Onwards and Upwards

by Rebecca Kelsey Sampson

There is nothing more uncertain than the future. You can set goals, make a plan, work hard, and still end up in a totally unexpected place. My life has been a lot of that lately: a swiftly changing ocean current that I’m compelled to follow.

It’s been a difficult and evolving journey, and during that journey, I spent my life savings.

It all started in 2013 when my husband (then-fiance) and I decided it was time for us to move out of his parent’s house. We had been together for seven years already, living together with his parents for three, and engaged for two. We decided we needed to stretch our wings and start preparing for the future. So, we went to visit a friend, who was also a realtor.

At the time, my fiance was still in graduate school and I had just become a remote media manager for a startup in California. With a good credit score and payment history under my belt, I got pre-approved for a loan and we started looking at condos every weekend.

Several rejected apartments later, an offer on a reasonably priced foreclosed condo was approved by our lenders and we were moving in. Oh, we were happy, so happy to finally have someplace that we could call our own.

However, in order to get approved for the loan, I had to shell out every cent I had so that the bank would feel comfortable taking a risk on me. Many years of work, sweat, and tears were gone in a moment and the $12,000 I had saved up since my first job in high school was now my down payment. Worth it? Definitely. But the story doesn’t end there.

Over the next two years, we slowly started building up our savings again amid new furniture costs, monthly bills, pet adoptions, and wedding budgeting. My happy sensible self was excited to have $3,000 set aside for our new married nest egg. Babies here we come!

But then I was laid off in February 2015. With my husband still transitioning into a career after graduate school and me, the main bread winner, now without a job, we found ourselves in an uncomfortable position (to say the least).

We started out okay; with my vacation time and severance pay we were able to keep things together for a while. Then during the job hunt I was able to collect unemployment benefits. But when unemployment funds ran out, my husband and I still weren’t settled into jobs. Bye-bye savings, hello credit cards.

Several months later, we still find ourselves recovering. I wish I could say that we’re out of the woods now and rearing up for the holidays, but the reality is, we aren’t. Still, during this time unemployed I’ve learned a lot about myself and what my family and I need to survive:

1. We are made of stronger stuff than anticipated.
2. We can adapt to living with less when we need too.
3. There is a lot of fun that can be had without any money.
4. Time with family is the best healer.
5. There are some people who will always help you, no matter the time or place (or cost).
6. Love can conquer everything except for bills.
7. No pressure? No diamonds.

While we penny pinched and sent in applications, I learned so much about my strengths and weaknesses and what I’d be willing and unwilling to do in a dire situation. I learned that I can pull those long hours as long as I get at least an hour every night to relax with my journal, that I can handle stress with a smile on my face, and that there is no shame in asking for a hug at any time of day (even if just looking at my morning to-do list makes me want one).

I’ve honed in on what’s the most important to me: the well-being of my family. No matter what else happens, if I can focus on them then everything else will be okay.

And the most wonderful thing I’ve learned is where my dreams lay. I know now where I want my future to be headed with a deeper clarity than I did before we lost all of our money. It’s time to get working on that best-selling book! I’m kidding (though not really). This situation has forced me to look at my life through a different lens. With some new freelance writing clients under my belt, my family is ready to start again. It’s time to break out my goal planning worksheets and hustle. It’s a new future. Though our savings will have to wait, we have some debt to account for.

Rebecca Kelsey Sampson is a work from home freelance writer and content creator, blogging and vlogging for over five years now. She is an aspiring author and loves spending her free-time being creative, going on dates with her husband, and playing at the park with her dog. You can keep up with her online on Twitter and Instagram.

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