To Gain Stability

I've been working on this one for a while now and despite my efforts have not gotten very far.

For me to feel stable I would like three things.

1. A job that I enjoy with a stable company, to include benefits.

2. A degree in my hands.

3. A savings that I can fall back on if anything happens.

Over the past several years I have tried to obtain these things with no success.

In 2003 I moved to San Antonio and in the past 7 years I have been employed with four different companies. All had their pro's and con's. Each move that I made was an attempt to better myself. All except for one of which I was laid off. Now that I have been working as a contract employee for the past year and a half, I have to say that this is probably the worst choice I have made. Every four months or so my contract has either been renewed or changed over to another contract company. I cannot even express in words the stress that comes from not knowing if you are going to have a break in pay, when you're going to receive your check, and if your pay rate is going to change. Along with all the problems that come with a change in pay cycle. 

As far as benefits, I have not had medical benefits in years. Now that I have them with this new company I am not even able to take advantage of them because there is no co pay and you must first meet the very high deductable before the insurance even kicks in. I do not of too many people that I work with that are able to front that kind of money. To fix that I just do not allow myself to get sick. Thank God for home remedies!

Also, my pay was significantly reduced with the most recent renewal. The company I'm with now had the lowest bid and to my disadvantage won. This has caused many things in my life to get turned upside down and is the main reason why I had to move from my home. In the future I would not choose this type of work ever again unless I was married and did not rely solely on my income. So, in the mean time I am actively seeking a more secure position elsewhere. So far, my search has taken me nowhere. The good thing is I have a little time so I am leaning on my faith and waiting patiently for doors to open, as I do my part by actively searching.

Now for my degree... this is probably the one thing that eats at me most often. I started school when my daughter was in elementary and got pretty much all of my basics out of the way. I had every intention of seeing it through to the end but then made the decision to drop out to try to regain control of my life at the time which was spinning out of control. As far as credits, I am at about a halfway point and need to get just jump back into it. I had tried a few years ago but lost my job and was unable to finish that semester because the hours conflicted. Since then I have but most of my focus on my daughter which I do not regret. However, at this point she is well into her first year of college. So there is really no excuse for me today other than hesitation and a little fear of failure. My hopes are that in the next couple weeks I will be working on that and will be scheduling to meet with a counselor to discuss my options.   

Lastly... my savings. This is probably my biggest issue of the three. How do you start and maintain a savings when you're continually short? For me it comes down to priorities. I am still working on how to get this going. The only thing I have in place now is the Keep the Change option with my bank. Whatever is charged to my account is rounded up and the difference goes into my savings. I will tell you, since the first of the year I only have like $10 in there but it's a start. It's only been ten days also so we'll see how that progresses. Very slowly I'm guessing but it's just one step of many.

Truthfully, in today's world I don't really think there is such a thing as stability as much as being prepared. I think if you are prepared for change and able to react quickly when things come up, and they will, then that makes all the difference. The only thing that I can say that I've done that's gotten me through the tough times is my ability to react, adapt, and move forward. God has always provided the rest. I will tell you that this journaling has helped to keep me focused and I really recommend it. It's all a learning experience and a little deep soul searching to realize what the real issues are that have gotten you to this place. 

Matthew 6:25~26   

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Thing to remember: Again, God Provides.

Next: $2/Day Challenge