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12/9/08

Hubby has a new job!

Hubby and I both have been looking for better employment for some time now. Employment that pays better, has better retirement benefits, steady hours, and is "recession proof". We both feel that his current employment is not "recession proof" in meaning that the product that is sold is not a daily life necessity. When budgets get cut, his current product is one of the FIRST things to get cut.

When he lost/quit his job (due to economy, his hours were cut extremely to the point there was no way he could stay there, so it was a mutual agreement between him and employer) 2 years ago and accepted this job it was with the intention that it would only be temporary/short term until he could find better employment.

Well the economy hasnt gotten any better and it has lasted longer than we wanted. We knew we could live on the salary they offered but it would be VERY ROUGH! When I say rough, I'm talking bills not getting paid such as credit cards, car payments missed, house payments missed, juggling bills from month to month to avoid disconnects, etc.

I was desperate and started figuring out ways to live more frugally knowing we could not borrow money every month to pay basic living expenses. I found the WIR Grocery Challenge thread on MSN's message boards. The gal's over there taught me a lot. There were others on the internet who taught me so much on frugal living also. How to get more for what little money we were making.

Things like changing our light bulbs, when the best time to run dishwasher and washing machine, not letting water run while showering, brushing teeth, saving the cold water while waiting for hot water, turning down the thermostat, unplugging charges not charging their counterparts, ...... I could go on and on. They all have helped reduce our electric, heating, and water bills. We changed phone plans, satelite tv plans (we live in the country and cable or antaena is not available), internet service plans..... we reduced everything we could, and then looked at it again and found ways to reduce them again. We changed home insurance plans saving several hundred dollars a year.

I quit tanning, I quit getting my nails done, I shopped more and more at thrift stores, I repaired clothes instead of buying new. We stretched everything. A chicken that was once one meal for us now became two instead of being so wasteful and throwing left overs away.

Leftovers, now there's a word my family was not familiar with. My husband always said if they were so good then why are they left over and refused to eat leftovers for the first 15 years we were married. He now takes left overs for his lunches instead of eating at McDonals, Taco Bell or Kentucy Fried chicken every day. (Now that saved us a small mint all by itself!)

Oh yeah, back to the reason for this post. Hubby has been trying to get on at two different places for several months now. One being the state highway department and the best choice of the two. The other a waste disposal company.

The waste disposal company called tonight and he can start as early as tomorow. He will give his current employer a notice but if they dont want him to work the notice then he will start the new job immediately. The new job will be steady hours. They haul trash rain or shine, holiday or not. The retirement is a little better than where he's at. He will only be making $80 a week more to start out with, but there's room for advancement and raises and there will be no cut in hours. It's hard work, work he has done for several years in the past when we were first married, but maybe we are on the way up again.

My happiness quickly turned to guilt tonight as I thought about all my family and friends who have lost their jobs in the last few weeks. I've not called my parents yet and he's not called his parents yet. It just doesnt feel right with so many looking for employment. All of you, my family and friends, are in my prayers that good steady employment is just around the corner for you.

It's cold here tonight, raining early today turning to sleet and now to snow. The wind is terrible! Hope everyone is home safe and sound and warm as a bug in a rug!

17 comments:

  1. Hey Lisa!

    Congrats on your hubbies new job!! that is awesome. As one of your readers who has been unemployed since April and seeing no end in sight I do appreciate you trying to be respectful and sympathetic to others who are not in the same place you may be. I too am a WIR member but the grocery challenge moves so fast, I think I posted on page 13 never got a chance to read all the first 13 pages and then couldn't keep up after that! lol! I did learn some like Frugalsuz's website and that was enough to get me hooked. I did pay off $30,000 worth of debt in 6 months with the help of my buddies on WIR and I am proud to say I am now in the savers club!! whooo hooo!

    Anyway.. I feel where you have been (juggling finances/bills) and am glad to hear that at least someone is moving up!! lol! ;)

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  2. Congrats to your hubby (and you, too)! Does his new employer begin with a "T"? If so, they do excellent work, and I've always heard good things about them as an employer.

