I'm asking for this reason: I see many media stories about the supposed fact that many people are losing their full-time jobs and haviing to jerry rig a living wage by cobbling together two or more part-time jobs, with or without benefits attached to them. Because the media reports seem to indicate that more and more people are in this boat, do you find that to be true, based on observations and/or experience?
I"d like to know how people feel about this. Have you gone through this? Someone you know? As for personal experience, I'll go first and share ours.
Only one adult in our family works full-time at a traditional job with benefits. I work full-time but not at a "traditional office or other job outside the home." I write and I think most writers here know that pay for that job varies by year, day and month, unless one is Stephen King or a famous writer with lucrative contracts and lots of savings.
It has been a huge relief to get both cars paid off, although gas and maintenance costs don't end. If we had the weather, we'd bike or walk to work but that is hard to do in a blizzard. Not that we are having a blizzard now but we don't have bike paths that work for snow or ice and the paths aren't close to work.
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Comments: 48
I volunteer at a food bank and lately, we've seen quite a few people who have been regular donors for many years request help.
No, I cannot say that I do, not at this time. I had to retire early -- some people think that's cool, but it isn't, especially when it's due to an injury (CTS). Maybe if I think really hard about it, I can come up with someone. My company was forcing many people to take early retirement; they wanted OUT of California -- the jerks!
I worry about my mom the most. She has diabetes and her doctor now won't see her. I guess if you're unemployed with no insurance they won't see you, even if you have cash. She ended up in the ER because she couldn't get her medicine refilled.
I say put in the extra room. It would be nice to have a guest room whether it be for assistance or visits.
The price of food, car insurance, and fuel for cars has gone up for sure around here, but there are jobs and signs for help wanted everywhere too, so overall I think our area is pretty much the same as it has been for years. The population has grown fast around here to my disappointment during that time as well, ha ha. Time to move..... ;-)
Take care.
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Michigan has the highest unemployment rates in the country, Unfortunately, instead of us joining the rest of the country, the rest of the country is joining us. According to the news over 600,000 jobs disappeared in Feb. alone.
I have two friends who cashed in their 401k's, with penalties, in order to stay afloat.
Times are unstable to say the least with no rainbow on the horizon.
We moved to a new state shortly after 911. My company was in the middle of its first downsizing at that point. I went from making $42K/year down to working as a temp and trying to find a "real" job... I haven't made as much since, and since moving in with K am trying to find enough work from home to make at least $400/month...
Also, no one is having a problem with their mortgages.
While jobs that are higher paying are not plentiful, they haven't gotten any more scarce around here than they were say five years ago.
My company is going through layoffs. So far, four people from my department were laid off and a close friend that works in another department. Time will tell if they find new full time positions or have to combine a couple of part-time positions.
He is still applying for jobs weekly. In the meantime, gas, food, taxes--even our tv feed goes up past the point of reason.
You know how some people blame everything on global warming?
Well I am becoming a person who blames it on outsourcing.
Yes, fewer and fewer jobs in America signal to me that too many jobs here have been sent to other countries.
Thanks for the comments on my posts, both here and on my blogs!
Nearly nothing but novels
Chemisty for a sustainable world