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Nearly 9 percent of people in the Charlotte region are now unemployed. You've heard the stories of foreclosed homes and mounting debt. But there's another side to the story: People with larger savings accounts or whose pink slips came with severance packages. Many are young and single, and for them unemployment is a chance to live it up. WFAE's Julie Rose takes a look.

The e-mail came around noon on December 11th, subject line: "Laid off" with two exclamation points.   It was from my friend Jenny Van Stone.  She's an interior designer, single and in her thirties.  

I felt awful, imagining her in Charlotte's unemployment line and scrambling to find work.  But after a few weeks, I started getting emails from her that were like, "Hey, can't write long.  I'm off to meet a friend at the coffee shop."  Or "On my way to the park.  We'll talk later."    

"As long as I get my resumes out and make a little bit of an effort to look for work, it is like being on vacation some days," says Jenny.  "Like 'What do I want to do today?'"

Jenny makes no apologies about enjoying her unemployment.  She's doing more yoga and going on road trips.  Her social life is on fire.

"I have a ton more energy," she bubbles.  "And I can stay out later at night cause I can take a nap the next day if I'm worn out.  Yeah, and I'm much more excited to spend whatever free time I have accommodating everyone else's schedule because now I have flexibility."

And I'm not the only one noticing that some people seem to be getting the most out of their unemployment.  

"Yeah, I mean I have a lot of girlfriends that have been laid off," says Audra Gallant.  "Especially now that it's becoming summer, I'm sure they'll be laying out by the pool a lot. They'll probably have much better tans than I do."

Audra Gallant still has a job.  She's a headhunter.  I meet her at a happy hour event for people who've been pink slipped.  Audra's working the room in search of unemployed technology workers.  She feels lucky to have a job, but her days are longer and more stressful right now.  

Same thing for the coworkers Bob Evans left behind when he got laid off:

"When I go to lunch with my friends from TIAA-CREF, they envy me," says Evans.  "I went to Charleston for a week.  They have to work all day and they are in fear of losing their job, because TIAA-CREF is laying people off."

According to one recent survey, employees spend nearly three hours a day worrying about their own job security right now.  

But Yaqui Benson says the unemployment grass isn't as green as it seems.  She was laid off nine weeks ago from Muzak.

"I do take time out and go to the movies. I'll go volunteer," says Benson.  "I'll go and visit with friends.  Just something to get my mind off of it, because it can be depressing."

Local nonprofits say they're getting lots of calls from unemployed people with extra time on their hands.  Plus, volunteering's much cheaper than Yaqui's usual stress-relievers - shopping and traveling.  

Jeff Steiner's started volunteering too, since he was laid off from a Charlotte law firm in August.  He says he's not treating unemployment like a party, but he knows people who are.

"I know people who haven't done a thing literally since August and that will go out drinking seven nights a week til two a.m. every night," says Steiner.  "You know? I mean it's dumb."

Jeff may be a little more careful, but he's also not hurting as much as some.  With a nice severance package, he has the luxury of taking a little time to decide what comes next:

"You know getting a job at a large, top 50 law firm these days is an absolute disaster," says Steiner.  "So you've gotta use this time to either reinvent your career path, or you can say alright let me tread water for a year and a half or two years doing something I hate and hope that in two years there's a position waiting for me."

My friend Jenny has the same attitude.  

"It's about not jumping onto the first thing that available.  It's about finding the right thing," says Jenny.  "I definitely feel like there's been a huge silver lining. And I'm looking at it as an opportunity, more than a crisis."

Jenny's fortunate that losing her job didn't plunge her into immediate crisis - and she knows it.  But she also knows the unemployment checks will stop coming in a few months and her savings will eventually run out.   

So, she's given me permission to envy her free time.  As long as I remember that it comes with a price.

Oh we had this wonderful young cantor in our synagogue named Jeff Steiner. He used to sing the most melodious hymns that used to make my heart flutter. Oh Jeffrey if you're the same person, you have the voice of 7 glorious angels and I will hire you on the spot to help me do my chores around the house. Don't you worry I'll feed you as many animal crackers as you'd like young man! Just grace me with your lovely tunes!

Jeff knows people that drink 7 days a week until 2 AM every night? That sounds pretty small-time to me. I would be more impressed if it were 5 AM. Seriously though - it's a tough time right now. Best of luck to these people

Yeah I knew a Jeff Steiner back in high school up in Ocean Township Jersey. Me and that guy used to switch back and forth between flipping patties and the french fryer. I always knew that guy was going places. He'd always look out in the customers best interests by making sure they ordered menu items according to whether or not they needed a diet. So the "It's just dumb" comment doesn't surprise me.

I hope Jeff finds a job, but I want the gold!

Jeff Steiner is the voice of the common man - let's hear more from this good American. Also let's see a picture of him in the next article.

man, i should listen to jeff. i drink all the time now. though i must say, my social life is on fire as well. i am also very flexible with meeting people. good luck to you jeff....

Boy Mr Steiner sure seems like a bright fellow. I wouldnt be surpised if he's like 85 yrs old.

Great story. Very timely. I look forward to more like this.

This Jeff guy sounds like a very interesting person with deep insights and thought provoking commentary. I'd like to hear his opinion more often on your station on a regular basis.

Jeff sure seems to have a good head on his shoulders. Showing such maturity and forethought during these times is extremely commendable.

I'm out of work and I drink 5-7 nights a week and I still get my job search stuff done. Who does this Jeff Steiner think he is? Calling people dumb? I'd like to see him tell him I'm dumb to his face and I'll knock him out into another planet where the unemployment rate is below 1%.

I really enjoyed the article, especially reading the quotes from Jeff Steiner. He seems to have a realistic view on how to approach the job search. I'd love to hear more. Think he'd be able to give some good advice that people can identify with.

I'm extremely interested in hearing more about Jeff Steiner's job search. Being in a similar situation, it would be helpful to hear what various career paths he's currently exploring.

Jeff Steiner seems to be the voice of reason in this interview. Being laid off is not all fun and games. Would love to hear more about his search and his trials as he reinvents his career path!

i would like to hear more from jeff and his search for legal work