Shirtback

See above, JS. You *do* have skills. You might have to sell yourself harder without a college education. I've said it over & over again: I don't have a college/uni education either.

dave_j

Could have written this myself.. except for the bikini of course.

Like many who were brought up in a post war UK still being rationed, where parents saved all year to pay for the two week break at some B&B or in a a caravan somewhere, where many days were spend on wet days tramping the streets and dinner was taken in a cafe somewhere with queues at the door.

These values of thrift become stamped into the brain to the extent that when I went to university, a group of 6 lads could feed themselves for an entire week for one pound each, and we ate a limited diet but lots of it. Food consisted of potatoes, beans, peas, mince and sausages. The latter two being bought cheap at a local market as the butchers were closing late on a friday or saturday night. Beer at the time was about 3/- a pint, so a week's meals might equate to about 15 bucks at today's prices, depending where you drink.

Like you we have never paid interest on a credit card, only buy on cash or 0% credit making sure to pay off before the interest rate changed, never buy takeout coffee, and we still visit thrift stores.

Like you we had no honeymoon, married on Saturday in a register office, back at work on Monday, living at the time in two rooms and sharing everything else with another family.

Like you, we now live comfortably, bacause of those values drummed into us as youngsters.

I doubt that teaching in schools will have much impact, you have to live the life to appreciate the lessons. Those canadian families feeling the pinch will already know what I'm talking about. I suppose it might have been easier when I was small as everyone was in the same boat, I didn't have much but then noone else did either.

scrubbedexpat091

I don't know what skills I have then...lol

I get interviews at hotels, but nowhere else.

The only reasons I can think of from lack of interviews is the employment gaps, lack of formal education, and no experience outside of hotels and airlines except some retail long ago.

Still trying to figure out what exactly keeps me from getting interviews. Would help if companies could freely tell you why, but they don't so it's mostly mystery to me. But if I had to guess, I would say employment gaps are the biggest reason, but not much can be done there until I find the right job that works well with my personality and issues that will lead to long term emollient again.

Employers are not very understanding of mental health issues in my experience.

What I meant by jobs I would enjoy, I meant working with fish in a public aquarium or zoo, I would love doing that but it requires a college degree, the jobs I really have strong interest in all require degrees, cannot think of any job aside from loading planes again, I would actually enjoy doing that requires no formal training.


I have mostly run out of ideas, which doesn't help.

BristolUK

So you kept yours then?

dave_j

Could do with it now...

Rete

Living within one's means can mean living paycheck to paycheck. As a single mom raising two children that was my situation for nearly 15 years. Didn't buy Starbucks coffees or had high credit card debt. It was nearly impossible to save money regardless. I have family who have to live this way today and they are not extravagant. So get off the high horse before you fall. It is a long way down.

SchnookoLoly

Have you had someone look at your resume? I'm wondering if maybe your resume needs some work... no idea, just a suggestion!

caretaker

The skills like darning socks and turning frayed shirt collars around and sewing them back on won't mean anything to today's kids. Our tea towels all said Alberta Sugar on them. :-)

Piff Poff

It's the easiest of classes to pass, you only have to show up for the lesson!

viajero

Why buy bottled water at all? It's very wasteful and tap water is perfectly fine (and I find it usually tastes better than bottled water). I've drank (drunk?) tap water in dozens of countries and I haven't grown a second nose yet.

A compromise would be a water cooler or at least buy large, 4L bottles of water and keep refilling a reusable thermos as opposed to small, single-use servings.

Jerseygirl

Tap water where we lived in NJ was horrid...very heavily chlorinated. When the bath was full the water was blue. I use filtered water to refil the bottles...not only am I from Yorkshire...I also have Scottish blood running through my veins.

Novocastrian

Since this is the first of your posts since you joined the forum with which I agree I thought it only fair to record the event.

Water in plastic bottles is a major blight on the ecosystem. A pointless waste of energy and of non renewable resources. (Not the water itself, but the oil based plastic and the energy costs of distribution).

Just say no.

Piff Poff

Our water is undrinkable, it is so full of sulphur. We have an expensive system to filter our water and a reverse osmosis thingy, I personally cannot stand to drink reverse osmosis water, all the taste is gone. Hoped that the water would be good enough for boiling and cooking with but it's awful. We buy jugs of spring water for drinking. OH brings home a milk jug full of tap water from work for cooking with, I drink tap water from work and refill my bottle before I come home. That's why we buy bottled water.

I will never buy a house with a well, unless I know the water is drinkable again.

viajero

Blue water sounds pretty extreme. I'm sure it was still perfectly safe to drink but I can understand the reservations.

I don't quite get the Scotland/filtered water reference...?

Novocastrian

Then why buy 36 bottles from Costco?