I have two more weeks and one day before I'm unemployed. (Our last day is Monday, March 9th.) It doesn't look like I'll have a job before my current job ends, since I haven't even had an interview yet. (Although I have applied for 12 separate positions, plus forwarded my resume to a few other contacts who've offered to help me look.) Advisors at law school placement centers in the area are telling colleagues of mine to expect "this process" to take between 8 and 12 months, which would make me lucky to have a job by the end of 2009, I guess. I have no severance, and right now we have no savings (we used the small savings we had to cover my unpaid maternity leave and medical bills last summer, as well as to make up for my 10% paycut starting in October).
We sat down and figured out what our income would be with Geoff's part-time salary and my unemployment benefits combined, and we figure after we pay our bills (except our student loans, which should be eligible for deferral), we'll have about $100 a week for discretionary expenses including food, toiletries, and gas. That doesn't take into account any unexpected expenses, like the check we wrote to have our furnace repaired last week, or for any car repairs which will have to be done. We have already cut a few small expenses and have switched to a new phone/internet service (which will save us about $60 a month). In addition, Geoff now gives a weekly piano lesson to a kid who attends the church, and is probably going to teach an after-school music program one day a week in March and April at one of the Chicago Public Schools. The extra money will probably leave us with $150 to $200 per week. We think we can do it, especially since we have gotten our tax refund, and are planning to use it as a cushion to cover any minor over-spending we do over the months and weeks. And maybe to cover something small for Annabel, for her birthday in May, or me, for my birthday in August, or Geoff, for his birthday in September, if I'm still unemployed by then.
Once we figured out that we should have enough money to pay our bills, I have mostly been worried about the impending lack of health insurance, but I just recently applied for insurance through an Illinois program called All Kids which should cover Katie and Annabel, and which may also cover Geoff and me. According to a co-worker of mine, the insurance available through All Kids appears to be better (more comprehensive and less costly as far as co-pays and deductibles) than what we had through work. (Of course it is.) So now I'm hopeful about insurance, and I'm actually starting to think about inexpensive ways to enjoy my time off.
When I'm unemployed, I am looking forward to doing things I don't really have much time to do (or which I haven't made much time to do) when I'm working. This is what I've got so far:
1. Reading. I'm making a list of books to I'd like to read (most of them are books that are sitting here on our bookshelves already), and so far it goes like this:
- Possession, by A.S. Byatt
- One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- Open Secrets, by Alice Munro
- Carried Away, by Alice Munro
- The Idiot, by Dostoyevsky
- Watchmen, by Moore & Gibbons (Geoff says I must read it; I keep hesitating due to its graphic novel (COMIC BOOK!) nature, but if he thinks I'll really like it, he's probably right)
- The Once and Future King, by T.H. White
- A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
- Ghost Riders, by Sharyn McCrumb
- On Photography, by Susan Sontag
Other suggestions? It might be nice to mix in some lighter fare with a lot of what's up there.
2. In combination with the above: taking more trips to the library! Katie gets tired of her books, even though she has over a hundred of them. We need more new material beyond what we can buy. (Suggestions for Katie? To give you an idea of her (and our) tastes: she loves the Frog & Toad books and really likes the Amelia Bedelia books. We've also enjoyed a lot of Kevin Henkes' books and a lot of Robert Munsch books.)
3. Working out. Geoff and I have gotten offers from Bally for $99 year-long memberships, which we've decided is worth it, even in my soon to be unemployed condition. We're taking the money from our tax refund, which we already received. While I'm unemployed, I'm going to try to go at least five days a week, and my hope is that it becomes enough of a routine that I'll keep it up (at least a few days a week) even when I'm working again (whenever that is).
4. Taking the dog for a walk, and going to the park. We don't do either of these often enough. In fact, maybe this one should just read: getting outside more often.
5. Growing herbs, flowers, and a few other plants on our balcony. Basil, I'm thinking, and cosmos, and cherry tomatoes. Other recommendations for plants that will do well in small pots on a balcony that gets quite a bit of sun?
6. Going to farmer's markets. This has been inspired by Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle.
7. Also inspired by Animal Vegetable Miracle: making cheese! We're going to spend $40 or so for a cheese making kit (most of the cost is for things we only have to buy once, like a cheese thermometer), and then we're going to make some soft cheeses (cream cheese and maybe ricotta and MOZZARRELLA. I am really excited about this.
8. Organizing our back room and our half of the basement. These have been ongoing projects for literally years now, but we never get them finished. Bonus from this project: identifying a lot of clothing and old toys, in particular, that we can give to charity and take as a tax deduction for next year!
