Schizophrenic economy

I think we can all easily agree that the economy right now is crazier than a shithouse rat (aha! I found a place for that phrase, thankyouverymuch Michele who has been my friend since kindergarten and have recently found on Facebook!). Unless you’ve been living under a very comfortable rock, you know this. And yet, it hasn’t hit our home until recently. See, Tom’s career is such that he works 12-18 months ahead and we have a pretty good idea of what his income will be well before the new fiscal year.

Today two things happened. Tom came down this afternoon, pale as a ghost, and told me that he had gotten his numbers for this year and he’s not even 2/3 of the way to where he was this time last year. Translation: this isn’t good. The year after (remember, he works 12-18 months out) looks fantastic, but this year not so much. The other news I got was just as painful. A’s very best friend in the whole wide world and the kid who has his back is moving at the beginning of December. The economy kicked the family in the teeth and they are moving to a less expensive area. A is devastated, and while he won’t talk about it right now, I know it’ll hit him soon.

Things are ugly out there. I keep hearing that the economy is improving!, but I’m not seeing it. There are still too many foreclosed homes in my neighborhood, too many empty storefronts, too much discomfort in people’s eyes. I spent two hours this afternoon hammering away at our budget, and will likely do another couple tomorrow. With this comes a great deal of guilt on my part.

I quit my very part time job a few weeks ago. It was something a long time in coming, and it was a home-based business so I was my own boss, but I couldn’t do it any more. I didn’t even make a whole lot, but it was income, and I voluntarily gave it up. For the first time since about age 12, I have no income. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. I’ve never brought home a huge paycheck, but I’ve always had something.

So I will continue to hammer away at our home budget, pray nothing happens to kill it, and keep my eyes/ears/heart open for an opportunity that speaks to me.

In the meantime, someone toss a straight-jacket on the economy.