Unemployed

I have a home based business that seems to do better in these times, my husband is in the Navy. I see this going on all over and although it is easy to blame the government it is a correction cycle that always comes around. Try temp work, lots of companies are going to be using these agencies instead of having a full time employee. Find someone that does resumes geared to that and off you go!! You will make it.

M.,

I'm a single Mom and, yes it's a struggle daily. I have done everything from being on Cash Aid to Food Stamps to almost being back on my feet when two weeks before Christmas last year, my boss did a mass lay-off and I was back to square one...no income, very little saved and no prospects to speak of.

I took odd jobs, and worked for minimum wage at a job I was WAY over-qualified for and even had to sell a ton of my stuff to pay bills. This last year has been a gigantic struggle financially, and emotionally it can be exhausting.

Today, I work for a great company with bosses who are amazing, but I don't get paid anywhere near what I was a year ago or even three years ago before my son was born.

When I chose to strike out on my own two years ago, I knew it wasn't going to be easy and I am blessed to have a wonderful set of parents, and sister who have been my rock! I'm almost back on my feet again, but live in fear that my job my end at any moment and the child support isn't nearly enough to maintain a 'quality life' for my son.

Lay-offs are everywhere and the economy just seems to take hit after hit...

I think the only WE can DO as Mommys is roll with the punches and show our kids that it CAN get better, with hard work and determination YOU can do ANYTHING.

This time of year is tough, and I've made sure to save for presents because last year was so hard to not be able to buy presents for my son (my family did it cause I couldn't) to put under the tree or for Santa.

I always remind myself that this too shall pass...it can only get worse if I let it.

Best of luck in this tough time and situation...

Deanna

Hi M.,

I am doing some research on Moms, who shop at Walmart and if you fit the bill can pay you $100 for a half hour interview.

Please call me at ###-###-####

Best,

W.

M.,

My husband was laid off and his last day will be Dec. 31st. To help elevate the financial stress I called all our financial institutions and found to my surprise that most of them helped. Of course the mortgage and car companies would not budge until we were 60 deliquent. Figure that one out. Anyways the utilities have special programs that helped. Most of my credit card companys lowered my interest rate for short period like 4 to 6 months. Of course we had to get rid a few necessities like gardner, house cleaner, extra packages on direct tv and cell phones. I was quite surprised how much I was able to bring down our monthly expenses. Give it a try it really helped us deal with it.

M.

Hi M.,

My dear hubby is looking for work. He had been home for 4 years being my full-time caregiver and while I've not completely recovered, he needed to go back to work for his own sake. (He was the worst wife I ever had but men aren't great multi-taskers and I appreciated all his efforts :^D) He has a BS in Music and really has no real skills but even at minimum wage, he would prefer to have a neighbor lady who could use the money too, come in to clean what he can't see (which is a lot).

After coming out of my coma (they had given me 2 hours to live) it was a true struggle back to life over these past 3 years ago. Everyday I improved a little. We had a couple real scares along the way. It took 15 months to get off Hospice. I'm typing this sitting on the edge of my hospital bed with my homemade, rollable, 5X3 foot "computer work-station", wearing my oxygen. I use a CD for wheelchair exercising.

You see, I was the breadwinner when I was forced into medical retirement 4 years ago. Now between my pension and SSDI, we live $50 a month above the poverty line which precludes us for any assistance. This is the poorest I've been in my entire life. I am truly frustrated. Deep inside me there is a burning desire to change my situation. Since, I am unemployable, I have very few options. I decided to find a business I can do from home at my own pace. Oh, I've dabbled in the past, but with a decent job, my desired to succeed had no real need.

So while we all are struggling to secure a future for our children and grandchildren. May I offer my wonderful business venture to you and all those mothers who want to stay home but need to earn a full-time income but is limited in time. Full-time in my business is 25 hours a week. Many are building a good income doing only 10 hours a week. Every month my income from this business keeps growing, not as fast as I'd like since I keep laying down resting in between phone trainings and business calls. If I can do this anyone can.

