In which I am reminded…

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why I am so cautious and cynical about economic stability.

Because it can slip through my hands. The Dude has not found full time, permanent work in his field. We were doing okay. Not great, not “putting mad amounts of money towards debt and working on building a cushion.” Not really being plan-ful at all. Just starting to catch up. Our bills are paid and we have stopped using credit cards. These are the small steps. We feel we can breathe.

And then one of the old dogs needs a visit to the vet. Then one vehicle needs rear brakes. And the other vehicle starts stumbling. These are sources of anxiety and we haven’t dealt with them yet. These are all reminders of darker days, and also of the frustration of not being able to just shuffle some things and take care of them.

And then the Dude’s job ends unexpectedly. When working a temp assignment, it can happen at any time. 7 months in, no warning.

Photo by Dan Grinwis on Unsplash

And just like that, we are a one income family with no cushion. What sucks is that if we didn’t have so much debt from the last unemployment, under-employment stint, my income would cover us. But instead we are under duress, not enough to pay our bills and no cushion to tap into. So much for that middle class dream for right now.