Facing another month of costs in the coronavirus economy
Facing another month of costs in the coronavirus economy
The start of June marks a new round of mandatory payments for things like rent, credit card bills and car loans. We checked in with two people who we spoke to at the start of April and May about how their economic lives have changed in the past month.
April Oliver
Oliver was set to start a job at an environmental consulting firm in Boseman, Montana, when the crisis hit. Her offer was delayed because of the coronavirus, but she started working in May and is now moving to full-time.
“It’s definitely been a roller coaster,” Oliver said. “Even two months ago, I felt so despondent and hopeless. I thought that surely I’d stay unemployed for the rest of the year.”
Even with her new employment situation, Oliver is still being cautious with her spending.
Maria Barillas
Barillas, a waitress and barista in Brooklyn, New York, has been out of work since mid-March, when her restaurant closed. It has since reopened for takeout, but she hasn’t been called back in to work.
“I feel like at the beginning of the pandemic, I thought for certain that we’d be back to work by mid-May, early June,” Barillas said. “Now it feels less certain that jobs are gonna be there waiting for us.”
Barillas has been looking for other jobs but hasn’t found many places hiring. She said her unemployment insurance is helping her feel stable right now.
“The extra $600 [per week] that the government has allotted to people who have lost their jobs to coronavirus is very helpful,” she said. “But I think as June turns into July, that’ll be when I start feeling a little more anxious, when that emergency fund runs out.”
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