- Location
- Western Massachusetts
Alright guys and gals, I didn't want it to come to this, but it has.
As some of you know, I lost my job in early November 2013. I was making $19 an hour and almost always had nearly-unlimited overtime. On weeks where there was no overtime, the straight $19 an hour for 40 hours was not enough to make ends meet. We really lived on the overtime. The only problem at that shop was that my boss and I weren't seeing eye to eye, and despite my best efforts to remain calm and work with him, he got the better of me, as did my temper. We clashed a few times, then came the final blow of me telling him how I felt. The next day I was walked out. They paid me for 2 weeks and a few remaining vacation/sick days.
The first thing I did was apply for unemployment benefits, knowing that the machining hiring market here was slowing down and I felt it may be a little while before I found steady work again. My request for unemployment was denied, and despite my questions, I never received a complete answer as to why. Getting a hold of somebody real to speak with there is nearly impossible. I suspect my old boss knows something about this, but that's a different matter. Either way, I was denied unemployment benefits and never received a single cent from them.
I spent the next 3 weeks applying to every shop I could find, only to be told that I'd be making considerably less money, that they weren't hiring, that they didn't think they were on-par with my skill set or that I don't have the necessary qualifications. I'm talking at least 16 shops here. I wound up working for my wife's aunt and uncle, 35 miles away in Hinsdale NH at their garage. It's a very small place that doesn't over-charge their customers for parts or labor - $58 an hour for labor and only a 3-5% mark up (from the cost price, not list) on parts. They make just enough money to live their lives, which is easy living in tax-free New Hampshire. They have no mortgage, all the vehicles are paid off, no loans, no credit cards, nothing, no debt. Last year they grossed $36,000 from the business. From January to November last year I grossed $50,000. To put it lightly, there's no way they could afford to hire me at a rate that would work for me. They paid me $10 an hour, which I graciously accepted knowing that it was just temporary while I looked for a machine shop to work at. I had the opportunity to get licensed in the State of New Hampshire to do state vehicle inspections, which would have allowed them to feel comfortable paying me more. I knew no matter what it was just a temporary position and I didn't have the time to devote to getting licensed. I knew I wouldn't be making enough money there either way, so I declined getting licensed.
Weeks at the garage turned to months. I wasn't getting any job offers, and every shop I applied to gave me the runaround, ending in a "No thank you" and that's it. I have yet to find a job.
I went into this whole situation with about $6,500 in the bank, and another $5,000 in retirement. I've knocked my retirement savings down to about $4,000 (the rest is untouchable) and across all 3 bank accounts I'm down to about $900. My mortgage is $1,700 a month. I just charged $800 for home heating oil, nearly maxing out an already heavy credit card. My utilities, car loan, insurance, food, etc. totals about $1,400 a month. (Living in Massachusetts is damn expensive, especially here in Hatfield...) and I only have about $480 a week coming in, $150 of which goes to gas each week to get me to the garage. Allisonn makes just enough money each month to pay for the mortgage and groceries, and nothing more.
I need help, guys. I never ask anyone for money, call it being too proud or whatever you want, but I've never asked for money - I don't like the feeling. I've always been able to make things work, I've always found a way to find money, make it appear, stretch things out and just make it all work. Not this time. My debt is too great, my bills are too high, and my bank accounts are too dry. I've been wicked down lately, depressed, stressed out, worried. I haven't been eating very well, haven't been able to sleep, my mood is terrible. I'm sad, grumpy, frustrated, and scared. More than anything else, I'm scared. I feel like I'm failing my wife and son by no longer being able to provide for them, and I don't know what to do.
I need help. My parents have no extra money, they just make ends meet, always have. My sister is also stretched thin. Allisonn's parents are down to one income after my mother-in-law lost her job due to her shop closing, so they're stretched thin. Both of her siblings struggle to make ends meet as well. I have no aunts or uncles that would be willing to help me, either because they can't or they won't.
That being said, it's with a heavy heart that I turn to all of you, who are basically complete strangers, people I've never met face-to-face and have only interacted with electronically. Please, I need help. Ideas, prayers, money, lottery numbers, whatever. I need help.
