Ready for another Spain update?
Yesterday we were informed of some pretty unfortunate news. We are definitely still going to Spain, but Mike’s start date has been pushed back to October 15th.
Ughhhhhh.
There are quite a few reasons why this is frustrating and irritating, but more than that, this situation is really hurting our family. We planned on an August 1 move date, therefore I put in notice with my company a few weeks ago so we’d have plenty of time to get ready for the move. At the time, we didn’t know there was a possibility of the job being pushed back.
I asked my boss if I could stay at my job through the end of June at least, but unfortunately, the company is eliminating my position altogether now and they are only allowing me to work through the end of this week. Awesome.
Now I have four months of unemployment staring me in the face before Mike’s larger salary kicks in. It’s scary. We took the Spain job because we’d be making more money off of Mike’s salary during this contract than we currently make on our combined salaries. This was supposed to improve our financial security, not destroy it.
So I’m bitter and upset at the ways of the world at the moment, though I know we won’t starve and this cut back is only temporary. Still, it sucks. It really really sucks.
And I know I’m at risk of sounding obnoxious, but I’m not used to being a penny pincher. I wouldn’t say that I spend ridiculous amounts of money, but I’ve never really thought twice about whether or not I could afford to go out to dinner or buy a bottle of wine, a new dress, etc. So this will be a lifestyle change for me. I know that we won’t die and that we’ll be just fine in the long run, but this kind of change is scary and unpleasant, no matter how “fine” we’ll be.
It’s an unfortunate circumstance, and one we couldn’t have predicted, but I’m trying to stay positive. I know that there is an end date to this tighter time period, which is more assurance than many others have, so I’m grateful for that. This situation will probably encourage me to make better financial choices–which sounds great and mature, but really all I want to do is throw a tantrum about the whole thing.
Many people have asked if I’ll try to find a part-time job, and I might, but Mike and I are still discussing the possibility. We might just tough it out & try to get by without it since the summer will probably go by quickly and I wouldn’t be able to stay long enough for a job to want to hire me anyway. Plus, if we’d like to visit family this summer, I probably wouldn’t be allowed any time off with a new job unless it’s very very flexible.
It’ll be a work in progress. Or, I guess I should say that I’LL be a work in progress while I try to navigate these new unemployed waters. I think I’ll make a list of all the things that I’ll want to do this summer to make the best of the situation, so hopefully that will make me feel better. Maybe it’ll even feel like an adventure…who knows. I do know that while I’m unemployed, I’ll try to blog every weekday so I at least get into a comfortable routine. Lucky you guys, right?
Have you been unemployed before? What are your biggest tips for dealing with less money and extra time during unemployment?
