Hello all. I'm hoping you can help me straighten out the tangle of my life a bit.
I was a teacher. My boss told me I was in danger of being fired for "political" reasons. I was already miserable, so decided to quit. I apparently vastly overestimated my marketablity-- I'm still looking for a job, more than a year later.
Income: Because I quit, I haven't even been getting Unemployment. I had about $10,000 in the bank, to start. My ex pays $1,280/m in child support. I have been taking as many random babysitting/childcare type gigs as I can, but this varies greatly.
Expenses: $1,150 mortgage
30 car insurance
52 internet
50 water
20 to 220 electricity ($50 avg.)
80 phone
40 to 100 gas
300 groceries
This adds up to about $1,682/m.
We (I have 2 school age kids) also spend on entertainment, clothes, etc., but not that much. We're a cheap entertainment, wear it till it falls apart kind of family. Our other BIG expense is the family dog. She's already cost me over $2,000 in the first half of 2014 (food, vet, supplies, etc.). We also have a community pool membership ($354/yr).
Assets: Bought my 2009 car with cash. Also, I guess it's sort of an asset that ex pays the kids' medical insurance. That's it.
Liabilities: Except for my mortgage, I am debt free!
Question: Ugh. Where do I start?
As I mentioned, I'm not getting Unemployment. I'm also not getting any other government aid ("Welfare"). I haven't applied because I don't like the thought of taking a handout when I don't really need it (but it's coming to that point).
I also am leery of accepting government aid because I don't want them looking over my shoulder and deciding what job I should take. For example, both my kids have High-functioning Autism, and they have much better days if they don't have to go to early care before school. So, I'd try to avoid taking jobs that start before they're off to school. But, I've had a complete lack of luck in my job search, so this hasn't been an issue!
There are several kinds of credentials I could get to help me in my job search, but-- they all take time, and money I don't have. Also, I'm totally NOT excited about getting another teaching job. I sort of fell into it when I had kids. Pre-kids, I divided my time working for a college theatre and a community tv station. That's what I love, but my contacts and my tech skills are 15 years out of date!
I'm also considering going back to school next fall (2015) and trying to start earning a more marketable degree in a different field-- like Speech Pathology, for instance. Plenty of need for that!
Except for babysitting, I don't have any "home business" type skills. I used to run a home daycare, but now I have a tiny house, a giant dog, and not much desire to have that job again.
I'm low on money and self-esteem! Can someone advise me what to do? Thank you.