9. Knitting. I have a basket full of yarn already, and a random assortment of knitting needles, so even if I don't have specific types of yarn or needles to follow particular patterns, I can knit scarves and hats without spending any more money.
10. Taking pictures. This wouldn't work if I only had a good film camera instead of a digital camera, since I don't have a darkroom and couldn't develop them for free, but since I do have a digital, this can be completely free. And even if I do what I'd really love to do - which is to visit some relatively unfamiliar neighborhoods and places for the express purpose of taking photos - it won't have to cost me more than the price of less than a gallon of gas or a trip on the el ($2.25 each way).
11. Doing a jigsaw puzzle or two. I have one sitting here, unopened, that I bought at least six months ago. Katie even likes to help me.
12. Which reminds me, one of the very best benefits of being at home more, of course, is being able to spend more time with Katie and Annabel. This is probably the most important benefit, but here it sits at number 12. Don't judge my list items by their order.
13. And along those lines, having nowhere I have to be each morning will mean that on those rare occasions when Katie doesn't wake up too early, I can keep sleeping, too! Even though Annabel was waking up over and over and over again each night when I was on maternity leave, I was more well-rested, because I could stay in bed until 7:30 or 8, and I didn't have to rush off anywhere when I did get out of bed.
14. Playing Rock Band again! Maybe. It's been awhile.
15. Volunteering in Katie's preschool class a few times.
16. Taking naps.
17. Last but not least, writing!
So it's not all bad. There's a lot of great stuff here. I have to say, though, I am still really going to miss Thai food.
Yay Rock Band! What console do you have the game for?
Posted by: krystyn | February 22, 2009 at 05:09 PM
I would move reading A Curious Incident of the dog in the Yard to the top of that reading list! Pray you get a new job you will love sooner rather than later!!!
Betsy
Posted by: Betsy Morrison | February 22, 2009 at 05:17 PM
Love how hopeful this entry is, even in the face of unemployment. Go Jessamyn & Geoff! I wish you all the best, and know you'll enjoy your "time off." :)
As far as books for Katie--have you tried the Boxcar Children? They're some of my all-time favorite kids books (I collect them, actually), and there are about 3240983 of them out there! The original (first in the series) was my favorite book when I was a child, and I still love it.
Also--I think someone's already mentioned this (here? On Flickr? On Facebook?), but I want to echo it--consider putting some of your photographs on Etsy. For a little bit of effort, you could bring in a little spending money (enough to pay for those El rides, for sure!). Your pictures are so amazing!
Posted by: Erin | February 22, 2009 at 05:33 PM
Long time lurker; love your writing. If I could suggest something, is there any way you could sell your old books and toys rather than give them away? Sounds less charitable, I know, but it could give you "right now" cash rather than waiting until next year for the benefit to show up on a tax refund. I don't suppose it's easy to have a "garage sale" in a big city, but I know my family is planning to have a big one this summer, and I'm looking forward to making a few extra bucks for the bank. Maybe e-bay or something?
Posted by: S | February 22, 2009 at 05:37 PM
If you have a store nearby that sells the cones or big skeins of cotton (Joanns, Michaels, AC Moore, Walmart even), you can make a tonne of those for about $7.00 a cone or so. From one 14oz cone I can make about 10-12 washcloths. Plus you save on paper towels too!
Posted by: Amanda Page | February 22, 2009 at 05:39 PM
I will echo S's comment on selling old books & toys - consignment shops are a good place for nicer things, as well as getting rid of outgrown baby clothes, or having a yard sale is usually fun once the weather gets warmer, Katie could even sell lemonade or cookies!
I also second reading Watchmen (I read it just after graduating high school & reread it once every 3 or so years) The Curious Incident (AWESOME) & all of Sharon McCrumb's books.
Posted by: Lynne | February 22, 2009 at 06:35 PM
For Katie-- the Boxcar Children books are wonderful and I, too, read the first in the series over and over when I was younger. I just realized that if you type "series for children" in the Amazon search function those are the first books that come up! Also, the Ramona books were favorites and "Miss Nelson is Missing", although that might work best when she's in school.
Posted by: Meredith | February 22, 2009 at 07:52 PM
Thank you Jess! I, too, am facing unemployment (in April or May though) and this list really made me smile. I could face unemployment better if I knew there was a job out there at the end of it for me, but I have such a fear that I will NEVER find a new job. :) But that is silly and even if it takes 9 or more months, I'll be OK.
