Friends have remarked on my unwaning positivity in dealing with unemployment second time around. It’s simply how I cope; reasoning that there is always someone a lot worse off than me and life is easier if I stay upbeat! Apart from once a week where the world threatens to cave in on me, the rest of the time I just get on with it.

Granted, I am lucky to have my writing to tide me over, but I do miss the routine of an office environment and to beat the monotony I have been indulging in lots of free activities to keep me busy. Overdue visits to family, a free check-up at the dentist and helping my Mam feel better about her own recessionary woes by decluttering her wardrobe, took up my time last week. I refuse to spend my days sleeping myself into depression.

For me work is more than making money, it's an extension of my identity and my career was something I worked long and hard at breaking into, involving four years in college and various unpaid internships before landing my first position. I’m attempting every day to view this time off as an extended holiday, a time to enjoy, Luckily I have racked up a number of interviews and meetings as well. I've surprised myself too how well I am faring in reigning in my finances. Quite the resourceful recessionista, I hauled two boxes of paperbacks to the local book shop and earned an impressive €65 for my efforts.

Helping Mam clear out the house inspired me to reorganise my own wardrobe and I was surprised to find I had at least nine dresses yet to be worn! This has forced me to promise that even if I can't shop again until 2012 I will survive and teach myself to be more creative with what I have.

I offered to help a friend organise his club night in return for free drink and, by hunting around all the supermarkets for different offers, managed to drastically reduce my food bill without compromising too much. The only thing that is still costing me unnecessary spending is actually looking for jobs. Dry cleaning and hairdressing ensure I look picture-perfect for interviews for that all-important first impression, and I have reluctantly hopped in far too many taxis these past few weeks so as to avoid the torrential downpours and not turn up as a drowned rat. The more meetings I manage to secure, the more broke I become!

Fingers crossed something comes along soon.