Anyone on unemployment? How do you make ends meet?

[kelcoppens]

My husband has been laid off since December and now last Friday, I just found out my company is eliminating my position. So now I will be collecting. I found out how much I will be getting thru unemployment and its just enough to cover our rent. Its definitely not very much. Luckily my husband will be going back to his job in about a month (his was a seasonal lay-off). But I am still worried because his job is masonry so if it rains, he wont be working and wont be paid. So he doesnt always get full 40 hour work weeks. I was the breadwinner basically cause I had a salary job. I just wonder how others get by? I think we will get thru it hopefully but I feel like I need to find some time of under the table job to supplement my unemployment check.

Looking for some advice.

 

[Darcy03231]

1. Cut everything out that isn't absolutely necessary - cable, cell phones, netflix, eating out, etc. Go over all your bills and see if you can lower car insurance, etc.

2. Meal Plan. I save a lot of money here. I plan my meals for the week based on what's on sale and what's in the freezer. I make a list and stick to it. Many meals can be stretched to make 2-3 meals, such a ham or turkey.

3. On work days take you own meals and coffee to work with you - don't go out.

 

[kelcoppens]

thanks. I did just find out that I can defer my student loan for up to 3 years if I am unemployed! Thats huge!

Does anyone know if its even worth it to get a part time job or temp while unemployed? Ive heard that this causes your unemployment check to decrease which is why I heard its not worth it. Why would the government do that??

 

[bettymae1121]

thanks. I did just find out that I can defer my student loan for up to 3 years if I am unemployed! Thats huge!

Does anyone know if its even worth it to get a part time job or temp while unemployed? Ive heard that this causes your unemployment check to decrease which is why I heard its not worth it. Why would the government do that??

Check with your state. some states let you earn $X without reducing your benifits, others won't. Your state should have a website with that info.

One thing you should look at is medical insurance. If you're losing medical along with your job, you should see if you can get a cheap catastrophic plan. It won't cover much (if anything) towards routine medical care but it will cover you if something major happens. Most people can afford a $200 doctor's visit if it's really needed, but hardly anyone can afford $50,000 because they had to have their appendix out.

Anyway, check out ehealthinsurance.com. I did a serch for my area and I found a high deductable plan for $135 a month w/a $10k deductable and included Rx

 

[Marionnette]

thanks. I did just find out that I can defer my student loan for up to 3 years if I am unemployed! Thats huge!

Does anyone know if its even worth it to get a part time job or temp while unemployed? Ive heard that this causes your unemployment check to decrease which is why I heard its not worth it. Why would the government do that??

Working while collecting unemployment will affect the amount of your check. It has always been that way in my state. The purpose of unemployment insurance is to provide a safety net until you get back on your feet. It's not meant to supplement your income. Even if working part time doesn't bring your income in line with what you were bringing in when you were employed, the government doesn't see it that way. The lower amount is supposed to provide an incentive to go out and get another job that replaces that lost income. In better times, that made sense.

BTW, working under the table and not reporting it can have serious repercussions if you are caught.

 

[Marionnette]

I just wanted to add that it would make more sense for your husband to take a part time job once he goes back to work. It won't affect your unemployment compensation at all since they don't take a spouse's income into consideration when they compute how much you get.

As far as getting by, list your expenses by priority. Then pay them in that order. Rent first, then heat & lights, insurance, food and so forth. I imagine that you have already made cuts to your spending since your husband was laid off. If there are any unnecessary expenses that you were able to keep when his job was cut, now would be the time to axe those.

Good luck and I hope your husband is called back to the job soon!

 

[jodifla]

You also may be eligible for food stamps, depending on your state. So check that out, too.

 

[kelcoppens]

Thank you. We have made cuts to our budget since DH was laid off. Last night, DH and I were talking and he said he would get a weekend job. But I would hate for him to be working like a dog and while I will be a stay at home mom. I have a 7 month old so I will love the time spent with our son. We will also save $$ on daycare so thats good too. Losing health insurance is the big issue since our baby has a genetic heart disease (Long QT syndrome). He has a pacemaker and is on meds. But I am going to look into assistance because our son NEEDS the insurance.

 

[Marionnette]

Thank you. We have made cuts to our budget since DH was laid off. Last night, DH and I were talking and he said he would get a weekend job. But I would hate for him to be working like a dog and while I will be a stay at home mom. I have a 7 month old so I will love the time spent with our son. We will also save $$ on daycare so thats good too. Losing health insurance is the big issue since our baby has a genetic heart disease (Long QT syndrome). He has a pacemaker and is on meds. But I am going to look into assistance because our son NEEDS the insurance.

Check your state's children's health insurance program. They will cover the kids for little to no premium cost depending on income. The doctor's office or the hospital where he receives care should be able to point you in the right direction. You don't want any gaps in his insurance.