My mom told me when I found out about our office closing that while it seemed really big right now, in 5 years it will be a blip on the screen and I will probably be in the place I am supposed to be. And that has brought me a lot of peace. (what hasn't brought me a lot of peace is the fact that I planned a trip to Ireland for June and bought the plane tickets already! Not smart, but again, like my mom said, I will be ready for a trip!) And on a funny note, my TV broke this week. Usually, I would grumble and spend $500 to replace it, now that $500 is almost an entire months rent. Luckily I could borrow someone's old one since I figured that I couldn't be unemployed without a TV and I certainly couldn't watch TV in my bedroom while being unemployed.....some things are just to close to depression :)
Anyway, I will be praying for your family that you are able to enjoy some time off of work and that you find the right job.
As far as suggestions for Katie....have you thought about reading the Little House books aloud to her? I think especially Little House on the Praire is great for kids that are 5 or 6.
Posted by: Jenny | February 22, 2009 at 09:29 PM
Time with family is priceless and you're wise to appreciate it!
You don't need to buy a cheesemaking kit if you have a candy thermometer and a steel pot(just trying to save you the $40). Get some rennet and a gallon of milk and you're in business! I've made cheese myself after reading Kingsolver's excellent book.
Posted by: milka | February 22, 2009 at 11:33 PM
Some libraries also have DVD's that you can rent. My library has a huge childrens section and tons of classic movies like Casablanca and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Not sure what you like, but try looking for the DVD section at the library. I just found out about mine.
I would also suggest baking. Bake some bread...it's much cheaper once you make the initial investment in some flour and yeast. You can buy generic brands of both and they work just as well. Plus the girls...you can give each of them a bit of dough and let them make their own little breads. I did this with my granmothr and cannot tell you the value of my memories now. Plus we always had great bread and bread is filling and makes everyone happy. And it's not all that hard. Check for an easy recipe online that uses minimal ingredients. Nothing like the smell of bread baking to cheer anyone up. It works for me all the time.
I loved this post....truly anything can be achieved when you are part of a team.
Posted by: Kristy | February 23, 2009 at 10:08 AM
Even though I know the money situation will be stressful, I am excited for you. I have been semi-unemployed since the beginning of January, and you are so smart to make a list of all the things you've been wanting to do and haven't had time to do while working full time. I made my own list of sorts, too, and I've done lots of reading, and have had time to update my resume and portfolio and really get organized. Plus, it's just nice to be home. I missed just being in my house when I was working full time- it's sad that being home is a luxury anymore.
You probably know this, but many libraries have free programs for kids like storytime and the like. I have friends who are librarians, and they love giving these programs so much. If I had kids, I would love taking them to the library. It's such a nurturing atmosphere.
You'll have time to participate in what I like to call "the hustle," too- looking anywhere and everywhere for a job and a way to make money. I've been a freelance photographer & designer for several years, and I am always hustling in one way or another, but this latest dry spell has caused me to be very creative about making money. I took a part time job working for one of my friends who owns a dessert cafe, serving cake and coffee a few evenings a week. Teaching is always a good way to make some extra money, too- I've taught photography part time for 9 years. Most people have a skill that others would like to learn, plus it's a good feeling to share knowledge.
Anyway, I know you will weather the storm. Things look to be getting better on my end, so maybe that's a sign that some companies are beginning to feel a little bit more optimistic. Good luck!
Posted by: lisa | February 23, 2009 at 10:27 AM
Thanks, everyone! I appreciate all the advice and suggestions.
Krystyn, we have the XBox! What do you have? Can we play with you?
Betsy, I'd be happy to move Curious Incident up the list - it really wasn't intended to show the order in which I was going to read the books, anyway - it was just the order I thought of or saw them (on my bookshelves).
Erin - I definitely think Boxcar Children would be good to try. I remember loving those when I was a kid. We've already read The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe to Katie, and I was surprised that she seemed to really appreciate it. Also, thanks for the support as far as my photography. I do think an etsy shop would be fun to set up even if I made very little money from it, and it's something I've been thinking of doing. Another thing I'll have time to do when I'm out of work!
S - Selling stuff is a good idea, I just don't know if we have much stuff that will sell. The clothing we have to get rid of is not usually the kind that (in my experience) gets taken by consignment shops; but if there's a rummage sale we can contribute to, that's a good idea. We don't really have any books to sell (or any we were planning to get rid of, anyway - I didn't mention giving away books), and we have very few toys. Honestly, the biggest issue is we don't really know WHAT we have down there! But I'll keep this idea in mind when we go through it all.
Amanda - I'll check out the big skeins, thanks! I have never knitted any washcloths, but that would be a fun, easy project, and I really do prefer to use those instead of paper towels for clean up, anyway. And they could be PRETTY! Heh.
Thanks, Lynne. I guess I'll move Watchmen up to the top of the list along with Curious Incident. :) I have already read several Sharyn McCrumb books, and I'm sure I would like to read more that I haven't already read.
