We Didn't See This Coming!

Since my hours were supposed to be cut I went ahead and started my unemployment claim on October 1st. You can actually claim "under"employment if you're working less hours than you're used to and we wanted it started ASAP so that my checks would start coming by the time I was laid off.

Bummer #1 - They don't count the money you made in the last 3 months, they count the money you made in the year before that. Remember....$2 a table? So I'm not getting anywhere near the amount of money I thought I would. But it's still enough to pay our bills. Maybe we can have our winter stuff shipped to us? Priority Mail Flat Rate maybe?

Bummer #2 - We get a letter in the mail about a week later saying that because I had voluntarily left a job in the last 16 months, my case would be need to be reviewed before they could approve my claim. Ok. And how long does that take? 6-8 WEEKS!!!!! Ok...so this teeny amount of money might be here before Thanksgiving? That certainly sucks.

Bummer #3 - Since Brian also left a job voluntarily, this applies to his claim as well. But his hours didn't get cut so he couln't file until he was laid off. His checks (the big ones!) won't be here until after Christmas.

So what does this all mean? It means we have absolutely no income in the month of November. It means we'll get a little bit of money (like electric bill kind of money) in December. It means we won't have money for the big stuff (like rent and car!) until JANUARY!!!! It means we have no winter clothes, blankets or Christmas decorations and it means I'm going to have the worst holiday season of my life. It also means I may be moving in with one of my parents when I'm in my 30s!!!! It means Brian and I need to find the paddle that's going to get us out of shit's creek - and fast!