Two years ago, my husband got laid off from a high tech job. He's a programmer. Thankfully, before the severance ran out, he had another job. The work is good. It's on the platform he loves and has worked in. We wouldn't have survived long without a job, because we had no savings.

However, the new job was basically a $24,000 pay cut. It was a clear $12,000 cut and we had to pay for my insurance and insurance for the boys. Which we didn't have to before. I don't remember how much that was to start with, but by this January it was $1200 a month.

When I look at those numbers, I am amazed that it wasn't worse. Financially we have only gotten about $7000 in the hole more than we were. And that includes buying a new car for me. My pay check next year will cover that, if we can quit going in the hole.

R- hasn't gotten a raise since he went to work for the new company, but he and his boss are supposed to be talking about it this week. I hope it works out well. If it would be enough to keep us from going down, I think that my paycheck will help us get out of debt. In just a few years we could get all our stuff paid off.

Of course that assumes the insurance doesn't go up again and that I stay well enough to keep working. I had two part time jobs last year, as well as homeschooling our boys. This year I have three plus the homeschooling.

We tried to get major medical for the boys and I but my medical condition has basically precluded that I guess. I don't know if we would be better off if I had surgery or not. I'll write a different blog about that.

R- is thinking about selling his car, which is worth twice what we owe on it and getting a motorcycle to commute to work on. I don't know how that will work out. I wish I knew people who commuted via bike.

Anyway, we're working on other ways to stave off the hole getting bigger, including getting rid of our phone. We'll see how it goes.