Saturday, July 23, 2011
After a long, dry week, we finally got some positive feedback on the job searches yesterday.
Miss Struggle2 and I made the rounds (I drove and waited in the car, as moral support) to hand-delivered her résumé to several prospective employers, and she actually got to talk to the hiring manager at one location. This woman seemed interested in one particular aspect of Miss S2’s experience and asked if she would be interested in a half-time position. We don’t know whether that would include benefits, but at least it is a paycheck and a foot in the door. Miss S2 is excited about the idea, as she has been thinking of pursuing a graduate degree and this would give her more time for that. Hopefully, she will be called for a job interview soon.
While we were out, Mr. Struggle called my cell to say that he had just received a call from a company wanting to schedule a telephone interview for next week. This was a large, national corporation with a job at a location here in town. Mr. S had applied online and had received several follow-up assessment tests, which he had completed and resubmitted immediately. He had not heard back until now, but were assuming the application was still in play, since he had not received a rejection email.
Mr. Struggle also called to follow up on the off-the-grid job possibility, but was unable to reach anyone due to vacations. This idea is looking more and more appealing, but from what we know, would not be a quick hiring process.
As for myself, I am starting to think my best option Is to work through a temporary agency until Mr. S finds something. Right now, while he is sending applications all over the state, it’s impossible to know where I should look. I don’t want to commit to a permanent job and then have to quit if we have to move.
Mr. Struggle met with his counselor at the employment office on Thursday. She was impressed with the progress he has made and gave him a couple of leads, but also told him we could possibly be waiting another 4-6 weeks for his unemployment checks to come! (It is nearly five weeks since he first filed the claim.) We are both totally flabbergasted!
I sat down with a calculator and our budgeting records and tried to project ahead to see how long our money would last without the unemployment. As long as we don’t have to send any money to Struggle, Jr.’s university, we should be able to float another month. (We are waiting to see whether the university can provide some additional financial aid, after collecting and sending all sorts of financial documentation to them earlier this week.) I am a little worried about how changes in our gasoline budget might affect us, as the price is rising again and we have several out-of-town trips to make in the next month---returning Jr. to church camp for summer counseling, then taking him back to college, a family visit two hours away, and helping Miss S2 pack and move her things home from her college apartment, as her lease is expiring. I was pleased that we came in under budget in the grocery category, even with the kids home. In fact, even counting pet food, we spent under $250 on food. (We have been eating lots cucumbers and tomatoes from our garden, and buying bread at a local thrift store.)
One of my sisters sent me a gift card for groceries (which I will return to her) and the other has twice offered to lend us money. Mr. Struggle’s brother hasn’t offered directly, but has been calling weekly to let us know he is there for us, if needed, as have several other relatives. Mr. Struggle and I both feel we should take money from our retirement accounts before we should borrow from relatives.
I am trying to think up inexpensive gift ideas for the kids, as two of them have birthdays coming up. I'm glad they’re older and will understand that we’ll have to keep it low-key this year.
The unemployment office told us about a state program to help prevent home foreclosure, which we're checking into. Basically, unemployed people can borrow their house payment from the government at 0% interest for up to two years. The loan is then tacked on to your mortgage, or forgiven if you stay in the house for another ten years. We are trying to get an appointment at the agency that administers this program, so that we can find out more details. I am particularly concerned about how it might affect our credit rating, since so many employers seem to check that before hiring. I'm hoping that the unemployment will start or that we will have new jobs before we have to do this. I just really dislike the idea of borrowing more money against this house, at a time when property values seem to be falling.
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