Unemployment blues

The job hunt has been a long and tedious process. I have never had to do this before. We had a meeting about unemployment insurance yesterday, another thing I have never done. I have been sending out resumes like crazy this week, I have applied for every job that even remotely matches my skills, both pre and post bachelors degree (as it is in a semi-different field than my experience).

I am optimistic, I think that this will give me a chance to use my newly gained knowledge. But, it better happen fast. I have a mortgage, a car payment, three kids, and many other obligations and very little savings to hold us over.

Friday, just two days from now will be my last date of hire. I then have 2 weeks vacation to be paid out, then a wait week with no money before I can receive any unemployment payments, however, I am hoping that it will not come to that as it would only be about 1/2 my monthly income now. That is not enough for us to live on.

This is probably a silly thing to think of when we need food on the table and shelter over our heads.. but every TV in my house is cirque 1980's they all run well, except the main TV which will periodically shut itself off then back on... like a ghost. However, in a few weeks the analog signals will be a thing of the past and without cable TV, converter boxes, or satellite, will make all of the TVs in our home nothing more than big hunks of plastic adorning our furniture. As it is now, we have basic cable, pretty stripped down, no pay movie channels, just some basic channels.

This leaves me in a bit of a predicament... If i don't find work soon, cable TV would be an obvious choice cut for downsizing to the essentials. However, not only would it make all of the TVs unusable, this will also be a time when I am out of work, - not working- nothing to do but sit at home and wait on calls from employers. Without TV.

The second obvious choice of a luxury to be cut would seem to be Internet! But how do you cut Internet when you must post at least four job postings per week?

Do I turn off the heat? the water?

What bills are the ones to cut? The cell phone? That is the number I gave to the recruiters.

Lets just hope I wont have to cut anything... and that I will find a better job, with better pay, with more vacation, stock options.....

OK OK. a job that pays for the life we have become accustomed to... lets start there.