a freight train, or turn a leather shoe and a tumbleweed into a three-course meal.
Joking aside, hope things are looking up soon.
SheaNC,
Thanks for your concern, my friend. 'Tis much appreciated.
Don't foresee eatin' leather shoes and tumbleweeds....no tumbleweeds here and they don't put much 'real' leather in shoes anymore. Spam is an option, though. Having parents who grew up during the Great Depression, spam was a staple for us when $$$ were tight when I was a kid. Besides, there's all kinds of different things you can do with spam. (I just know I'm gonna get some smart-ass responses to that last statement)
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