The financial crisis is making a crisis in my life in extreme way. I personally never thought my life would be as tumultuous as it’s become. My husband, a carpenter, was doing well a few years ago during the construction boom. Now, with all the foreclosures and faltering real estate markets, work dried up. Since September 2008, he has not been able to find steady employment, not even flipping burgers.
We’ve basically lived on my part-time tutoring job. The worst thing about my crisis is that I have two bachelor’s degrees. The situation has made me want to burn my diplomas.
The crisis started when we had to get rid of our SUV because gas prices were so high that it was costing more to fill the tank than pay our utility bill. Thank goodness we lived close to my place of employment and the city has a decent public transportation system.
Like many people, my husband and I had a hard time paying our rent, and even though our landlord was patient, he eventually put us out. Because we were good tenants, he didn’t officially evict us. Since then, we’ve been living in hotel rooms. There were so many times when we could have been living in the park, but the hotel manager let us stay while my husband did work around the place as part of our payment.
In 2008, I learned what it was like to see my family hungry. There were times when my husband, daughter and I didn’t eat for days at a time. We also learned that service agencies designed to help struggling families would rather help someone who sits on their butt all day than people who’ve worked most of their lives and hit hard times. It angered me because I looked at my next door neighbor who’s never worked and has children in foster care defrauding the government and getting money and resources she doesn’t deserve.
In the midst of all of this stress, I was hospitalized during the summer. Although this was bad, it helped me contemplate my life. I finally had time to sit back and think about the direction my life was headed. We’d been struggling in this city for a year, and I couldn’t find a job that paid well or offer benefits. In the meantime, I’d been talking about going back to school.
I took the first step toward getting my Ph.D. by applying to programs that interested me. I wrote my personal statements, completed applications, and sent out requests for letters of recommendation. I paid for my GRE and prepared for it. A lot of people questioned spending money on applications and the GRE while my family struggled. But, I needed to look at the long-term benefits of going back to school. Thankfully, the university I really want to attend waived my application fee. There is no guarantee that I will get into the schools, but it’s
a step in the right direction.
In the meantime, I’m using what I know to make extra money-writing, tutoring and crafting. This year, I’ve maximized my freelance writing, and I am happy to say that I’ve actually made $100 extra dollars in the past month. That’s not a lot, but it’s a start. I plan to increase my funds each month. In order to market myself, I’ve
even joined writer’s groups and began online networking.
I currently work as a tutor at the local university. However, I have been thinking about starting a private tutoring company. When I started working on it, I got sick. I’ve been contacting someone who worked with me and started his own math tutoring business. We have been getting together to talk about ways I can create a website, and he’s given me tools to build the business.
In February, I plan to start making jewelry and other things again and selling them. I will start small by talking to workmates and other associates and gradually expand from there.
Most of my plans will not see any dramatic result for at least another six months or more. However, I am more positive about this year than I was about last year because I’m taking action to improve my situation, not just sitting back and crying about it. Granted, some days, I still shed a few tears.