I'm lost... any life coaches out there? lol

[InBigTrouble]

I'm really not sure where to start... My DH lost his job yesterday just when I thought things were just starting to get better for us. We have 5 children (mine from previous relationship) and one on the way. I'm a stay at home mom and I'm clueless how I'll manage things now. We don't have any savings because I'd made a loan to my mother a while back and she isn't able to repay us. Our only vehicle broke down and is ready to be junked so my mother has been letting us use her van but today she asked when we'd be getting another vehicle because she needs hers back.

 

I've only worked odd jobs and temporary here and there over the past 10 years. My only stable source of money right now is the $125 every two weeks from my ex for child support. (He can't pay anything more right now because of his own financial burdens). I do sell on ebay for extra money and I even went as far as getting a business license for legal reasons BUT this in no way will meet our needs or really, even put a dent in things.

 

DH is going to the unemployment office on Monday and hopefully he'll find another position soon. It's not going to be easy to get another job because in our area, decent work is so hard to find and since he's a general laborer without any specialty it's even more difficult.

 

I'm really worried and I'm afraid the stress is going to take a toll on my health and pregnancy. I don't want to let my hubby know just how much I'm stressing over this because that would be one more thing for him to worry about. I'm usually very rational and can work my way out of a tight spot but right now, I feel helpless and completely out of control.

 

I'll be checking in with the dept of human resources to see if there's anything they can do until we get back on our feet but years ago I had to deal with them and I'm not looking forward to jumping through their hoops. I guess I need a life coach but I can't find one of those for what I can afford.. NOTHING

 

Have any of you been in a similar situation or known anyone who has? How did you/they cope? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

[shygurl]

Hello there,

 

I don't really have any suggestions for you - but I just wanted to say that I'm sorry you and your family are in this position..............I understand how overwhelming and scary it must be. It sounds like you're a pretty sharp cookie and you know what steps to take to try and get out of this mess..........so you've got that going for you! So you have your Mom's van, have been using it...but now she needs it back. What has she been using while you've had her van? Does she have another vehicle?

 

Do you have any friends who might be able to help your husband get a good job? Sometimes word of mouth is the ticket in the door. Do you belong to a church? Believe me, pastors/ministers/priests etc....they know of so many struggling families........perhaps if you belong to one, the minister there might be able to put you in touch with someone who could hire your husband?

 

That's great about Ebay........that might be your ticket for now.........finding things to sell that are in high demand. Look around on Ebay and see what kinds of things get lots of bids. If you have any Liquidation-type stores (discount stores, Dollar stores), see if they have any neat items that would sell on Ebay quite well.............

 

What kind of skills does your husband have exactly? There must be something that he's really good at....maybe he doesn't even realize it. Is he handy? Can he do home repair-type stuff? Around here, they have "Hire a Husband"....where you can hire someone to do basic home repairs. A lot of people use them because they don't have the skill or time or tools to get these things done..............basic plumbing type stuff (fixing a leaky tap or toilet), fixing a fence, painting rooms in someone's house, yardwork, patching a hole in the wall, you name it.

 

Around here, too, guys will often start up small businesses where they will haul a person's "junk" to the dump. I've used these guys lots!...back when I didn't have a truck, just a small car..........and I had boxes of crap in my basement and things I just didn't want but had no way to get rid of. They'll also haul away grass clippings and leftover stuff from when a person does their yardwork and such.....course that would be hard if your hubby doesn't have a truck.........

 

Does your husband have any tools? Can he build things? Around here, there's guys who build nice picnic tables and wooden chests and stuff.....and they make good money selling them @ markets and such.

 

I'm sorry though, about all this. I'll keep you all in my prayers that something will come through soon.......

[shygurl]

Hey again,

 

I know of a lot of women who are stay at home Moms, who work from home as a "medical transcriptionist"...and they make very good money. You have to take a basic course for it (i believe there's several you can take online)...and basically you're typing up reports for doctors.......they dictate their notes and stuff, and you type them up. You seem to be a good speller and you type well...........so maybe that's something you could look into? Do a search on Google ( http://www.google.com ) and in the search box type in: medical transcriptionist courses or just: medical transcriptionist.....to get more info on it.

 

Something else, too..................do you and your husband have any experience with pets? I know in the summer, TONS of people are wanting to go away but don't want to leave their homes and pets all alone.......so they'll hire someone to come in, turn on the lights on the house, collect the mail, walk the dog, feed the cats/give water/scoop the litter.........I have cats myself and I've used them before when I had to go away...........and I often paid up to $40 a day. Now if you do this and have 4-5 clients you do this for, that's $160 to $200 a day. Doesn't take much to advertise.......make up flyers to put at local vet clinics, supermarket bulletin boards, spread the word..........of course with you being pregnant, it would not be good for you to be scooping cat litter (unless you're wearing rubber gloves)..because of the risk of Toxoplasmosis.....but if you wore gloves, you'd be fine.

 

Advertise at pet supply stores, too...........I'm always looking to find a good pet sitter.......many people prefer this to boarding their pet at a Vet clinic or pet boarding place because for many pets, it's far too stressful to be sent off to some strange place..............and it's not cheap, either! I loved having a pet sitter because I knew they were checking on my home daily (twice a day), too..........turning the lights on from time to time, collecting my mail and newspapers, ensuring my home was safe, cutting the lawn if I was going to be gone for more than a week, making sure my cats were okay..........etc.

[Bliss]

What about welfare, I don't know too much about it, but it seems to me that you qualify.