HELP! Have cut back all I can but am still over-spending!

The reason I am a freelance copywriter is because 4 years ago I used to work as a special needs teaching assistant in a school. When my 'charge' went onto secondary school I was surplus to requirements. The school were cutting back and so I found myself without work.

In that year I applied for many jobs. Most of them were teaching assistant jobs and whilst I got to interview stage for a few of them, I never got any further. I couldn't understand it, I had never been short of work before in my life, I had never previously struggled to get a job. I have an English and Law degree, experience in office work, fundraising, working with children and adults with special needs and working in schools. I have excellent communication skills and had excellent references. I signed up with agencies and kept applying but discovered that sometimes there would be hundreds of applicants for one post and those who were already working in that industry often got there before me. The longer I was out of work the more difficult it was for me to find a job.

I then answered an ad asking for a copywriter. I ended up working for a company on their website. They took me on for a trial period, paying my expenses only as they were a new company and I was gullible and fell for their promises of a great salary with a growing business. Only that never happened and whilst it was great experience, I found that I didn't really care to work for free.

With my experience now in copywriting however I was able to take on work as a freelancer and that kept me going whilst I sought other work. I again started applying for jobs, picking only those I had experience in and that I was qualified to do. I remember one such job for the National Trust. The vacancy was to write content for their website from their distribution office which was just down the road from me. I spent hours crafting that application form, putting in all my experience including what I was doing at the moment along with examples of my work and a reference from the company who I had been writing for. I never even got a reply.

This became common. Applications were sent and not even acknowledged. I answered an ad for a cleaner at a local B&B and started working there for minimum pay 4 days a week. Then the copywriting business took off a little and I built up regular clients which I still hold today. That coincided with the B&B slowing down so I was able to cut my days there and focus on my business.

The B&B now has 3 other cleaners and I am due to start after Easter working one day a week plus filling in for sick and holiday leave.

I know that posters will perhaps feel frustrated with me as they think I'm not taking any advice on board and seem to have an excuse for everything, but trust me when I say that there really is no work out there. I guess living where we are doesn't help as we're not conveniently located near any cities, but I really don't know what you have to do to get a job round here. Perhaps it's who you know rather than what you know?

And I'm not too proud to look for public sector jobs, but one look at my CV and they are put off immediately as don't want to employ someone who's only filling in a temporary stop-gap. That was one of the concerns the B&B lady had. She wanted someone reliable and not someone who would be off the first chance they got. So my qualifications and experience work against me there.

I am still on the lookout for jobs. If there is a copywriter position advertised I usually contact that company anyway and ask if they would consider taking me on for a trial period working from home the majority of the time. I am willing to travel every so often even as far as London if they also consider a little flexibility. Unfortunately why should they take the risk when they have 100 applicants in London applying? Still it's worth asking and I often do. I have also sent my CV to many large local companies and I follow this up with a phone call.

I'm prolific on social media and am out there trying to network and make contacts. I know some of you might now wonder if I am any good since I seem to have trouble getting work, but I do have recommendations, I am generally regarded highly by clients who do come back to use my services again. I have no reason to think that my work isn't top quality. I know about SEO, I keep on top of changes made in that area, I know all the tricks of the trade and I write to grab readers' attention. I guess if we weren't in a recession then who knows? I might be running a successful business but the hard facts are that we are and right companies will go for the cheapest option every time. I can't compete with agencies who offer cut price yet low quality articles from students and part-timers. I hope that the way Google is going, high quality content will eventually rule the day as there is no easy quick fix to improve website rankings. It's worth spending a bit of money on to get it right.

But yes, when the day comes and my husband is made redundant, if the business is still slow then I will have to quit and work full-time in a supermarket or B&B or something. At least then I don't have to worry about the kids as he'll be able to see to them.

In the meantime my budgeting goes on. I've managed to make that shopping last an entire week and a day tomorrow. I've cancelled my AVG subscription. I've cancelled the one school meal a week. I'm walking everywhere to save on petrol. I'm watering down the fruit juice. I'm shopping at Aldi and getting cut price meat from Asda. I'm doing a meal planner and a shopping list. I've listed a few things on ebay. I'm cooking in bulk. It all helps and I'm very grateful for the advice and support.

And if you ever hear of anyone needing a copywriter, well you know where I am!:D