Re-evaluation
Have you ever had to re-evaluate your life?
City’s Unemployment Rate Climbs to 9%; 361,000 Are Jobless, Highest Since 1993
"Well, at least I'm not alone," Ambria said, trying for a cheery note that she didn't quite feel as she read over the headline over breakfast at the kitchen table. She'd been unemployed as of last week, when the sanitation repair center she was working for laid off another group of workers, herself included. She'd gone up to the union hall, only to hear that there were close to 50 boilermakers ahead of her in line for being placed in new positions. Unless she was willing to travel out of state, of course, in which case they'd had word that local 684 down in Chesapeake, VA had some availability. As much as she'd promised Marcus she'd try to stay in state, Ambria had considered that- until she realized the money she'd be making wouldn't be worth it after hotel and food costs to stay down there. Besides, the job was temporary - six weeks at most, and after that what? Back to square one.
She'd signed up for unemployment benefits on Monday, and learned the joyful fact that her first week was a 'waiting period' which amounted to 'unpaid.' She'd just have to make her last check stretch. Fortunately she'd already paid most of her bills for the month, and the rent wouldn't come due for almost two weeks. With any luck she'd still be able to cover it. She had a bit of savings built up, but she preferred to save that in case there were any real emergencies. She had a feeling though that'd she'd start eating through it if she wasn't careful, so she sat down to re-evaluate her life. Time to cut down on some things, trim down those expenses she didn't really need.
She set the newspaper aside, and collected a notebook and paper to start making a list of things she'd need to cut out. The pen was one that Quince had picked up from Ceaser's during one of his gambling trips to Atlantic City. Quincey always played the penny slots, but every time Ambria went down the shore with him she wound up spending-slash-losing at least forty or fifty bucks. That was definitely right out.
Casino trips, she wrote at the top of the paper, then crossed it out and wrote instead Travel. Going down the shore period was expensive. Definitely something she didn't need right now. Underneath it she wrote Hair Dye. That hurt. But really, she could stand to have her hair stay the same color for a while - or well, at least to buy a less expensive kind when it needed to be touched up. Steak, she added. No more big steak barbecues. Summer would be over soon enough anyhow. Scrap metal she added, with a small sigh. Buying interesting bits of scrap to use for her projects was something she greatly enjoyed- but the price for scrap had been rising steadily. In fact, she should probably sell some of what she had already, make a little bit of extra cash. Netflix she wrote next, thinking that could pretty much go. She'd stick to the movies she could find on cable - argh, for that matter cable. But she split the cable bill with Quince, and he was still working, and he'd be grumpy besides if he couldn't watch Trading Spaces, Top Chef, Tim Gunn's House of Style and all his other shows.
Anything fun she wrote on the list, peevishly, then crossed it off. Being snarky wasn't going to help here. Plenty of other people were dealing with this situation. 360,999 other people if the New York Times were to be believed, and that was in the city alone. Things could be worse. At least she had a roof over her head, a roommate who was still working, and unemployment benefits. Hopefully that would be enough to see her through the rough times ahead.
City’s Unemployment Rate Climbs to 9%; 361,000 Are Jobless, Highest Since 1993
"Well, at least I'm not alone," Ambria said, trying for a cheery note that she didn't quite feel as she read over the headline over breakfast at the kitchen table. She'd been unemployed as of last week, when the sanitation repair center she was working for laid off another group of workers, herself included. She'd gone up to the union hall, only to hear that there were close to 50 boilermakers ahead of her in line for being placed in new positions. Unless she was willing to travel out of state, of course, in which case they'd had word that local 684 down in Chesapeake, VA had some availability. As much as she'd promised Marcus she'd try to stay in state, Ambria had considered that- until she realized the money she'd be making wouldn't be worth it after hotel and food costs to stay down there. Besides, the job was temporary - six weeks at most, and after that what? Back to square one.
She'd signed up for unemployment benefits on Monday, and learned the joyful fact that her first week was a 'waiting period' which amounted to 'unpaid.' She'd just have to make her last check stretch. Fortunately she'd already paid most of her bills for the month, and the rent wouldn't come due for almost two weeks. With any luck she'd still be able to cover it. She had a bit of savings built up, but she preferred to save that in case there were any real emergencies. She had a feeling though that'd she'd start eating through it if she wasn't careful, so she sat down to re-evaluate her life. Time to cut down on some things, trim down those expenses she didn't really need.
She set the newspaper aside, and collected a notebook and paper to start making a list of things she'd need to cut out. The pen was one that Quince had picked up from Ceaser's during one of his gambling trips to Atlantic City. Quincey always played the penny slots, but every time Ambria went down the shore with him she wound up spending-slash-losing at least forty or fifty bucks. That was definitely right out.
Casino trips, she wrote at the top of the paper, then crossed it out and wrote instead Travel. Going down the shore period was expensive. Definitely something she didn't need right now. Underneath it she wrote Hair Dye. That hurt. But really, she could stand to have her hair stay the same color for a while - or well, at least to buy a less expensive kind when it needed to be touched up. Steak, she added. No more big steak barbecues. Summer would be over soon enough anyhow. Scrap metal she added, with a small sigh. Buying interesting bits of scrap to use for her projects was something she greatly enjoyed- but the price for scrap had been rising steadily. In fact, she should probably sell some of what she had already, make a little bit of extra cash. Netflix she wrote next, thinking that could pretty much go. She'd stick to the movies she could find on cable - argh, for that matter cable. But she split the cable bill with Quince, and he was still working, and he'd be grumpy besides if he couldn't watch Trading Spaces, Top Chef, Tim Gunn's House of Style and all his other shows.
Anything fun she wrote on the list, peevishly, then crossed it off. Being snarky wasn't going to help here. Plenty of other people were dealing with this situation. 360,999 other people if the New York Times were to be believed, and that was in the city alone. Things could be worse. At least she had a roof over her head, a roommate who was still working, and unemployment benefits. Hopefully that would be enough to see her through the rough times ahead.