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  3. Melissa, as I was writing my post you were one of many who were on my mind. I've not posted the news on the grocery challenge because of all the people on there who are experiencing layoffs, hours cut or loss of long time employment. In fact, one gal on there who had been employed at her job for over 19 years just found herself unemployed less than 24 hours before hubby recevd his phone call. I felt it just wasnt right to post during her need of support.

    You have done a wonderful job paying off so much debt after finding yourself unemployed also. Keep up the good work, and keep posting all those great deals you get!

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  4. annie yes the company is T&C. Several years ago, hubby, T&C's owner, T&C's main supervisor, and I all worked together for Allied Waste. When Allied waste started disolving smaller companies that they had bought up, the owner of T&C started his own company. So now, several years later my hubby will work with them again. There are several other previous "allied waste" employees that are working there also.

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  5. Congrats to your husband on the new job! Even a little bit more a week can make SUCH a difference in this economy.

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  6. Congrats on hubby's new job!

    Luckily, back in Sept I took on a new job too, it's only part time but it is a job with a steady paycheck. My last company (family business) couldn't make payroll some months, putting us in financial peril too. It's hard work, standing all day but the people are nice and ALL are grateful just to be employed in this economy.

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  7. Hey Lisa,
    Congrats to you and your husband!!!! That is wonderful news!!! :)
    I have been a temp employee for over a year now and I pray and pray that I will find something permanent. It's just the economy here. But, if I hadn't been a temp, I probably wouldn't have felt the need to learn more about couponing.... everything happens for a reason right?

    Celebrate!

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  8. Yeah! I am so thrilled for hubby and you! You are so right about this being tough times for a lot of people. MY DIL and son have been struggling for 2 years now with job losses, a house in Florida that they can't sell, medical bills from my grandaughter's hosptalization, etc. My heart breaks for them and all of you who know what it is like to struggle day to day. This economy just keeps getting worse and worse. In all my years, I don't remember seeing things as bad as it is now and I am afraid it is going to get much worse. We have to watch our pennies very closely because of all of our stock market losses.

    But I am so glad to see things looking up for you. It's a new beginning! Tell DH CONGRATULATIONS!

    BTW, you should be very proud of yourself for doing all of the things that were necessary to cut costs. Keep up the good work!

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  9. YAY! Congratulations to your hubby and hopefully things will get much better for both of you. Now you know you're next to get a better job! :o)

    And don't worry about those who lost jobs - they'll be happy to hear ANY good news to cheer them up.

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  10. Lisa,
    Congratulations, that's wonderful news. The economy is so scary right now and it must feel great to be on such stable footing. I really love my job and hope nothing happens, but you really never know. I really gotta get working on my emergency fund just in case. That's definitely my next goal and what I'm working on now. Congrats again!

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  11. I am so glad for you and your husband! I too hope that the good news can spread to others and things start looking up for everyone!

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  12. congrats on hubbys new job!

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  13. frugalchick thank you. I agree, every little bit more helps. Thanks for commenting.

    patti thank you. I've worked for a small family business that couldnt make payroll and that's no fun. Glad to hear you have steady employment.

    lindsay thank you. I hope you find perm. employment and soon. You and your family will be in my prayers.

    precious I feel so for your son and daughter in law. I feel so bad when there's not enough money for us to help our older son adn grandson more. My hubby REALLY gets upset at that.

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  14. Jenny thanks. It's so hard to get on the grocery challenge and read someone else has lost their job. I'm so scared that the economy is going to get worse before it gets better for all of us. It ruins my day and I get so upset when I read someone else I know has been effected.

    frugalsuz I cant wait until we can start building an emergency fund also. I've learned it's so important and can be the difference between living from paycheck to paycheck and on the verge of loosing your home. I dont ever want to be in that situation.

    central I hope it starts spreading around too! I keep praying for all of us. It just makes me worry when I hear the president elect say it is going to get worse before it gets better.

    christy thanks! also thanks for commenting.

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  15. DON'T EVER feel guilty for your good fortune! conrgats on the job :)

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  16. Lisa,

    I know what you mean about helping family. To me "Family is everything!" I feel like you do and wish we could help them more.

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