Hubby is Officially Unemployed...Again

I think any one that has had to squeak by in the later months of the year is feeling for you. Of course you are taking extra steps to reduce bills, such as window treatments. While unemployment benefits may help, I am sure if there are any retail stores around, they would love to hire your husband for the holiday season. Since you can make it by on your income and unemployment benefits, may I suggest that once your husband goes back to work, that some of the income be set aside for the months when he isn't working. That may ease things a little bit during the winter months. Kudos for trying to stock up early.

Sometimes second hand shops or the salvoes have great bargains on curtains. I am very sorry about your hubby loosing his job? Will he be looking for more employment? As you said, apparently your hubby doesn't lie round the home feeling sorry for himself. I expect there are some very useful jobs he can do. But yes, keep him out of your craft gear.

My finances are also very tight at the moment and they will be for some time.. But it is ok - I will survive, just need to be careful about spending. I find it hard since I am used to spending though - but I will learn with time I guess!

My father was disabled and could only work as a supervisor of washrooms a few days a week. Most of the time he was in the hospital for his legs. When I was in my late teens I went to live with a family where the father was also unemployed and we lived on casseroles, mended socks, and used nail polish to keep nylons from running. Now my husband has taken early retirement, but he had a lot of stocks so we are living fine now. If you have done that before, you really know how to watch your pennies. I just hope we do not have to. I sort of like living comfortably even though I am a saver.

What does hubby do? Many stores are hiring for the holiday season and this often leads to full time employment after. If you have old shower curtains, I have found them to be pretty effective for blocking out wind and cold too...Sometimes I just hang them up next to the regular curtains for that extra layer. Here are other things I do to save energy and money..For example my feet get cold..I will throw bricks in the oven when I am using it..then after the cool down a bit..I will wrap them in a blanket and put my feet on them. My feet stay warm and I am not tempted to increase the heat. If you have good potholders and a place to put them..you can bring them out of the over earlier. (Sounds weird but it worls for me).

Sorry to hear about your husband being out of work. But it's good to know that he's been keeping himself busy and that you had the foresight to already get bargains for Christmas this early and stocked up on your pantry items as well. Hope he can find a new job soon, I think there are a lot of places out there who are hiring for the holidays at least.

I am so sorry to hear this specially because you where just starting to get back on your Feet I am so sorry Sweetie and I really hope that he will soon find work again Love and Hugs to you

I hope he finds something else soon! Living on one paycheck is not fun. It sounds like you have a good handle on it though. Keep up the good work.

I know how hard it is to live on a shoestring, Elusive, but it seems you are a very smart woman who has a smart hubby, so you should weather the storm alright. It's odd but sometimes when we go through tough times it has a way of bringing us closer together. Sacrificing isn't nearly so bad when you have someone to share it with you. It also keeps us humble. The best of luck!

well i wish you luck in this matter,i know its hard to deal with but it seems like you guys are doing a great job,hope hubby finds something soon and god bless you and your family.prayers with you.pattie

Hi elusivebutterfly. I'm so sorry to hear about your hubby. It's really hard to find jobs this time, much more a permanent job. You seem to be coping well. It's really amazing to note how one can be creative by being frugal or when money is tight. Spending within our means is one of the greatest lessons I have learned in life. When resources are many, we tend to overspend or buy things we don't really need. But when resources are low, we learn to live with the modest things we have. Keep up the faith. Things will get better at the end. As they, there's always a rainbow after the storm. As long as the family members are bonded with love, your family will come out of this storm beautifully.

You sound like a very smart and thrifty lady. I also have had many times that we were living on the edge. My parents were raised during the depression and us 3 kids were taught how to be frugal. Sometimes it can be very interesting what you can do to stretch money. I still dilute a bottle of shampoo and it actually suds better than straight out of the bottle. I have a small squeeze bottle and I fill it half with shampoo and half with water and shake and then squeeze some on my hair and you wouldn't believe the suds you get. Good luck and prayers and hugs

nowdays, u have to work , you have to keep study. or there's nothing hubby in your life . i have to say so.

nowdays, u have to work , you have to keep study. or there's nothing hubby in your life . i have to say so.

I do not know about where you live, but around here the nurseries that grow holiday plants are looking for seasonal help. With his experience, it might be worth a go. Yes, when you have to tighten down, you do it and are glad not to be in worse straights. We have paid off a delinquent bill or two, and set up payments on others. You should be earning some cash or gift cards with some of your sites, so that can make things more cheerful as well. I just met you last year, around this time. Hope this coming year is even better.

Yes, it's something we can all do if we put our minds to it, I guess. I'm sorry for you that it's happened so close to the holidays, though, and with winter coming. Let's hope we have a mild winter. Does it get extremely cold where you live usually? I hope not! I see you already know many good money saving tips, which is good. Another poster mentioned adding water to shampoo, well the same thing works for conditioner. I add water to an almost empty bottle of conditioner then put it into a spray bottle and use it as a "leave in" spray conditioner. I sure do hear you when it comes to wanting to keep your hubby out of your crafts room! My husband in one of those "throw away" nuts and I'm a total pack-rat, so I guess we balance each other out but if he had his way 3/4 of my prized possessions would be in the trash...lol Best of luck to you and I sure hope things work out for you! Annie

The economy is getting tougher each day. I hope we can find some relief soon. A lot of my friends are in the same boat...it is disheartening. But hang in there, it seems you already have a plan. Don't worry, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Sorry to hear about your husband's loss of work. However it is good to hear that you are taking a proactive approach and are doing your best to live within the means you have. When my husband had to go on a disability we bought a lot of things in bulk and I upped the amount of vegetarian food I was eating. I eat a semi-vegetarian diet most of the time anyway and use eggs and cheese for protein rather than eating a lot of red meat, pork or poultry. Using lentils, rice, hearty soups, whole grain pastas and making lasagna can reduce food bills dramatically. We found that a lot of it involves 'thinking ahead.' We started driving our car at lower speeds and that saves on auto fuel. We were also more diligent about turning lights off when we weren't in a room and being energy efficient light bulbs. Even things like water came into our awareness and we stopped leaving the facets running while brushing our teeth or when my hubby was shaving. So all in all our challenges turned up the volume on economizing and helped the environment as well. By making the changes we did we still managed to have a good quality of life. Now that he is starting to return to work we plan to continue our economizing ways and so we can start putting money BACK in the bank instead of having to spend every penny. What a concept! Anyway, wishing you and your family all the best as you work together to adjust to this latest transition. It is nice that your hubby is working at other things to keep busy and help around the house. Sometimes partners end up being couch potatoes...but it sounds as if you are working through this together and that is a blessing in and of itself. Wishing you warm regards and light filled blessings...and we'll chat soon. Raia

Good luck to you my dear. I wish you and your hubby well in this matter. Its a tough thing to deal with but it seems like you know what you are doing. Please take care too and stay warm.

I'm sorry to hear that. My mom was laid off last week and she went back this week. Randomly that happens to her and it sucks because there's a week or two where there's no money coming in and it gets hard.