My county got to red and that was it. Even though I personally know quite a few people who are struggling pretty badly. Not us (knock on wood). We went thru a scary time last March, when my dh's work had to let go 1/3 of their workers. We feel pretty secure w/his position, esp. since we went on a long overdue vacation in Sept. and they realized how badly they need him. Plus the company he works for is one of only 5 like it in the world, and what they do is crucial to many, many other companies. But, we also have a backup plan, which is his current sidejob in HVAC. We do live in Texas, and people love their (cheap) a/c man. He makes enough to really, really help us out (and actually made way more this past summer than ever, and will probably hire an employee this summer), but still is very, very reasonable in his pricing. He gets great word of mouth. You never can be too confident, so he works very hard at keeping clients. And I make what he brings in go so much further than I use to. And we try to make $ off our livestock, too, whether that's by NOT buying at the grocery store, or by bartering and selling.
One of our neighbors has been out of work for well over a year now. His wife works, and makes decent $, though because she's a nurse. Another neighbor has also been out of work a LONG time, and I have no idea how they pay their bills. His wife just had a bad wreck, too, and is out of work indefinitely. Yet another neighbor has been struggling for months and months now, but recently started getting way more hours and his wife finally found a job, so hopefully they'll start being able to catch bills up. And my dh was able to hire another neighbor, so that really helped them out. It's hard to watch people struggle. Heck, I've got another friend whose dh is in the medical field, but no one is wanting sleep studies lately, I guess. Things have been getting scary for them.
I do hope to hear better news about more jobs soon. My oldest dd works at Wmart, and THEY even let all their holiday help go 2 wks early, and then had a big layoff. She hears rumors that another is coming in Feb.
One of our neighbors has been out of work for well over a year now. His wife works, and makes decent $, though because she's a nurse. Another neighbor has also been out of work a LONG time, and I have no idea how they pay their bills. His wife just had a bad wreck, too, and is out of work indefinitely. Yet another neighbor has been struggling for months and months now, but recently started getting way more hours and his wife finally found a job, so hopefully they'll start being able to catch bills up. And my dh was able to hire another neighbor, so that really helped them out. It's hard to watch people struggle. Heck, I've got another friend whose dh is in the medical field, but no one is wanting sleep studies lately, I guess. Things have been getting scary for them.
I do hope to hear better news about more jobs soon. My oldest dd works at Wmart, and THEY even let all their holiday help go 2 wks early, and then had a big layoff. She hears rumors that another is coming in Feb.
frightening.
