My First Personal Blog - Will My Husband Lose His Job?

OK, so all of my previous blogs have been about parenting related topics. This is of course normal, given the fact that I publish 2 parenting websites in the Phoenix Metro area. I do a lot of research before ANYTHING gets posted on to the sites to ensure their integrity and so that the users of the site have a reason to come back. That is completely off the topic, though, because I thought that I should probably write about something that so many of us are relating to these days...

The economy has taken it's toll on so many of us, in so many different ways. My websites, for example, are a no-brainer for any business to list/advertise on, but these local businesses are strapped for cash. People are losing their homes, their jobs, and are finding new ways of sustaining their livelihood.

I am a stay at home mom/work from home mom. I have been so fortunate to have been able to leave my career to care for my 2 children. I left a career as an airport operations manager with Northwest Airlines in 2002 after the scramble following 9/11 forced me to relocate and travel extensively in order to cover the gaps in staffing. I just couldn't do it anymore with a baby and toddler and constantly wondering who will watch them tomorrow! So I did it, with the support of my husband, I gave my notice and left the career I absolutely loved. Again, I am unbelievably fortunate to have been able to even consider leaving as an option. My husband did what he needed to do to continue supporting our family. We moved back to where we call home - Arizona - in 2005, at the height of the real estate market.

Yikes. Our options were few and far between. We found a great house, nothing extravagant, in a neighborhood we fell in love with (Ocotillo) with a top-notch elementary school just around the corner. We didn't pay top dollar for the house, but we came darn close. The mortgage payments are high, but with some budget maneuvering and no extravagant purchases, we are able to afford it.

We had been sailing along these last couple of years, completely content with our lives. The kids are both in the great school around the corner, I work from home doing something I love, and my husband is doing something he loves as well...he works as a Land Development Manager for a home builder.

Do you hear the music? Da-da-da-da-da. Screech....eeek! A home builder you say? Yes, a home builder. A fantastic one at that. I won't disclose which one, but let's just say they don't build run-of-th-mill homes. My husband's department was at it's largest, 33 people, there are now only 3. His work ethic, his intelligence, and all of his other wonderful qualities is what saved him from the "axe" thus far. We both decided it wasn't worth our health to worry about when and if he would continue to be employed. We had hoped that we had survived the worst of it. He's been working 10-12 hour days just to cover the work load and to ensure that his work is the best it can be.

Today, though, he called and said his boss gave him some inkling that there is something going down, but he can't discuss it.

Is this it? Will he be done? Out of a job? Unemployed??? He is the best worker out there and for him to lose his job just shows you how horrible things are becoming. Will we have to dip into our savings? What about the kid's college accounts? Do we just stop contributing?

The reality is overwhelming for me. I'll keep you posted on any new developments.