 

[Ava]

Thank you. We have made cuts to our budget since DH was laid off. Last night, DH and I were talking and he said he would get a weekend job. But I would hate for him to be working like a dog and while I will be a stay at home mom. I have a 7 month old so I will love the time spent with our son. We will also save $$ on daycare so thats good too. Losing health insurance is the big issue since our baby has a genetic heart disease (Long QT syndrome). He has a pacemaker and is on meds. But I am going to look into assistance because our son NEEDS the insurance.

Most states have free or low cost health insurance programs available for children who's parents are low income, I would look into one of those for your son.

As far as working part-time while on unemployment, look up the rules for your state. In NY (at least as of 2008 when I was on unemployment), you can work 1 day per week with no reduction in benefits. From there it's a sliding scale - 2 days of work = 75% of benefits, 3 days = 50%, 4 days = 25%. Makes no sense to me, because depending on the type of work you are doing you can make a lot in 1 day, but I took advantage of this weird rule & temped 1-2 days a week while I was on unemployment. I'd get $13-$15/hour temping, so even if I did take a reduction in benefits to work, it was worth it for me.

 

[PatriciaH]

Is there anything you can sell on Ebay?

 

[kelcoppens]

Is there anything you can sell on Ebay?

Probably. There is plenty of stuff in the garage we dont need. Ive never done that before and have no idea how but I guess I could look into it.

 

[disfan07]

Definitely check with your state for health insurance for your son.

Also, I am pretty sure that now, no insurance company is allowed to deny a child under 18 insurance because of a pre-existing condition. The problem is, they are still being allowed to jack up the prices as they please so that might be a moot point because it will probably still be very expensive. I know that where I live, if an insuarance plan goes for about $165, someone with a pre-existing condition could be paying about $350-400/month instead.

I completely understand about the health insurance though. At 21 I get coverage through my dad but if something were to happen, I am considered uninsurable right now by about half of the insurance companies and the other half would charge about 2-3 times more per month.

 

[marmalade]

Have you sat down and actually figured out the cost of you working? Daycare, gas, clothes, lunch out with co-workers etc...? My husband is a roofer and we live in Western NY so I know what it is like with layoffs and weather days. I was the "bread-winner" as you put it because my job was steady and stable and I received monthly bonuses. But in Oct 2009 both of my kids (then 3 and 4) got super sick and I was out of work for 2 weeks. It was then my DH and I decided that for right now it would be better if I didn't work.

Once we factured in the cost of me working it actually made more sense for me to stay home. In the summer when my DH is making most of his money I put some away for the winter months when he might work 5-10 days a month. I plan all of my meals so very little eating out or that quick trip to the store that ends up costing an extra $50. We don't say no to hand-me downs. We have a budget and I make sure we stick to it, even my kids know that if we want something we have to save for it.

We are actually better off now then we were before. Plus think of the time you will be spending with your DS.

 

[SandrA9810]

Have you looked into Medicare for your son? He might qualify since he'll have ongoing health issues.

With spring time coming up soon, do you have farmer's markets in your area?? It'd be a good way to save on fresh produce over the grocery store.

 

[kelcoppens]

Oh wow, I never even thought about medicare! I will look into that. Yeah, we have farmers markets here I will use when its warmer as well as my dads veggie garden . I think I will start renting movies from the public library too. As far as expenses while working versus not working, my parents who are retired were watching our 2 kids for half the week so we only had to pay 2 days a week in daycare, so yes, because of that I think we did come out better when I was working full time. As far as clothes, I have been re-wearing the same work outfits for years honestly except for a new blouse or skirt that I would get on sale at Kohls if I really needed it. Gas: my commute wasnt bad but that will be a savings.

Thanks for all your ideas

 

[Tink-n-MrIncredible]

Sorry

If you qualify for food stamps, use coupons to stretch the amount given.

 

[Robinrs]

Probably. There is plenty of stuff in the garage we dont need. Ive never done that before and have no idea how but I guess I could look into it.

After working for 14 straight years at the same radio station, I was downsized due to a company takeover. I am a single mother. Ebay saved me more ways than you can imagine. I made enough money to survive and then some. It is A LOT of work, though, finding the right things to sell and knowing WHAT sells can be a marketing project of it's own.

I HATE staying home but I managed to turn it into an adventure. I made my own bread, my own pizza and my own ice cream. I took elderly neighbors for rides to their appointments. I found amazing new ways to stretch a dollar and it made me a better person.

See this as an opportunity. You'll come out shining!

 

[snowywhite89]

This will not help now but this is our motto:

When we are employed we live like we are on unemployment so that when we are unemployed we can live like we were employed.

This has worked well for us throughout multiple unemployments.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

With a 7 month old, you should qualify for WIC, too...I believe if your income stays low, you can use it until your youngest child is 5...