Check it out for yourself:

http://www.MakeASecondIncome.com

FYI: While using these products I have lost 38 pounds in 11 weeks and over 11 inches off my waist. Also, I've reduced my oxygen by 25% and am briefly walking unassisted after being wheelchair bond 11 years. Your results may vary.

Best Wishes & Happy Holidays ~ F.

I am sorry to hear of your job loss. My husband asked to be part of a buy out his company was offering (after 29 years of employment) earlier this year. The company has since filed bankruptcy. Through much hard work on his part, and because he got out a little ahead of the curve, he found another job, with a 30% pay cut. He now works very long hours and goes as much a month without a day off. It seems everyone is now desperate to hang onto the lowliest of jobs. Times are tough; don't bail out on your marriage unless you must. It’s very disappointing when we have been used to living better than we are now through no fault of our own. Being thankful for what you do have is not some airy fairy advice, but a means of survival. Keeping your spirits up puts your best foot forward, so that you can find another job or new career. It’s hard, and you didn’t deserve this. Take care.

I work in a preschool too and we have been slowly losing enrollment as well. As parents get laid off, they don't need the care or those moms who were at home but "too busy" for their own children must pull them out.
As people who still need it look for more affordable childcare, consider opening up a home daycare to earn an income.
Unfortunately, daycare centers know no loyalty to their employees. I'm not sure which you worked for but it isn't surprising. The upper management is all about the $$, not the children. I resigned from one company after 10 years without so much as an acknowledgement of receiving my notice or a thank you on my last day. I think they got my letter of resignation but who knows?!

M.,

Hang in there. This is a really tough situation, and having seen my husband get laid off earlier this year, and having to wait four months to find a job, I think the hardest part is to keep morale up through the transition/uncertain times.

It is and will be a daily struggle in the near future, but above all, try to keep the confidence in yourself and your ability to contribute very positively to both your family and your work. You were probably laid off because the company had to make its numbers, and at that point it does not matter much if you were a stellar employee (my husband's company laid off 30% of the workforce - everyone's head in his area rolled!).

I know it's very hard, but be strong, and don't let this weaken your belief in yourself. It will impact how you feel, how you make the kids feel, and even how prospective employers perceive you.

My best wishes for the new year M..

E.

Hi M.,
It is horrible and I am sorry you are going through this. I work for the county and as you may already know, they are entering into the furlough program. It is voluntary, but I am afraid if we don't take the time off with no pay, they will have no choice but to lay us off eventually. I took 4 hours off without pay on Wednesday, but they are offering up to 40 hours through the end of January. I can't pull off 40 hours. As well, this will affect our PERS timing. It all really stinks, but I must say no one is really safe.

M.,

Be blesed your children and family are healthy. I remind myself to count our blessings every day and some days, I feel like I don't even have time to do that.

My husband will not get laid off, instead he owns his contract with a big shipping company. However, his business has been struggling since the time diesel gasoline hit $6/gallon. And, with employees to pay, workers comp constantly rising and other expenses, some months we're lucky if he took home an income.

So now, gas prices are better but people just aren't shipping as much as they were because of the economy and we're still trying to catch up from when gas prices skyrocketed. My husband can't just go and find a job, he has to run his business. So, the challenges are all over the place with regards to his income.

I know people who are going back to the traditional jobs. With many Baby Boomers retiring there's high demand for police officers, even in cities as safe as Irvine and Orange and the wages are very competitive. Nurses are always in demand too.

I do some marketing consulting and have 2 businesses and am working diligently to make them successful in 2009, regardless of everyone's fear of the economic situation. Where there's a decline in one area, there's always growth in another. When high tech stocks were dropping, real estate started to grow.

