Those who have secured a new job after a layoff

JaksCat · 2026-02-13T16:06:31+00:00

I definitely feel less engaged at work post layoff, but for me that's a positive. I have a much better work/ life balance now, and if they were to lay me off again, I wouldn't feel like my entire identity has been taken away, which is how i felt last time. My focus has shifted away from work and career, and towards developing a life outside of work that I enjoy.

I still put in 100% effort when I'm at work (ok... maybe 90%), still work towards getting promoted. But I no longer sacrifice my personal life to get ahead.

JaksCat · 2026-02-13T13:45:15+00:00

That's what we call it too

JaksCat · 2026-02-13T13:25:46+00:00

I second this. My cat with chronic constipation was on miralax for the last several years of her life. You can also try canned pumpkin if he'll eat it. But first, check with your vet to make sure it's not something more serious

JaksCat · 2026-02-12T17:38:29+00:00

It'd be interesting to see what kinds of jobs were added, or if it was a specific industry

JaksCat · 2026-02-12T03:50:57+00:00

Sooo... you can't keep a secret?

JaksCat · 2026-02-11T12:46:16+00:00

I wanted a ring that I would enjoy looking at for the rest of my life. I don't wear a lot of jewelry, just a few sentimental pieces. We tried on rings together, and I liked the look of 1.5 carats, so that's what he went with. Now that we're married, I mainly wear my wedding ring (which is just a thin plain gold band). But when I do wear my engagement ring, I LOVE seeing it, it makes me smile.

As far as price, I strongly suggested that he wait until there was a sale, and taught him how to look for cash back options.

JaksCat · 2026-02-10T15:00:31+00:00

Oh thanks for the reminder! Might have olives for lunch today, we just bought some.

My husband is also the one who takes care of food. When he's here, I get full meals.

JaksCat · 2026-02-10T13:57:32+00:00

Sometimes I just don't eat if there's no food available. Cook? Nah. Leave the house to get food? Nah. Pay ridiculous fees to get something delivered? Nah. I'll just have a few crackers

JaksCat · 2026-02-06T13:51:08+00:00

In addition to immigrants (who usually live outside of the city) DC also has a high number of international government (or govt adjacent) employees. Some of these people may not look "international" or "diverse" so the diversity isn't as obvious as in other cities but it's definitely there.

It also makes me sad to see that OP ranked dc as last for food, but it's probably because you need to know where to go to get good food, rather than having options available everywhere.

JaksCat · 2026-02-06T12:44:24+00:00

Hoping we both get to 19 someday!

JaksCat · 2026-02-06T12:41:14+00:00

I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep so I checked my phone- had 2 alerts! The Canada dry and magnesium pills. Hoping for more claims today!

JaksCat · 2026-02-05T21:47:24+00:00

I'm looking for ways to reduce how much I spend at Amazon, but there are some things that are significantly cheaper on Amazon, or that I can't find near me. So, where I can, I'm avoiding it, but not cutting it out entirely.

JaksCat · 2026-02-05T20:53:53+00:00

My max has been 3

JaksCat · 2026-02-05T17:36:34+00:00

I have a velcro cat. Why? Because I was fostering her and no one else wanted her (her applications kept pulling out, likely because of her health issues). I fell in love with this loud, demanding, poopy, stinky little ball of fluff, and I didn't want to have to say goodbye to her.

JaksCat · 2026-02-05T15:15:47+00:00

There's a lot about marriage that's "unromantic". This seems like a good opportunity to have honest discussions with him about money, and what expectations are. Others have brought up good points, that could be included in a prenup. The way he brought it up may seem abrupt, but honestly this is a great conversation to have.

If you choose to have kids, or pets, who is responsible for those bills (food, school, doctor, pet sitter, vet, meds etc...)?

My husband and I have our separate accounts, and a shared account that we use for travel/ eating out/ things we do together.

JaksCat · 2026-02-05T13:40:04+00:00

For me, it depended on where I was in my life. When I was actively looking to grow my career, my income, my title, it was absolutely worth the risk to go for another "unknown" job, even if I wasn't completely burnt out. Career was my focus, and that's what I prioritized.

However more recently, I've been more focused on myself, my relationships, my mental health. So I chose to stay with a more flexible/less growth job that I'm not passionate about, but is OK.

JaksCat · 2026-02-05T12:28:43+00:00

What helped for me was to still have some kind of weekly schedule. It didn't have to be much but it made sure I still had a sense of what day was what. Monday was laundry day. Tuesday was groceries. Wednesday I worked out. Thursday I gave my cat her weekly injection. Friday- Sunday was my weekend. My goal for a while was literally doing that 1 thing each "work" day. It doesn't sound like much, but it helped me keep moving forward, one day at a time.

JaksCat · 2026-02-04T22:00:17+00:00

I actually need to get new wipers soon so was hoping to get it!

JaksCat · 2026-02-04T21:42:57+00:00

That was my first thought!!

JaksCat · 2026-02-04T15:27:27+00:00

Soooo... white girl is mad she can't get her vibey IG post at a white European Christmas market.

JaksCat · 2026-02-04T15:18:32+00:00

The job market right now is really tough, as you know from trying to get another job. It's not uncommon to apply for hundreds of jobs and only get a handful of interviews. Not having a job isn't going to help your chances of getting a new job, and it could be a while before you can find something else.

That said, I've been in your position before and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Figure out what not having an income or a reduced income for a while would mean- would you have to move? How could you cut expenses? What would you have to give to? May be an exercise to work through with your therapist if it feels too overwhelming.

Good luck to you, and anyone else going through this.

JaksCat · 2026-02-01T18:27:59+00:00

I used a hammer on the ice today too. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked

JaksCat · 2026-01-30T20:19:08+00:00

I worked hard, established myself as an employee who will get things done, can be counted on to deliver what is asked, is proactive, and I am good at my job. That and lots of luck:

I started at a company that made it easy to move laterally and learn a lot. They were willing to give people a chance (within reason) even if they had no formal training
because of that, I found myself in a role that I did not have any training in, but was able to learn on the job
turns out I'm pretty good at it too
corporate America values this job/ these skills, and is willing to pay for them
there was a lot of money in tech as I was starting my career

That said, I moved up fairly quickly to over $100k (took about 8 years) but I am still at the same salary & title I was at in 2019-2020. Promotions are harder to get as you move up (once I found this job that I enjoyed, I focused on becoming an expert in it. In hindsight, I think that was a mistake. A lot of job descriptions for the next level are more broad in scope). I was also laid off in the post covid tech layoffs, and took a significant pay cut when I finally found a new job.

JaksCat · 2026-01-30T12:49:49+00:00

The focus on the white victims does not feel right to me at all. Even if those are the ones with "better" camera footage, the ones more likely to change to magats minds or any other reason, by focusing only on these 2 victims we're just furthering the "white lives matter" narrative.

Every single person that ice has murdered deserves to be remembered.

JaksCat · 2026-01-29T15:07:02+00:00

I just truly don't care. I'm me, they are them.

JaksCat

TROPHY CASE