Friday, September 28, 2007

Knock On Wood

What wood???? That's the problem! DH got laid off yesterday :o( He works, or worked, for a local lumber mill but they shut their doors as of Thursday morning. We thought we knew it was coming but I think deep down we were hoping that something would change and that nothing would happen. This has definitely been a wakeup call.

The wood industry has not been what it used to be and there have been many mills throughout New Brunswick that have closed this year because of it. You've gotta love living in the armpit of the country :oS

Sooooo, DH and I have been running around trying to get things in order. We lost our medical plan so now we have to purchase our own Blue Cross and let me tell you that is not cheap! We won't have dental coverage now and we cancelled our RRSPs in order to help cover the new cost :o( We're also down to one vehicle so that should be interesting. We met with the bank this morning and they are going to let us skip the car and mortgage payments for the month of October. Thank goodness we have no other debt!

I think one of the things holding us together right now is the possibility that DH will get hired on by the Federal Government. Back in the spring he applied with DFO (Department of Fisheries & Oceans) for the Fishery Officer position and so far the process has been very positive. Unfortunately it's a waiting game but there's something to be said for having access to EI (Employment Insurance). That will truly be a help.

DH has gone to attend a meeting at the mill this afternoon so I'm not sure if he'll find out more or not. The good part about him having time off is that there is LOTS of work to be done around the house. LOL! The bad part, "I'll" never get anything done with him around home all the time ;o)

11 comments:

Alberta said...

My heart goes out to you and your husband. I can't imagine how devastating that must be. I hope all your financial planning gets you through these uncertain times.

Does this mill closing affect the majority of the townspeople? It could be difficult to keep an optimistic view on life if everyone is down in the dumps.

I hope the mill has a great compensation package for all and that your DH gets that call back from the DFO.

I'll keep you all in my thoughts and prayers for a happy outcome.

Take care

Carolyn said...

Cathey..

I am so sorry to hear this happened to you and your DH.

I will keep you both in my thoughts and hopefully it all will work out with the new job.

Lori said...

That's just so crappy for you guys, Cathey :(

Sure hope he gets that Fisheries job.

Arm pit of Canada, economically, but the most gorgeous scenery. Too bad we have to pay such a high price for it, right?

I have 4 underfoot, I can relate ;)

Anonymous said...

Oh that's such bad news. I'm so sorry. It's good of the bank to give you that month to sort things out. What is RRSP's?

(((hugs)))

Jenn said...

Oh Cathey what teriable news. I hope your DH can find another job soon. What a good thing the bank is giving you a months break on the house and the car.

Anonymous said...

That's awful news! I hope you can still come and de-stress with us at retreat!

Karen said...

sorry to hear this Cathey , I hope he gets the fishery job.

Irene said...

Sorry to hear about DH's job.

jane said...

So sorry about your DH's job. I hope you get some good news soon. I was actually drawn to your blog beacuse of its name. Will keep you in my prayers.

Shannon said...

Not what your DH or you need right now, at all. You know I'm sending good vibes your way. You both deserve some good news soon !

BTW, you can't steal the "arm pit of the country" title I'm afraid. Have you ever been to Toronto ? LOL Trust me, we win that title hands down :)

Mary Ann said...

Cathey, I am sorry to hear this news.

I will be keeping both of you in my thoughts and prayers. (Hugs)