So, hold your head high, be strong and you'll find a way to make it through and even build a thriving future for you and your family. Just try not to let things get to you. "People" in general tend to "follow." If a stock starts soaring, everything thinks they're supposed to buy, but the truth is, that's when it's good to sell.

Good luck and I hope blessings come your way.

S.

M.

I changed careers 4 years ago to become a stay at home mom for our 3 children. I got my real estate license used this license to do Broker Price Opinions aka BPO. A BPO is a value that you are giving on a piece of property by driving by, providing 3 photos of the subject, street and address and using 6 comparable to come up with a value. My clients pay be between $50 - $70 an order and I do on the average 100 a month. To get your real estate license, contact a First Tuesday (800)794-0494 (inside CA) or by e-mail at ____@____.com will cost you $149 for the material to study for your exam. Once you pass the test, it is approx. $300 to the state for your license. Then, go to google.com and type in the words Broker Price Opinion and it will provide you with all the companies that outsource. Sign up with every company possible. I have about 10 strong clients that provide me with more than enough work that 2 of my sister are my back of typist for orders. You can outsource you photos, this would eleviate you having to drive out to complete the photos (usually a $10.00 fee) and you handle the research and typing of the order. I make between 5 and 6 thousand a month......once in a while you actually get the listing that you did the BPO on, therefore that's an additional plus. If you have any questions, my personal e-mail is: ____@____.com and my home phone number is ###-###-####. Good luck and really look into this. I have referred several moms that I know that have made this their second income in the home. I work mainly when the kids are at school or after they go to bed.

Hi M., I am a stay at home mom of four wonderful kids! I wanted to find a stay at home job that I would enjoy and keep me home with my family. I finally found a company that has blessed my family in so many ways! I don’t have to sell, do parties, order, stock/ship inventory, and there is NO risk! If you are motivated, you can make money at home too! Freedom United is a non-profit support group partnered up with a wellness company. I LOVE what I do, and we have lots of support! Request more info. At www.familiesrok.com

I am so sorry to hear that you and so many others have lost their jobs. And who knows when this is all going to end. I currently work from home with a company that is acctually growing in this time. It is not a MLM and it is really helping alot of families that are going through all the down sizing that is happening. If anyone is interested in getting more information please contact me. I would love to share what I have found.
Good Luck and God Bless to all.
T.

M., I am so sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortunately there are to may like you. I just wanted to tell you a little about my home base business. I am a consultant with Scentsy and I love it! Scentsy is wickless candles. It is not full time income for me but it definately helps each month, and there are many people who have made full time income with this company. You can find out more at my site www.scentsy.com/danacarey
Keep doing you best and everything will work out.

Sorry to hear about your lay off. I too was laid off in August . Luckily I had a spare tire. After having my son a friend of mine approached me and asked if I want to start a college fund for my son. Later I would go to the office and go into business with her. There are offices located all across the US. All I knew when joining is that I would help families and get paid for doing it. During this "Economic Crisis" we are now going through, I went full time into my business after the lay off. It was hard to see everyone get laid off with no option available to them. I recruited some co workers and now together building a great organization. I realize though, that as long as we continued to work for someone else, all we are is a resource. I highly recommend going into business for yourself. Because no matter how great of a employee you are; you were always paid based on your position, not the great person you are with the great work ethics you hold.
I was a merchandiser for Harley-Davidson. A lot of my designs are all across the USA. I had a huge amount of #1 design orders. During the actual closing of our company, I was one of the last to go, seeing I was in a higher position. Now I just look back at the lay off as a blessing. I now have seen how I allowed others to give me the life style they sought out for me to have. With them controlling my paycheck, they told me what car I should drive and where I should live. What school my son should attend and how long I can see him. Now it's the complete opposite. I control my pay and time. Bottom line, I'm a strong believer in faith. Everything happens for a reason. What reason, don't know until I've come to the conclusion. I hope that everyone can awake this sleeping giant within and see the opportunities out there for business ownership. Continue the hard work and dedication, for yourself now. God Bless.