Oregon Public Broadcasting

 When is a layoff not a layoff? When the company just stops paying you. That’s what happened to Annie Adkisson.

She and her husband, Joel Shempert, are now squeaking by on a single income. Rob Manning has their story -- the next edition in our Hard Times series.

Annie Adkisson: “This is our living room slash dining room....”

Annie and Joel say they grew up in the country. Now, they’re in much tighter quarters in Northeast Portland, along with their baby daughter, Niamh. And she’s not the only additional resident at Annie and Joel’s small Portland house.

Annie Adkisson: “Oh, hi Jackson.”

Jackson is a six year-old who lives upstairs with his Mom.

Annie Adkisson: “Downstairs, we have a storage room, which I’m currently trying to organize.”

There are boxes on the floor, and a washing machine and dryer. And next to the laundry room - another roommate, who pays $250 a month for a small, dark bedroom.

Annie Adkisson: “It wasn’t really our original plan, to have this be a roommate thing, but it’s just, there were so many people we knew, who needed a place to stay.”

Annie Adkisson: “The money really helps, especially now, with me not having a job.”

Until late last year, Annie worked for a small, start-up software company. At first, it was fun, with good benefits.

Annie Adkisson: “We were all a team, we were all basically there for the same reasons. It was interesting, and exciting, and all of that.”

And then the paychecks stopped coming.

Annie Adkisson: “We just sucked it up, and kept going.”

The 401(k) and health insurance were gone, too - and it meant tough decisions for Annie and her husband, Joel Shempert.

All that, as the couple was shelling out first and last months’ rent and a deposit for the new home, and preparing for a baby.

Joel Shempert: “That uncertainty was a scary thing for us, starting out as a family, a new married couple. My income wasn’t great - her income was more.”

In the end, Annie went almost three months without a paycheck. Enter, the roommates. 

Annie says family and friends warned her against getting roommates, especially with a baby in the house. She says she did a 180 since college.

Annie Adkisson: “I got so stressed out by my roommates one day - I wrote an entire like, essay on how roommates are an ‘unnatural’ living situation - that causes people stress, and probably causes a lot of crime.”

“Seriously.”

Annie and Joel have discovered you can be friends with your roommates - and live cheap.

Joel Shempert: “When we first got married, we would never have thought we could’ve made it on the income we have now.”

They’re not out of the woods, though. Joel needs $3000 in dental work, and the couple has lingering credit card debts. But Joel says they’re not letting the finances get them down.

Joel Shempert: “It’s cool, life’s good. I get bummed when we have to wrestle with a financial thing. But then we go for a walk in the sunshine with Niamh, and it’s cool, you know?”