Surviving the winter

Surviving the winter isn't as commonplace as it used to be. It used to be for farmers and pioneers. Now it's for carnys and construction workers. I'm one of the latter, a highway construction inspector (specializing in environmental issues and erosion control). I lucked out last winter, the project I was on was 2 years long, and my bosses at the Department of Transportation didn't want me to find another job and ditch them, so they kept me on over the winter of 2009/2010. But the job is over now, I finished my last bit of paperwork today, and tomorrow will be my last day on the payroll. I'm starting my long winter break pleasantly enough, I'll be spending a week in Florida visiting my best friend, who I haven't seen since June, when she moved down south. It's just cold enough here that 80 degrees and sunny sounds like heaven.
When I get back on Dec 3, I'll be jobless, and mostly penniless. I try to save up a nice little nest egg over the summer, to ease the sudden 50% cut in income. But this year was one of 'those' years. I had to replace all 4 bearings on my car. Twice. My mom moved out, and I suddenly became my brother's keeper. My brother who is 2 years older than me. A tree fell on our house, punching 3 big holes through the roof. I crashed my car. I got bit by a spider, which went septic in about 36 hours and caused me to miss over 3 weeks of work. Yeah, one of 'those' years. And it ate up my savings. Where I normally go into winter with 6 or 7 thousand dollars, I have a paltry $300 in my savings account.
I wish I could go right back to work, but the chances of me finding a construction job in December are slim to none. I still send my resume off to every consultant firm I can find on the internet, but asphalt season ends November 22, and there's not a whole lot going on beside that. But if I'm frugal, and very, very careful, I should be able to squeak by.
So, now I have to entertain myself. I do a lot of crafts, mostly knitting and crocheting, and since I'm a bit of a yarn packrat, I have lots of materials to work with. I also want to improve my health a little. I'm carrying around a lot of extra weight, and I smoke on top of it. I quit cold turkey for over a month this summer, but everyone, and I mean EVERYONE on my jobsite smokes, and after a month of watching hundreds of cigarettes be smoked by someone else, I caved. I want to try again, I'm hoping that not having to watch dozens of other people smoke, I can make it this time. As for the weight, I have a simple goal. I bought a Bodyline skirt, size 2xl, and it's about 2 inches too small in the waist. I want that sucker to fit. Fitting into a 2xl may not sound like much of a goal, but a Japanese 2xl is quite a bit smaller than an American 2xl. I have a treadmill. I have time. I'm going to make myself have the inclination.