Richard Bilesimo
Gettysburg, Penn.
I was a boat builder in Annapolis, Md. for six years, making a little more than $50,000 a year.
Then the recession hit, and I was laid off.
The company brought me back on after a few months and then laid me off again. I received 72 weeks of unemployment and am now working temp jobs through Kelly Services, usually making $8 to $9 an hour.
The problem is they don't work me full 40-hour weeks all the time. It is very hard on my family and we have had to make some major lifestyle changes.
Our credit cards are running up, and we eat the cheapest food we can afford. We certainly don't even think about new clothes or shoes unless they're an absolute need. And we only have basic cable and Internet service, primarily for job hunting.
We are trying to put in a garden, so we are able to can our own food.
NEXT: From stay-at-home mom to 'geo-bachelor'
