How low can we go?

Been awhile since I last posted. I was laid off on April 18, 2008. I didn't have this blog link at home and I just now found it again. I knew the layoff was going to happen and it was a matter or when so I had made a list of all user names, passwords and links - except this link.

Anyway, my household now consists of two unemployed people. Ack!

As I said, I was pretty sure it was coming. One of the things I did to prepare for the loss of income was to decide to refi the house. The 15-year mortgage was a high payment and by refinancing to a 30-year mortgage the payment would drop a little over $500 per month. Although I really hated refinancing (there's about 9 years left on the 15-yr one, and the cost to refinance would add around $3300) it seemed the right thing to do.

It was approved almost immediately and I was just waiting to sign the papers. The week we were supposed to sign came and went so I called the title company. The lady handling our loan had gone on vacation so we should sign early the next week. I got laid off that Friday. Since everything was approved I figured it would go OK anyway - Hey, I wasn't going to tell anyone about the layoff. Unfortunately, it turned out the title company hadn't verified my job yet so when they did, I was already laid off. End of the refinance.

I had initially budgeted with the regular mortgage payment so I knew we could do it. At least on paper. On paper there is enough money to pay all the usual bills with about $4 left. Pretty scary as life has a habit of flinging things at you that aren't on the budget. I got paid monthly so I had a little over half of a regular paycheck plus 3 days of vacation time coming. By signing the "No, I won't cause problems" paper the company wanted signed I got 4 weeks of severance pay.

With the severance pay I did some stocking up on the food storage and other things. Might as well while I have the money to do so. Food and such bought now will be much cheaper than months down the road - if you can get some of the stuff like with the recent rice shortages. I've spent way more than I should have though. Even though I know I shouldn't be spending anything extra right now, I continue to do so.

My economic stimulus check arrived and I've spend most of it already. It was a planned expense though. We heat mostly with wood and there was no money in this new budget to buy firewood for next winter. I had 5 cords delivered (wood is also cheaper when you order it early in the season rather than at the last moment I discovered) and it is piled out back waiting for me to start stacking them. My spouse has to have a tooth pulled (the expensive way) so I can pay that and still get a dab of money in savings. End of the stimulus check.

There's also no money in the budget for hay for the goats. I was able to sell a few stock options (which would have expired tomorrow, I will lose most of the options as they are all underwater) so I earmarked that money for hay. We also had a garden tractor that had quit running and was just sitting. My bnl came to look at it for us, asked me what I wanted for it and wrote me a check for that amount. He got a good deal as it turned out it was just a pulley that broke. Still, with his check and the small stock check I have enough for at least 2 tons of alfalfa, delivered and stacked. I'll buy another ton of cheap grass hay from my neighbor. I plan on selling a few goats so that might make it thru winter, or at least mostly thru. Another big worry taken care of.

The weather has taken a hard right from really cool and wet to hot and dry and my garden still isn't plowed. The neighbor that usually plows it for me sold his plow and I haven't found anyone else to plow yet. I usually see signs for plowing but not his year, although I do have one more place to look. If I don't get things in very shortly, it will be too late. I had already decided on just a small garden due to still being lame from foot surgery. Just a few basics this year but the plants are going to die if I don't get them planted. Oh, seeds are one of the things I stocked up on. I think gardens are going to be a necessity and I wanted to make sure I had seeds.

I'm wondering just how low, financially, we can go before trouble sets in. The latest budget has no money for savings, retirement and very little for my alcoholic spouse to drink. On paper we can make it - if I can stick to the paper. For over a year now I have cut back and cut down and adapted to lower money. I'm at a point now where a year ago I would thought I couldn't survive, but we are. I am job hunting but there is very little out there that pays close to what I earned before. I had a job with very decent pay for what I did. I hope to get a job much closer to home but the pay is also very much lower in this area.

It is scary and worrisome and sometimes I don't sleep well. The rest of the time I try not to think about it much.