As some of you know, I lost my job in early November 2013. I was making $19 an hour and almost always had nearly-unlimited overtime. On weeks where there was no overtime, the straight $19 an hour for 40 hours was not enough to make ends meet. We really lived on the overtime. The only problem at that shop was that my boss and I weren't seeing eye to eye, and despite my best efforts to remain calm and work with him, he got the better of me, as did my temper. We clashed a few times, then came the final blow of me telling him how I felt. The next day I was walked out. They paid me for 2 weeks and a few remaining vacation/sick days.
The first thing I did was apply for unemployment benefits, knowing that the machining hiring market here was slowing down and I felt it may be a little while before I found steady work again. My request for unemployment was denied, and despite my questions, I never received a complete answer as to why. Getting a hold of somebody real to speak with there is nearly impossible. I suspect my old boss knows something about this, but that's a different matter. Either way, I was denied unemployment benefits and never received a single cent from them.
I spent the next 3 weeks applying to every shop I could find, only to be told that I'd be making considerably less money, that they weren't hiring, that they didn't think they were on-par with my skill set or that I don't have the necessary qualifications. I'm talking at least 16 shops here. I wound up working for my wife's aunt and uncle, 35 miles away in Hinsdale NH at their garage. It's a very small place that doesn't over-charge their customers for parts or labor - $58 an hour for labor and only a 3-5% mark up (from the cost price, not list) on parts. They make just enough money to live their lives, which is easy living in tax-free New Hampshire. They have no mortgage, all the vehicles are paid off, no loans, no credit cards, nothing, no debt. Last year they grossed $36,000 from the business. From January to November last year I grossed $50,000. To put it lightly, there's no way they could afford to hire me at a rate that would work for me. They paid me $10 an hour, which I graciously accepted knowing that it was just temporary while I looked for a machine shop to work at. I had the opportunity to get licensed in the State of New Hampshire to do state vehicle inspections, which would have allowed them to feel comfortable paying me more. I knew no matter what it was just a temporary position and I didn't have the time to devote to getting licensed. I knew I wouldn't be making enough money there either way, so I declined getting licensed.
Weeks at the garage turned to months. I wasn't getting any job offers, and every shop I applied to gave me the runaround, ending in a "No thank you" and that's it. I have yet to find a job.
I went into this whole situation with about $6,500 in the bank, and another $5,000 in retirement. I've knocked my retirement savings down to about $4,000 (the rest is untouchable) and across all 3 bank accounts I'm down to about $900. My mortgage is $1,700 a month. I just charged $800 for home heating oil, nearly maxing out an already heavy credit card. My utilities, car loan, insurance, food, etc. totals about $1,400 a month. (Living in Massachusetts is damn expensive, especially here in Hatfield...) and I only have about $480 a week coming in, $150 of which goes to gas each week to get me to the garage. Allisonn makes just enough money each month to pay for the mortgage and groceries, and nothing more.
I need help, guys. I never ask anyone for money, call it being too proud or whatever you want, but I've never asked for money - I don't like the feeling. I've always been able to make things work, I've always found a way to find money, make it appear, stretch things out and just make it all work. Not this time. My debt is too great, my bills are too high, and my bank accounts are too dry. I've been wicked down lately, depressed, stressed out, worried. I haven't been eating very well, haven't been able to sleep, my mood is terrible. I'm sad, grumpy, frustrated, and scared. More than anything else, I'm scared. I feel like I'm failing my wife and son by no longer being able to provide for them, and I don't know what to do.
I need help. My parents have no extra money, they just make ends meet, always have. My sister is also stretched thin. Allisonn's parents are down to one income after my mother-in-law lost her job due to her shop closing, so they're stretched thin. Both of her siblings struggle to make ends meet as well. I have no aunts or uncles that would be willing to help me, either because they can't or they won't.
That being said, it's with a heavy heart that I turn to all of you, who are basically complete strangers, people I've never met face-to-face and have only interacted with electronically. Please, I need help. Ideas, prayers, money, lottery numbers, whatever. I need help.
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