It happened again! Another year, another layoff, another season of figuring out how our family will survive until the next offer comes.
After moving to Seattle for a new job and spending our savings to relocate across the country, my husband was laid off four months later. Four FREAKING MONTHS!!!
We were settled. The kids were getting used to their new life of online school and making new friends.
The morning my husband got the bad news, I knew something was off. He hadn’t come out to get his morning coffee or chat with me like he normally does.
I walked into the room and asked, “What’s wrong?”
I was met with silence. I kept pressing, and he eventually broke down.
My instinct was to be strong for him. After going through three layoffs in three years, I thought, “This was it for us; we are doomed”. I needed to show him that we can do this together.
After going through the motions (this wasn’t our first rodeo), we sucked it up, buttercup’d, and got busy.
First, we pooled all the money we had to determine how much leeway we had before we reached panic mode.
Next, we cancelled our $4,000 apartment lease, put our things in storage, and left Seattle. There was no longer a point in staying in Washington.
Side note: It pisses me off that companies have return-to-office mandates but are laying off workers who actually uproot their families to make the move.
We were a bit lucky to have a toddler who won’t remember and a homeschooled/online kid. Also… not having a stable home helps, too!
As our move-out date approached, we weren’t sure where life would take us, so we just played it by ear. Dave was getting a ton of interviews, which made us more hopeful than before.
I was sick to my stomach, and the feeling of moving AGAIN kicked in. But I had a routine, I had friends, and I had started to get in the groove of making money on my own.
None of this mattered; no one seemed to care. Once I let the feeling settle, it was time to get moving.
Here we are, a few months later, still “figuring it out as we go.” There have been so many ups and downs.
This isn’t a success story yet, but we are certainly trying!
I can’t wait to share this messy, unpredictable journey of life as a mama and how I’m making it through with my family.
xoxo, Tiffani ❤️
