[NickieL]

My husband's company is small, they are a service industry and those who they service have no work for them! The build coils for large engines-- They employ about 25 people. Today they let go of 6, tomorrow 8 more are being givin the slip. And if by next wendsday work doesn't pick up, the field coilers will be laid off. They have two shifts, my husband manages the second shift and I doubt he would be laid off as he has the most senority just about.....likely they will move him to the first shift and not have a second shift but the possibility is there that he too maybe laid off. He's been working there 14 years and he's never seen it as bad. There have been slow times before, but it's usually crazy busy.

So he was sent home early today becuase they had no work to do, I got off work to go home with him (My job is usually pretty flexible like that) and we had a frank discussion about what we might have to do. So for now we are in wait and see mode. I cashed in my extra pto hours at work today, we are going to stock up on more essentials and pinch pinch pinch those pennies even more so then usual. No christmas gifts or dinner again this year:shrug: thought we'd actually get to celebrate this year but I guess not.

Between the both of us we are lower middle class-- together we make about 42,000 a year and feel like we just barely scrape by as it is. If he's laid off, I have no idea how the bills will get paid or how we'll manage for his health care with his cancer. But like I said, we are just in wait and see mode. I'm GLAD I picked up that second job, I start next week. I suppose he can get unemployment, but indiana unemployment pays very little. I'm going to pick up EVEN more hours at work, where ever I can and dh will have to pick up more of the house and critter chores then since I will barely be home from now on.

Whatever happens, I'm sure we will survive. It's certainly opened my dh's eyes today about the whole preping for emergency thing!

 

[Wendy]

Best of luck to you! Yep, prepping is usually more used in a job loss situation than anything. We have done that twice. So far, my husband's job is staying steady. They have actually picked up more work in the past few weeks. I hope it stays that way. I keep paying on bills & stocking up more & more. You just never know what will happen.

 

[NickieL]

I really need to get that boy bunny and get my girls breeding...I have a feeling we will need the meat in the winter. I have a dreadful feeling that this winter is going to be very bad. So tomorrow I'm stocking up on more potatoes (they have the 50 lb bags of winter keepers now at the farm ready), onions too and canned veggies. Thought about pulling my 401 k, I had a couple thousand in there but its gone way down, so at this point it's not worth pulling it out.:shrug:

 

[GrannyG]

Yes, times are going to be even rougher ahead....our grandson lost his job this week, he worked with a bunch of other guys welding...cutbacks...I took in a trucker and his family, when he got to Houston this week, he found out he was out of a job along with a bunch of his other friends, lost his vacation time and other monies due him, everyone is just on pins and needles. DH's son works for a BIG company, makes toilets, faucets, saunas, etc...he has been troubleshooting overseas at the new companies they have started up...he has been in China, Thialand, Mexico, and now getting ready to go to India. What does that tell you ! Yes, it is just beginning, and will get alot worse. We are going to have to be there for each other, we are all losing one way or another.

 

[NickieL]

I am glad that I have a reletively stable and secure job (now two) in healthcare. But I may have to put off the class and text books I need to get my surgery tech certification for a bit longer. It would only be a 50 cent pay raise anyway if I got the certificate anyway.


At least now my husband agrees with the idea of prepping. Over dinner he said "Potatoes...get more potatoes. You can make all kinds of things with potatoes" the poor man knows nothing about cooking LOL! He even talked about actually helping me next year in teh vegeatable garden. I'll have to teach him the basics.

 

[Callieslamb]

Nickie,
My prayers are with you. My DHs plant is closing - we just found out that we will have a job, but will have to move. It isn't easy to sit around and wait for things to happen. I hope you can come up with some good ideas.

 

[ginnie5]

prepping is all that will keep us going while my dh is laid off. We're still considering me getting something part time too. He doesn't want me to but frankly I don't see how we can manage without it. This month I have spent $150 on groceries and that is it for the month except for milk. I'm pulling on the reserves in my freezer and pantry. That's for a family of 8 too. I already have our Thanksgiving turkey in the freezer....it just bugs me that I probably won't be able to stock up this year. I'm hoping that we get at least two deer this year too. Menu planning at this point is a must as is limiting snacks. My kids would seriously snack all day and still eat big meals. They're not going hungry I'm just timing their snacks better. He's been out 4 weeks now without a single prospect.

 

[Callieslamb]

I am so glad that you have been preparing though. This is what it is all about, not just national disasters. You have a bit put aside and are now putting it to good use. We were looking right in the face of having no job too. And it isn't pretty, but we knew that we had been preparing for this possibility among others. There is a time to prepare and a time to put those preparations to good use. Your DH will get another job and you will be able to get back to stocking up again.

 

[NickieL]

around here? the jobless rate is so high, nobody is hiring. If he lost his job today or next week there isn't anything round here....its pretty bad round here and gettin' worse fast. Even the steel mill laid off a bunch of folks this week. The steel mills are the only thing that keep this area afloat.

 

[BamaNana]

Both my DH and I work for the same small family owned company (a marina).
They started permanently laying off people in JULY, which is normally our busiest month of the whole summer!
My DH and I have been on partial unemployment for 2 weeks now.
We work 1 week (5 days!) a month... that way our employer can keep us on the books, so we still have our medical covered.... BUT, I'm really concerned that they're not going to be able to keep the business afloat.

My DH & I have been looking for other jobs, but there is NOTHING out there. This area was hit really hard with the 2 year drought. Sad thing is this summer we had a full lake, but no one was coming to it because of the high gas prices...

 

[CherieOH]

:grouphug: My heart goes out to those of you facing unemployment and the subsequent loss of health insurance as well. There have been major layoffs here too in recent weeks, and more are likely, so dh and my grown children aren't feeling very secure either. However, I've lived long enough to realize that we always got through the tough times no matter how bad things got, so I'm pretty sure we will again. I hope and pray you all will too. As Tiny Tim said, God bless us every one!

 

[Ann-NWIowa]

For those facing unemployment, don't go overboard on stocking up right now. Save every penny you can into your emergency fund to pay bills. Irony is you often can get food stamps even if you do not qualify for any other assistance. I say irony because many years ago when dh was laid off we qualified for food stamps and WIC but nothing else. We were on an acreage and had our own milk, eggs, chickens, rabbits, plus a freezer full of fruit and vegetables, shelves full of home canned food, bins full of stored food so food stamps were kind of ironic because we needed cash not food! I remember asking dh if he thought the feed store took food stamps!! If you're facing a layoff or job loss, save cash and apply for any aid you qualify for after all, your taxes go for aiding others you might as well benefit too.