Jobs

In North Carolina, the unemployment rate is 10%.

10...percent.  If you pass 100 people on the street, 10 of them are unable to find employment.  There are no stats on how many people are working, but making less than they need to live on.  I know people like this.  The unemployment ran out and it was either take that minimum wage job and go hungry sometimes, or don't take that job and starve to death.

This is why I coupon. This post isn't about couponing, or stockpiling, or politics.  It's about worry and uncertainty.

When one aspect of a system or a machine fails, other parts fail.  When one person doesn't have a job it hurts us all- the butchers, the bakers and the candlestick makers.  They have to adjust for lower incomes in their business and if they make their own budget cuts, then more people are left without work.  Problem Compounded.

My employer is currently struggling.  Bad.  When they start struggling, they start looking at ways to make cuts.  While I am hoping, hoping, hoping my job isn't cut, there is always that possibility.  While they are very pleased with the work I do, there is always a possibility I may be laid off so they can rehire someone to work for less- or they will try to cut my pay.  Even cutting the paycheck by $2 an hour would save them several thousands dollars a year.

Thankfully, even if I lose my job there are cuts that can be made to our own personal finances.  Yet here again, the cycle repeats- the more belt-tightening we do, the more it hurts the local economy, which affects the national economy.

On paper, it's all very fascinating.  It sucks when you personalize it, even a tiny bit.  It sucks even more when you take a look at how things could easily be in another 5 years.

If you haven't thought about finance, if it's "too depressing", I really do urge you to take the bull by the horns and think about it now.  Waiting until the disaster is on you won't make it any less stressful or depressing.  Can you live if you or your spouse or your parents are laid off?  Do you have any kind of savings? Do you have any kind of stockpile?  Do you have any savings?

As for me, I'm going to continue couponing and stockpiling.  I'm going to continue trying to make our own budget cuts where we can so that we can build an emergency savings fund.  I should at least have some idea of what is going on by the early part of November, so I won't be left in the lurch too long.   So much for that raise my boss was going to recommend for me though.  Oh well, just having a job will be enough.

-Kristen