Wow! Very sad situation. So much money the USA government wastes on wars and other countries. That money could be use to give us Americans a break! I hope that some light shows for you at the end of this long tunnels. Hope if you play the lottery, you hit it big. Good luck!

yes indeed,a dollar now just doesn't go very far and when you don't make much to begin with and prices start to rise like gas,food,parts for cars,etc. you start feeling the pinch pretty quickly.when you have a physically disabled wife and two kids and no vehicle nerves can also get frayed very fast.i feel extreme fear for the middle and lower income people in this country in the days ahead....

Mike, I've been pretty much in you situation before after a job layoff. Things look very bleak right now, but I promise you that life has a way of fixing these little injustices. Keep your head up, and your spirits high buddy. I will pray for you and yours during this time of need.

I know it, when are these ridiculous price hikes going to stop? How do they expect people to live?
I know it has to be a nightmare for those on a fixed income. They don't have the option to work overtime to make the ends meet.   Like you, I think they are trying to systematically wipe out the middle and lower income people. Milk has gone up to over 6 dollars! I remember back when it the gas had risen to 1.50 a couple of years ago, I was throwing a fit. My kids thought I was crazy to complain so much about it. Online, there were polls asking people if they had been affected by the price hikes and most said no. So guess what happened. The prices went up some more. Then some more polls. The same thing happened. Then the prices have gone up more. It has been repeated over and over and over for the last couple of years. And still...these idiots online say they are not affected by it. What? Are they stupid? Can't they see what's happening? For goodness sakes, already, tell them it is affecting you bad.. real bad!

Past several years the press has engaged in a systematic onslaught against every aspect of the US and instead of us telling them to stop, people hung on every word, joined in the parade.

Devaluation of our dollar on the world market, rampant inflation is a direct result of a press created recession. Looks like since we failed to fully appreciate the lifestyle the United States afforded us, we're getting to experience life more like a third world nation.

Mike, I hope things get better for you.

I recommend getting out of the security guard business,and hooking up with the largest airport if there is one close, and driving a cab. Even if it's 20miles away,it'll be worth it.

Here in Southwest florida, there seems to be absolutely no jobs available, but one thing does stand out, and that's people who need a ride from the airport. It's cash everyday. Trust me, as bad as the airport is because people are cutting back on travels, I still make a atleast a hundred bucks everyday, if not more, cleared after gas and food. The tips pretty much pay for the gas, and if you're lucky enough for your airport to have a surcharge on rides because of the rising gas prices, as my airport has been doing, then it's even better.

Don't be afraid that you may not know where every street is. 90 percent of the people know where they are going and are more than happy to help. When I started, I didn't know the area, but I bought a map, and within time I pretty much went to the same places over and over.

I work 4 days straight and make about 500 take home. They're 16 hour days, but I get 3 days off in a row to recoup. And this is off season. Add about 2 or 3 hundred in the season. Tonight i just got home and made 180 bucks after everything.

It may not be for you, but once you have that cash in your hand at the end of the day, it will change your mind. It actually gets addictive, and you won't think of anything comparable. I call it "Payday everyday"....LOL

Give it a shot on your off days and see if it's for you. Most companies are very happy to work around your schedule. Do it for a couple of days at first, and maybe you'll quit your other job. I think you will once you see the potential. Make it happen.

Good luck.

I went through some pretty hard times back in the late 80's and early 90's. My wife got pregnant. I had worked mostly construction jobs and was also a mechanic for a lot of different mom and pop shops. Never worked for dealerships didn't like how they treated employees and customers. Could of made some good money though working for them.

So i did a complete overhaul of my life. What did i want to do employment wise where could i get a job working 40 plus hrs a week punching a time clock. Getting a health insurance package for my wife and kids. You know all the stuff one thinks about when they have to face the responsibility of raising kids and building for a future. No more mom and pop shops and no more fly by the seat of your pants jobs for me. At this point it was find a career i would be happy doing. Even if it meant going back to school and working full time i would find a way to take care of the wife--- her kids and my kids. By myself while she stayed at home and raised the little ones. All included it was 9 people i was taking care of on $8.10 an hr in 1990 I barely had 20 bucks left over for spending money but. I managed by finding an apprenticeship program that paid for the schooling and kicked in some bucks to live off of. In under a year i was well on my way to a new life. I scrimped and saved and even bought a house. Since it cost so much to rent might as well try and buy a house. I will never rent ever again.

When i applied for jobs i negotiated a salary so i would get raises every quarter until i reached pay scale for that job description. Promised to continue my education and work up through the ranks.

The first few years were hard i mean it took all my strength mentally and physically to hold it all together. Now I'm not saying what worked for me might work for you but you have to put everything into perspective. Look at where you stand go to job counseling lay your cards on the table and make some grown up decisions about where you want to be ten years from now. Work with the counselors until you find some real expectations that will work in your favor. Doing jobs you don't like or working meaningless jobs isn't the answer. It's all about doing what you like to do because if you like what your doing you'll make good bucks as you go along.

I remember my very first cab ride in 1991 back in N.Y.C. It hapened to also be the ride from hell. This is the story of my life. The very first ride ever on a friday in New York was to say the least strange.

Around 6 pm on a friday night, my first ride was from hell. Unlike most jobs where the boss throws the bones your way to keep you, in my case, it was grenades thrown my way....

I picked up a business guy still dressed in the business garb, but highly drunk. He asked me to take him to the south end of Manhattan. That's where the streets go every which way.

I really didn't know my way. I got lost and he somehow woke up from his stupor and complained, and complained, and complained.....I was sincerely trying to tell him that he was infact the very first customer ever. He didn't buy it thinking I'm conducting somekind of scam. Personally, I couldn't blame him. Imagine spending all your life in NY hearing every BS story in the world, and your taxi driver is telling you that this is very first taxi ride picking up customers...lol

Anyway, he jumped out, and I convinced him to get back in. The first cop car I sawI flagged, to which he was taken to the precinct and thrown behind bars overnight for theft of services. He finally agreed to pay me and I was on my way. Sure I lost revenue dealing with this idiot, but it was just a principal, not the 15 bucks. And for that experience to happen on my very first ride was strange.

I don't have a middle name, but I'm thinking "Strange" is good candidate...lol

thanks for all the support everyone.

Mike, just know that problems have a way of working themselves out. Everyone goes through ups and downs at some point and time and you question "why me" when it happens to you. I truly believe that sometimes the only thing that makes up move is pain and God will allow pain to come our way just to make us do his will. Trust me, God has something for you and it is coming soon. Things are going to get better. It may not get better until you hit the bottom, just like a ball can't bounce back up until it hits the bottom. Just hold on and be strong which it sounds like you are very strong. Be blessed.

You have money for soda? I have been drinking water for awhile. If you have cable then cut it back or have it shut off. If you need ideas on how to cut back on stuff I'm sure we can all come up with some for you.