Meredith - oooh, I bet she would like the Ramona books. And at this point, part of what I'm really enjoying is being able to read books to her that *I* actually enjoy, too. So Ramona would be good there, also.
Jenny - I hope you have a great trip! In a way it's nice you already have to tickets and have that to look forward to, even if in retrospect you wouldn't have done it knowing about your (un)employment situation. And Little House! Yes! I'm not sure if she's quite old enough to appreciate them yet, but it's worth a shot.
Milka - Thanks! I'll take a look at the kit and see what's in it before I buy. I know it does include rennet (enough to make a lot of cheese), and the thermometer. We do have a candy thermometer, but it's cheap and unreliable. That's actually something I'd been wanting to do anyway - get a good thermometer.
Kristy - I'm not sure what our local branch has (the movie selection the last time we looked wasn't too hot), but I'm sure there's a ton of stuff downtown, and that's something else that I can do, especially when Katie is out of school for the summer - take the train downtown with her to explore the huge main library! And yes, actually baking bread is something else I'd been wanting to do after reading Kingsolver's book. Maybe better to try sooner rather than later (I'm thinking it would be more enjoyable when it's chilly outside instead of when it's summer - we don't have central air).
Lisa - Yes, I'd like to become a regular at a library (or book store) story time, since I think Annabel would like that, too. I don't actually think I'll be doing too much hustle, though - for as long as I'm collecting unemployment, extra money will be of very limited help. Apparently in Illinois "extra" money that you make reduces the amount of unemployment benefits you receive. I was searching online yesterday, and it looks like for every $100 I make, my benefits will be reduced by $50 (despite the fact that my unemployment benefits only make up about 45% of my post-10% paycut salary). So, if my extra money is from selling photos on etsy? Then it would still be worth it to me. But if it's working as a waitress or something like that? Then it probably wouldn't be. Geoff will be doing more hustling than I am, since his job is part-time and he won't be collecting unemployment. Now, if I run out of unemployment benefits (please, GOD, do not let me be unemployed that long, since you can now collect for over a year), then I'll need to take whatever I can get.
Another thing I have time to do? Respond ELABORATELY to people's comments on the blog. Thank you, everyone!
Posted by: Jessamyn North | February 23, 2009 at 10:50 AM
Don't forget all the "Francis" books by Russell Hoban! "A Birthday for Francis," "A Baby Sister for Francis"--so many great stories! "Bread and Jam for Francis" was my very favorite. I remember begging my mom to find me tiny salt and pepper shakers to pack with MY lunch.
Posted by: Sue | February 23, 2009 at 12:04 PM
Hey Jessie, I know your comment about Thai food was flippant, but it made me smile because my boyfriend and I have been seriously broke recently, and I decided to make pad thai at the weekend because I'd been missing takeaway Thai so much, and it turned out really well! The recipe is here: http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/padthaiveg.htm - so you may not have to deprive yourself after all!
(It was lovely to see such a hopeful post from you, by the way. I'm sure that things will work out well for you and your family.)
Posted by: Jess | February 24, 2009 at 12:56 PM
Sue - yeah, we should definitely get some more Frances books! We have A Bargain for Frances, but none of the others. I remember loving those books as a kid, too.
And thanks, Jess - yeah, I expect we will probably try to make some Thai food. My favorite thing is actually yellow chicken curry, which we've made before, and it was delicious. I'd like to try Pad Thai, too. I guess what I mostly meant is that I'll miss the ease of takeout Thai from our favorite places. But making it ourselves will be a good substitute, for sure.
Posted by: Jessamyn North | February 24, 2009 at 01:14 PM
I love your list...it's so wonderful to see your optimism in the face of a trying situation.
I would add Bill Bryson's Thunderbolt Kid (his memoir) to the list as a lighter option if you haven't already read it. Very funny. Also great: Marilynne Robinson's Gilead and the follow-up, Home. (Hey, all these books are based in Iowa! And so am [was] I!)
Posted by: jana | February 24, 2009 at 08:45 PM
Books for Katie - of course there's the read aloud type classics like Wizard of Oz, Wind in the Willows, Winnie the Pooh, and such. My kids have really enjoyed being read a poetry collection we got from the library called Talking Like the Rain. There are some short kids novels like No Flying in the House, The Fairy Rebel, Beverly Cleary's Mouse on the Motorcycle books, or the Borrowers. Oh how I love kids books. A great picture book to look for in the library is The Bear Snores On.
Have you ever read The Orchid Thief? I adore that book.
My best wishes for you and your family.
Posted by: falwyn | March 03, 2009 at 10:55 AM