How to Survive Unemployment & Actually Save Money
I have been unemployed for some time now. Surviving unemployment requires a certain mind set. The very first thing you should strive for is an attitude adjustment. When the real unemployment rate is around 20% (yes 20%) it's not your fault that you are unemployed. After settling the issue of guilt you must quickly move on.
The very first thing you should do is to cut your largest costs. That usually means housing and transportation. Sell you car. Yes, I said sell your car. It costs too much to use and unless you live in the Ozarks, in most places you don't need it. Use either public transportation or a bike or your legs.
The second thing you need to do is move. Yes, I said move...find a relative, friend or another “situation” that enables you to live rent free. Try to find a location with public transportation near-by. If you have a house either sell it (if you can) (see my other blog about selling your house yourself on Craigslist) or just walk away. Don't worry about your credit because your credit is going down anyway.
What I mean by finding another situation is look for a situation where you can live for free while cooking or cleaning for someone on a part-time basis. Believe it or not, there are a lot of elderly people around who need assistance and have an empty room, basement or functioning attic to live in. Also, there are others who are working two jobs, have kids and they also have a spare space that you could live while helping them out with cooking, cleaning, gardening, being a "paid" companion or babysitting. You can do this even if you have kids of your own or if you are a couple.
In addition, make sure that you take advantage of everything the government is offering, including food stamps. These programs were paid for with your money, the money you paid in taxes for your entire life, so don't squawk at any supposed stigma in using food stamps. The government got us into this situation in the first place, take everything you can get!
After you have situated yourself, do not fall into the trap of taking temporary positions through a temp agency. These positions will waste your time. You will only have so much unemployment insurance, therefore you will need to spend your time wisely and that means using the time to find a better position for yourself not just making enough to get by. Think inside and outside the box. If you have tried and tried to find a job and nothing is happening try to create your own job.
Since you aren't spending your unemployment insurance on rent and have whittled away at the cost of transportation and food, what you need to do with the rest of the money you get is to save it. Save it just in case you don't find a job and the unemployment insurance runs out.
I hope these tips help you weather the storm that we are now in.
Good Luck and God Bless
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