Three Keys to Cutting Costs While Waiting for a ‘REAL JOB’ You tear open the envelope and stare down at your horse boarding bill for the month. Your eyes widen, the envelope flutters to the ground, and you put your face in your hands. You haven’t had the strength to announce to the world that you’ve just lost your job, and if you don’t hustle, you’re soon going to lose your horse. This is exactly what I experienced when I…
When I decided to quit my job in October 2016, I knew I had some tough times ahead. I knew I’d have to hustle to pay my rent, my bills and my student loans. I knew I had to throw out my current budget, create a much leaner one and preserve the little bit of cash reserves I had on hand. BUT… the hopelessness of watching your savings account dwindle isn’t the worst part of being unemployed. I wasn’t prepared…
I was 17 years old when my son was born. I was also broke, jobless and had a little man relying on me. To be fair, I was just a child, but very quickly realized I was getting nowhere fast. Daycare was too expensive, so working was out of the question. The only option left for me was college, but that was an expense I could not afford. So I found a different way. I received ALL of my schooling…
As a kid, I was taught a lot of things. For example, to entertain myself, respect my elders, and not to drop ping pong balls on Grandpa’s head from the loft (which is another story for another day). I also picked up on a lesson that I think too many of us learn – the art of politely saying no when someone offers you something. After all, you don’t want to be a bother and should be able to take…
I’ve been unemployed for the entire duration of my marriage. If that sounds harsh, it’s even harsher to write it down. These past six months have been long, longer than I care to remember. Some days my spirits were up, while other days they’d seemed to have disappeared completely. But no matter how ashamed I’ve felt, how hopeless or frustrated, there hasn’t been a time that I’ve let it get in the way of my marriage. My wife makes all…
I always wanted to be a university English professor but by my senior year of college, the unemployment rate in the field was 99%. The words a Dean said to me a few years before came back to haunt me. It was at a freshman “Meet Your Professors” event where I introduced myself to the Dean of Arts and Sciences. I told him my major and he replied laughingly that I would be “Highly unemployable!” I thought he was rude…