• Planning

    Dealing With A Job Loss: Starting the Job Hunt

    Once you are out of work, the first inclination is to grab at anything that comes along. While the job market is not great, it pays to take some time and find a good fitting job. Apply For Unemployment If you are laid off through no fault of your own, you live in the U.S., and you work full-time, you are probably eligible for unemployment. While probably nowhere near what you were making before, it is at least some income coming in. Employers pay into this fund, and it is used to support workers as they look for new work. You can find out your state’s requirements by searching the internet. My state required that I fill out a form online. They then checked to make sure how long I had been employed, what I had been making, and my eligibility requirements. (Note: it turns out in…

  • Planning

    Dealing With a Job Loss: Redistributing Home Work Loads

    When I was not working, one of the things I found I had more of was time. I know that seems like a no-brainer, but it was a bit of a shock to realize what that meant in reality. It meant that I now had either more hours a day in which I could choose what to do. My husband, on the other hand, had an increase in stress from realizing that the financial support of the family was now entirely on his back, since I was denied unemployment. With my wealth of time, I decided that I would take over some of the tasks that he usually performs around the house. (That is not saying I was sitting around doing nothing otherwise – I finished off long-put-off projects, thoroughly cleaned the house, took over grocery shopping again, and cooked all our meals from scratch. But I…

  • Planning

    Dealing with a Job Loss: Cutting Back Expenses

    One of the biggest impacts of a job loss is the loss of income. There are few households where the loss of one income isn’t significant, and most families cannot survive the loss of an income source without some adjustments. Cutting back may be uncomfortable, but it is necessary. Don’t think of it as permanent. It may be of short duration, but every little bit of operating money will help. Here are some things to look at: Services Are you paying people to do something for you because you didn’t have time to do them yourself? This includes lawn services, security, cleaning, shopping and daycare. Now you have time. It’s the moment to cut back on these services. In some cases there will be a contract that must be upheld (such as lawn care and cleaning). Perhaps you can put the contract on hold or renegotiate the…

  • Planning

    Dealing With A Job Loss: Getting Through The First Few Days

    I’ve been watching the news lately, and hearing the same story over and over. The economy may be recovering, but people are still losing their jobs, or are unable to find work. Even people who thought they were “safe” because of their job function or industry are having to face unemployment. It can strike at anyone, and it seems widespread. In spite of the “recovery” I see my friends and neighbors losing employment. Unlike some writers who write of others’ experience, I can speak to this subject from a personal standpoint. I have been through it. And I came out on the other side. This week, I’m going to share my story, as well as give some very specific examples of things I did to turn my unemployment into a positive experience. My Story I’m a computer programmer. A web programmer, to be exact. With lot of…