So how are you, really?

[enjoy the ride]

My situation is a bit different from most of the people who have already posted here. I'm retired and it's hard to get laid off of that.
In fact I ran into a piece of luck this month. My long put off wood stove was installed last week even though I did not have quite enough to pay of the cost of installation. But the timing was such that the installation cost, which was as much as the cost of the stove, fell into next month's billing cycle by which time I should be able to pay it off without have to carry it as credit card debt.

But my difficulties will start when everyone else"s are ending. Just as people are working more, prices seem to start going up. Inflation is the bugaboo for the retired- hopefully I'm planning for a bout of that as well as I can which is why I wanted to get that wood stove intalled now.

Hang in there everyone-I've been through this in the 1980's and it took awhile for things to improve but improve it did.

PS Learned a few things about wood stoves- like don't start a fire because it's fun to play with your new toy- you can't really turn it off when the temperature outside suddently spikes to 70. Thought I would have a heat stroke.

 

[hennypenny9]

Hang in there everyone-I've been through this in the 1980's and it took awhile for things to improve but improve it did.

I try to be positive, although it's not easy at the moment. A few years ago my parents bought a second house for investment purposes, and to use as a vacation house. (My parents' house is totally payed off)I live in it, to keep it up, and because if I didn't I'd have to throw away $700+ a month on rent. Well, haha, the joke's on us. The solid "investment" home tanked, and we're trying to sell. I'm going to move to my home town to work for my parents. In the long run it'll be good, because I'll learn useful office skills, which is what I want to do. (I like monotony, I'm being serious) In the short run it feels horrible.

My current job has cut hours to about 15-20 per week. I get some help from my parents, but am responsible for the house bills. They pay the mortgage, I pay everything else. I'm very lucky that they help me so much, but they can't for much longer. I really hope the house sells soon.

But once it sells, it'll be okay. I know lots more people in my home town. I moved straight out of high school in a rebellious attempt to "get away" from everything. Well it was stupid, and I know that now. I just want to go back and start over.

......Okay, I'm done whining. I'm really trying to be positive. The house will sell eventually. The market here is not as bad as the rest of the country. We're lucky. And I have NO credit cards, and don't plan on it! And it's going to be spring soon! It's been a long winter, and some sun will cheer me up big time. This site is way helpful, too. I'm marking on my calender when I go to the grocery store and making a game of how many days in between. I'm going to grow veggies in pots (no strawberries at the nursery yet) and when it gets warmer, my heating bill will go down! I'm happy over many things.

 

[enjoy the ride]

hennypenny9- that was not the wrong thing- moving away is the way to learn what you do want and value. I hope it comes out alright with the house.
My parents bought some land on a lake right before the last big recession too- they had a hard time selling it too. But when the right person came along, they did sell it for a good price.

 

[Big Daddy]

In the early 80's I worked for GE Nuclear Energy Division. They had contracts for 15 different plants around the country. Then 3 mile Island came along. Overnight we were down to just completing 3 projects and retrofitting existing contracts. Layoffs started occurring. I went down and joined the Army. Job security for 4 years. I was 24 when I joined and it was quite shocking. Most of my fellow recruits were 18. We had one guy in basic that was 34. He had gotten out 6 years earlier and was back in because of the recession. Basic was a real struggle for him. Now they're letting in up to 42 or 44 can't remember. I can't imagine what that's like going from being a civilian to a soldier at that age. The loss of freedom is something that can't be described. After you've been in for a year or two you live in an alternate reality, so you are used to it.

To answer the actual question. I'm not going to answer it. I don't want to jinx myself. Every time I say something like "wow I haven't had a cold this year" I get a cold. Much bigger stakes when it comes to my job.

 

[me&thegals]

Yeah, I really believe in that jinx factor, too. I gloated one too many times over my family's amazing health this winter, and guess who all got sick?