’ I’ve also been told point-blank to my face, ‘We don’t hire the unemployed.’

[Ms. Toad]

34. You may get lucky.

I'm the same age. My employer had a major cutback in clients - from being able to support 14 of us, to being able to support perhaps 5. A job which was a perfect fit for me came open - so I decided to go for it, rather than limp along with no guarantee there would be ongoing work for me.

I suspected they wouldn't even interview me - since they knew it would be a 50% pay cut. Once interviewed, I suspected they wouldn't offer me the job. They did - at the highest amount in the range they mentioned. I asked for a bit more, they gave it to me. I've been there a month & am much happier than I've been in at least a year - because of the stress of the cut we knew was coming.

We're working hard at remembering that we now have more time than money - and pinching pennies, but it puts me back in a defined benefit retirement plan - which (given how long my family lives) will mean that every dollar I'm sacrificing now is added almost directly to my retirement income (or doubled, if I live as long as my grandmother).

But - I feel for you. My big fear was losing insurance for my family (my same gender spouse - with what appears to be the early stages of Alzheimer's (she hasn't been fully employed in a decade), and my daughter heading for a liver transplant). Settling that I would continue to have access to health insurance, and be able to provide it for my family, was a huge - and worth the struggle of living with far more limited means than we have in years.

And - it is so nice to be looking forward to tomorrow morning, rather than dreading it.