Isn't that how the old saying goes?
Well, it seems that has definitely been the case for me and my husband. Like many other Americans, my husband was laid off from his job about 2 1/2 years ago. Before that happened, he was working a very limited schedule of less than 32 hours a week. But even before that, he worked very steadily and with LOTS of overtime. Money was never an issue for us and we spent it on whatever we wanted...new gadgets, random trips to the store, vacations, new furniture, etc. We were money zombies and had no clue what the impact would be. Then when the hubby's overtime went goodbye, the less than adequate weekly salary was killing us. We were not used to living like this and it was eating us alive. We were quickly heading into the hole. We were drowning.
I had always been in charge of the money and bills and I had no clue what to do. When hubby was laid off shortly after that, it was almost a relief, as his unemployment checks were actually bigger than his weekly pay. We had to adjust our spending habits, and quick. For a year and a half, we spent only what we had to. I picked up cleaning jobs on my days off and hubby did odd jobs when he could. We were lucky enough to be able to keep some creature comforts like the cable and the internet but it was a struggle at times to do that. I got creative with our food budget and we didn't eat out. Gifts were homemade and what we could afford (barely). Getting new clothes was out of the question and we crossed our fingers that cars or household appliances didn't break down. I even gave up cigarettes...a 24 year habit! It was interesting, but we did it and it made me realize the amount of money we could actually live on and the things we could live without.
Now hubby has been working for just a year now. We have caught up with what was outstanding and even paid off several bills. Our finances are in good shape. I would imagine our credit rating is still pretty crappy, but it will get better in time. That is something I can finally let go. (Or maybe I should say I'm getting better at letting it go.) When you put it all in perspective, we are lucky we have been able to hang on to our house.
I have noticed lately that our habits are starting to creep back to pre-lay-off. I can't say that I don't mind that we can afford certain things that we haven't been able to enjoy but I want to remain conscious about our spending. Mainly because I want different things than I did 3 or 4 years ago. Then, I lived more for the moment. I still do but now I want to live more for the future, too. Not in an obsessive way but in patient, things-will-add-up kind of way. In a way that can account for a savings. In a way that can account for some equity. In a way that will allow me to some day live debt free. That means continuing to set limits and budgets. Continuing to be conscientious of our spending. Saying no to things we can't afford right now. Knowing there is money in the savings account and pretending it's not there. So, in thinking about the future and experiencing the past, I want to work on our dreams. I want to plan for them and I want to save for them, but most of all I want to live them.
Well, it seems that has definitely been the case for me and my husband. Like many other Americans, my husband was laid off from his job about 2 1/2 years ago. Before that happened, he was working a very limited schedule of less than 32 hours a week. But even before that, he worked very steadily and with LOTS of overtime. Money was never an issue for us and we spent it on whatever we wanted...new gadgets, random trips to the store, vacations, new furniture, etc. We were money zombies and had no clue what the impact would be. Then when the hubby's overtime went goodbye, the less than adequate weekly salary was killing us. We were not used to living like this and it was eating us alive. We were quickly heading into the hole. We were drowning.
I had always been in charge of the money and bills and I had no clue what to do. When hubby was laid off shortly after that, it was almost a relief, as his unemployment checks were actually bigger than his weekly pay. We had to adjust our spending habits, and quick. For a year and a half, we spent only what we had to. I picked up cleaning jobs on my days off and hubby did odd jobs when he could. We were lucky enough to be able to keep some creature comforts like the cable and the internet but it was a struggle at times to do that. I got creative with our food budget and we didn't eat out. Gifts were homemade and what we could afford (barely). Getting new clothes was out of the question and we crossed our fingers that cars or household appliances didn't break down. I even gave up cigarettes...a 24 year habit! It was interesting, but we did it and it made me realize the amount of money we could actually live on and the things we could live without.
Now hubby has been working for just a year now. We have caught up with what was outstanding and even paid off several bills. Our finances are in good shape. I would imagine our credit rating is still pretty crappy, but it will get better in time. That is something I can finally let go. (Or maybe I should say I'm getting better at letting it go.) When you put it all in perspective, we are lucky we have been able to hang on to our house.
I have noticed lately that our habits are starting to creep back to pre-lay-off. I can't say that I don't mind that we can afford certain things that we haven't been able to enjoy but I want to remain conscious about our spending. Mainly because I want different things than I did 3 or 4 years ago. Then, I lived more for the moment. I still do but now I want to live more for the future, too. Not in an obsessive way but in patient, things-will-add-up kind of way. In a way that can account for a savings. In a way that can account for some equity. In a way that will allow me to some day live debt free. That means continuing to set limits and budgets. Continuing to be conscientious of our spending. Saying no to things we can't afford right now. Knowing there is money in the savings account and pretending it's not there. So, in thinking about the future and experiencing the past, I want to work on our dreams. I want to plan for them and I want to save for them, but most of all I want to live them.
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