What are we supposed to live on?

Not to sound all whiny or ungrateful or anything---but I'm nearly out of money because my first Employment Insurance (EI) deposit hasn't arrived. In fact, I am more than out of money. I used my Visa card to pay the minimum on my line of credit (LOC) last week. (This is known as robbing Peter to pay Paul.) Two weeks ago I moved money out of the LOC into my chequing account to cover the overdraft after my mortgage payment came out. And for about the third time in five years I can only pay the minimum on my MasterCard (I usually pay the full balance), which has a 19.97% interest rate. And my mortgage is due again this Friday.

The so-called two-week waiting period for EI is actually more like six weeks. I gave my bank account info when I applied to get my benefit cheques directly deposited. When I called Service Canada a few weeks ago I was told I'd get some money starting the week of September 15. It's now the first day of fall (and a LOVELY day it is, too).

However, I'm on a very short short-list for a contract position (they've asked for ID to conduct a security check, and I've got two of the required three employment references). So by the time I get my first EI deposit I might also have a job. Wouldn't that be ironic?

September 21 UPDATE: I called the Service Canada toll-free number and found that I will get a deposit as early as tomorrow and as late as Wednesday. It will be enough to pay the mortgage and buy cat food, litter, and smokes. This is only a week later than the agent I spoke to told me I'd get it. If I have to live on EI for any length of time that's about all I'll be able to afford.

September 24 UPDATE: Yes, the deposit came Tuesday. And I faxed ID for the security check and three references. I expect the security check will take a few days (Sault Ste-Marie Police Service conducts it), so I might even get another EI deposit.

So-called "Employment Insurance"

I delayed going to the Service Canada office until yesterday, because I really and truly thought I'd be working (or at least interviewing) by now, 6 weeks after I was terminated. I received my record of employment (ROE) about three weeks ago.

While the joint was hoppin', there was no line-up at the computer, where I input my info in less than 10 minutes (their estimate: 60 minutes) and printed my statement. Since I have a lot of contribution room I put a big chunk of my severance/settlement into my Retirement Savings Plan (RSP) to reduce the immediate tax hit (any funds I kept would have been immediately taxed as though they were earnings -- about 43%) and also to get a nice tax refund next March.

But it looks like 1) I'll be waiting longer than I expected to get a full-time job or contract, 2) a number of weeks must pass before I get any EI benefits at all, and 3) my severance, in the opinion of the federal government and local authorities, gives me enough to live on for the foreseeable future, which isn't in fact true, since I put over half in my retirement plan.

My mother sent me a generous cheque to pay my dental bill plus a bit more to live on, but when I look at my bank account (and my mortgage, insurance, transit pass, utilities, food for me and the cats, etc.) I see the bank balance dwindling steadily and at a faster rate than I calculated.

And I haven't taken any of the obvious measures to reduce my spending, such as quitting smoking, cancelling my basic cable (since I don't watch TV; UPDATE: that's done), reducing my alcohol consumption, and so on. While at the liquor store today I saw a woman who was speaking angrily ("I'm working now!!") with a fellow employee -- she was sitting cross-legged under the parking meter right in front of the store, with her belongings around her, and I guess it was her turn to solicit at that spot. The elderly gentleman in the wool hat and parka (who's not reliably medicated as near as I can figure out) just had to wait his turn.

Now I have a pretty nice wardrobe, and I'm fairly presentable when I've washed up, and I've often imagined myself standing, well turned out, in a likely spot on Bay Street during the lunch hour and saying, "Spare change? Would you like some spare change?" and seeing if anyone took me up on it... Now my spare change goes to smokes.

Armchair Job Hunting

This has been a month, as they say. After my dismissal, I was pretty quick on the draw in posting my résumé online on http://www.monster.ca/ and http://www.workopolis.ca/, joining the professional networking site LinkedIn, and attempting to solicit recommendations from former managers and co-workers. But the market for technical writers (and so many other job types) is soft in the Toronto area. There's a possibility that I have too much seniority for the current market, so hiring managers might think my salary expectations might be too high.

After my last-but-one termination I had lots of calls from recruiters and good interviews. I got a call-back for a second interview (with nearly a promise of a job offer), but by that time I had accepted a contract offer. I've been incorporated since 2000 (helps a lot with taxes if your tax preparer is intelligent...) so I could take a contract at any time. I'd look for freelance work if I had a better portfolio. I might take a part-time job at Home Depot if they'd have me...

JULY 16 UPDATE: Not one, not two, but FOUR cold calls from recruiters in the last three days. One caller had my 2000 résumé, so I was very happy to send my latest with an extra nine years of experience in additional roles at two large Canadian companies. It was not a good fit with the available position, unfortunately, but the caller was encouraging. And another was to replace the current contractor with a more senior person -- goodness me!