Finding a Job Sucks Right Now

So, I'm looking for a new job. It's a lot harder than I remember it being. I guess that's because I'm trying to find a good one now verses accepting anything I can find.

1. My first requirement for the job would be earning more than my UE benefits pay. That money is a lot less than what I was earning, but I don't expect to be making tons of money off the bat. 
2. My second requirement for the job would be potential for promotions. Since I'm looking to start a career in something new, entry level is all I can expect. I don't want to be a receptionist because there's no vertical climb involved.
3. My third requirement is steering clear of any sales/marketing/networking jobs. I don't have a persuasive bone in my body, and I don't want a job that doesn't have a clear pay scale. I don't want my pay getting based off quotas. I don't like the risk.

That being said, the job market isn't good near me as with most of the country. I live in Suburbia. There aren't any chic office buildings near by. We have factories/warehouses, and retail/food establishments. Most retail near me is paying minimum wage and looking for cashiers. I'm a college graduate and require more for my mortgage.

I've applied to some promising jobs on Craigslist. None have responded. I've applied at two major customer service call centers. One turned me down because I wasn't bilingual, and the other gave me an interview and computer assessment. Since the assessment, the HR contact has yet to return my calls. It was also more than an assessment. There was a personality quiz at the beginning, and I never, ever pass those. In high school, I was prescreened by Home Depot and Walmart. Both companies denied me prior to any interview because of my responses on those quizzes. I realize the tests have questions to see if you'd violate company policy or law in the future. Since I don't tend to steal or lie at my job, I don't think it's fair to cut good people out before giving them a chance to interview and work.

So anyway, I posted an ad on Craigslist with my resume and also a listing to walk dogs locally for cash. I've received nothing but spam from my resume offering work at home deals, and I've had 1 positive response for the dog walking ad.

Where are all the fun, exciting, and challenging jobs out there?

Budgeting is Harder Than I Thought

My unemployment benefits expire at the end of June. Since we want to start making babies, I would really like to find a job before my body has a chance to tell the interviewer about my "situation". While the baby-making isn't happening yet, it's just another worry I have on my mind.

With my hubby's new job and my current UE benefits, we're doing ok. Over the weekend, I made a conservative budget and was trying my best to NOT use my UE benefit money. I want to plan for the day it runs out. I want to save the excess in a savings account, so if that day happens and I don't have a job, there will be a little money to live off of for a bit.

Unfortunately, I couldn't budget without the money. We're just too tied up with liabilities right now. Because of the new home purchase and wedding stuff, there's just some things we haven't purchased yet that really can't wait. For instance, the 4 tires on my car are bald. We've been holding off on buying new tires because we really didn't have the spare cash. Also, my wedding dress is interest free until July. I haven't put a dime towards that yet.

One thing we can fix right away is our eating habits. I use mint.com to evaluate my financial situation, and there are WAY too many fast food joints and restaurants listed in my transaction history. It's sickening how much we spend on that stuff. Usually, we go out because we've each had a bad day. We just want a nice, comforting, quick and easy meal. Other times, we order pizza delivery or whatever because we've run out of "real meals" in our kitchen and don't want to make a trip to the store.

These habits have to stop. We need to stock up on more food choices. We need to each play devil's advocate whenever one of us gets the urge to dine out. It's going to take work, but we just cannot afford it. I'd say we can't afford it anymore, but all along - we couldn't afford it....

In Virginia

We drive back home tomorrow.  The hubby and I have made many plans for the future. We know when we want to start baby making. We know we want to move to Virginia after it's born. I will move out first with the baby and live with the hubby's family until we can sell our house. My family isn't happy about it. Oh well. We are happy.

I was at : 887 Tall Oak Square SE, Leesburg, VA 20175,