Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that the financial belt tightening is going well. Pat's picking the kids up right after school, which means we don't have to pay for aftercare, and we have a little more time for homework and projects. Or cross country practice! I've also stayed away from Target (not getting the Sunday paper and all its ads helps, too!), and no one's short on clothes or shampoo. We did have a TP crisis last week while I was out of town, but we got through it.
Other good news: Pat did some research on the mortgage, and talked to the bank - we qualify for an emergency refinance program that doesn't require requalifying or reappraisal of the house. We'll have to pay a penalty on the amount in our home equity loan, which put me in freak out mode, until we got the dollar amount from the bank. Ended up not being to terrible - and certainly easier to manage than paying off the HEL in a lump sum. Sigh.
The bad news: Pat is having to attend meetings at the state unemployment office. Ooh, he's not a happy guy. The busy work and time sink is frustrating for him. In addition, the advice they're handing out is garbage - the counselor last week advised the group to apply at some of the areas larger employers, including the company that just laid Pat off! Clue-less!
So, Pat's even more motivated to get off the unemployment and back to a real job. My suspicion is that the 4th quarter hiring freeze has come early - businesses are not yet ready to "buy into the hype" that the recession is over. It may be lessening, but no one wants to risk it just yet.
So, we'll be continuing to buckle down for the long haul. I'd better stock up on TP. ;-)
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2 comments:
Tell your DH to hang in there! I'm on his team and rooting for him! :)
Aww, Pat's got a team! ;-) Thanks, Sharon!
We've found some online courses toward the hardware certifications he wants, and he may get to take them free through this unemployment program. Here's hoping!
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