Update

[worldoflucky]

This week has been an awesome vacation. Although I only spent one vacation day (the other three days were extra time I worked and built up). I am tempted to take the rest of the year off (currently I am at 285 hours of vacation and I collect 15 hours a month with the furlough days)......its a big temptation :). 

 

I won't do that, I will take another week's vacation in December between Christmas and New Years Day though.  After that time off I still need to spend three weeks (or possibly more) vacation by June, otherwise I lose it (we cap at 240 hours of vacation. Also, if finances pan out, I will need at least three days of vacation next Halloween (probably a full week) so we can go get remarried by Elvis in Las Vegas.

 

My anxiety about  losing my job has lessened a lot over the years, but its still sort of there so I will hold on to the vacation in case the Governor decides to make huge cuts. That currently has me a bit worried. We are looking at possible 5% pay cut again, plus a step freeze (meaning the salary range that we go up yearly until we max out in 7 years will freeze, so people who aren't as good at auditing will do my job for quite a bit more, as I am still on the lower end of the scale). They are also talking another 5 days of furlough (on top of the pay cut), plus our pension portion is going up 50% and our health insurance may go up 65%.

Sadly, I already make below the median and the average for my profession (state workers get paid less than public firms, local governments and federal government). Don't get me wrong, I am able to keep the wife and I going and that is something that wouldn't have happened without school, but the additional student loan debt comes due in 14 months. We are hoping by then if I triple up on car payments that we can at least get the car payments finished by then.

Also, if I can keep my max vacation (6 weeks) or close to it. When I do find a new job (looking at Fed jobs in 18 months, DCAA, IRS, OIG are the biggest options), they will cash me out and that would be an extra six weeks of pay. Enough to help us move wherever we need to go, or to help pay off debt or to put into savings. I am waiting 18 months so I will have five years in and I will vest my paltry 10% pension. :)
 

Wow, this has developed into a long rant, I will stop now :) 

edited note: Evidently I am in whine mode right now about work.