Today is Sunday, and my husband is back to his usual self. He usually needs all of Saturday to unwind from the workweek’s stress and frustrations. This wasn’t always the case, but the recent crisis has intensified the discomfort.

On the bright side, he now clearly understands what it means when someone controls your time and freedom, and you’re dependent on a paycheck. He still has 4.5 years left in the military before he can retire with a full pension. In the meantime, he takes a deep breath and keeps pushing through. He’s on track to achieve FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) with a solid nest egg, but we often speculate about what he’d do if a million dollars suddenly came our way. I’m pretty sure he’d immediately leave the military and retire.

I’m grateful that he has a stable job and paycheck, keeping his FIRE journey on track, especially when so many people are currently job hunting. As for me, I’ve lost most of my online income, though a few clients still stick around. My Airbnb rentals in Guatemala have been vacant since early March, and I don’t expect any guests before Christmas.

I can’t explore other job opportunities here as I’m waiting for my green card and am not allowed to work. If I had a work permit, I’d probably find something to keep me busy, maybe in supermarkets. I don’t necessarily need the income, which raises ethical concerns about taking a job others might need more urgently. However, with unemployment benefits adding up to $600 extra per week, it often pays better to stay home than to work for minimum wage.

I do volunteer work around here, like walking a neighbor’s dog. It’s enjoyable and gets me out of the RV. I bike there, which is about 3 miles each way, and it’s refreshing to be outside.

I sympathize with those who need a job but can’t find one. It seems that some people are struggling even to file for unemployment.

Despite not working right now, I’m fortunate to have enough savings to last a couple of years without tapping into my investments, and my husband, being in the military, probably has one of the safest jobs in the country. He has two more years before needing to reenlist for the final stretch. However, if there are budget cuts, it could be a stressful time because if he doesn’t complete 20 years, he won’t get the pension, which is basically the main reason he’s sticking it out.