That being said, once we were over the initial shock we have felt peace. How, you might ask? Several reasons.
First of all, we are in great financial shape. I could not have said the same thing even 7 months ago, so I'm not saying this to brag. Just last week, we were strongly considering paying off our van and we were excited to do so. We sought advice from my brother-in-law who recently graduated with a finance degree from BYU and he agreed that we should. I had even gone as far as calling our credit union to see how much we owe on the car. That being said, we kept feeling hesitant about the whole thing and decided not to move forward with paying the van off immediately. Thank heavens we didn't! Andrew got laid off later that week. Had we paid off our car, our bank account would have had $8,000 less and this unemployment business would be much more terrifying.
Also, Andrew's last layoff in November was probably one of our greatest blessings. Double pay for a couple of months was amazing for our bank account and makes our situation right now not dire.
Another small, but noticeable blessing or prompting we had also came last week. I've been itching to buy lots of things lately. (Boredom?) We talked about buying 2 adult bikes and a bike trailer, so we could go on family bike rides on the beautiful trail close to our house. This would have cost several hundred dollars. We also looked at some organizational shelving for our basement since we don't have any furniture down there. We were having a hard time deciding if we should spend money on bikes, basement furniture, or none of the above. Andrew wisely suggested that we wait a bit and think about it. (This isn't his typical response. He usually gives me the green light when it comes to money because I tend to be very cautious.) Little did Andrew know that the very NEXT day, he lost his job. What a relief that we hadn't spent several hundred dollars on things we didn't really need.
Something else that is noteworthy to mention is that we've been seriously looking at homes since January. We have a realtor and everything. She's toured our house and we've considered putting it on the market. We haven't been going into homes during the virus, but we toured several houses before this all started. Very recently, we found a home we loved. We took a virtual tour and drove through the neighborhood. What a relief that we aren't closing on a new house right now or having to pay an even higher mortgage.
I have told some of my close friends the news and we have been spoiled. The day after the layoff, my parents dropped off homemade cinnamon rolls and Papa Murphy's pizza which made my day. My friend door-bell ditched a box of Crumbl cookies. My other friend also dropped off a massive peanut butter cookie. (She knows me well.) My grandma brought by our favorite donuts and got me a Reese's. The list goes on. Several friends and family members have texted and called. It's been so comforting to know that other people care, love, and are praying for us. I was touched to hear from all of my siblings shortly after letting them know the news.
Andrew had multiple interviews this week which is encouraging. Due to the virus, the economy is struggling right now and we have been unsure about whether or not Andrew will be able to find work. The fact that several companies have reached out to him has helped ease some of that stress. Andrew had a second interview with a company and we're hopeful we'll hear some good news from them soon. It's a great opportunity. If not, something else will workout.
For now, I'm enjoying some help with the kids. As my pediatrician told me this week during Isabelle's 9 month appointment, it's so much easier to play man-to-man defense with the kids instead of zone. I think every member of our household is glad we've retired zone defense for now.
Andrew had multiple interviews this week which is encouraging. Due to the virus, the economy is struggling right now and we have been unsure about whether or not Andrew will be able to find work. The fact that several companies have reached out to him has helped ease some of that stress. Andrew had a second interview with a company and we're hopeful we'll hear some good news from them soon. It's a great opportunity. If not, something else will workout.
For now, I'm enjoying some help with the kids. As my pediatrician told me this week during Isabelle's 9 month appointment, it's so much easier to play man-to-man defense with the kids instead of zone. I think every member of our household is glad we've retired zone defense for now.