laid off...sorta

[pocomom]

Well dh's contract ended on Friday. His engagement was supposed to get renewed but they decided at the last minute to have it start again next month. So we have a month of no income, with no warning, 5 days before Christmas and a few weeks before I am taking him on a cruise to celebrate his 50th. Luckily that is paid for already, minus the drive to Florida, and some little odds and ends. We'll get by, and it certainly could be worse. I would like to minimize the impact, but we already run a pretty tight ship here (no cable, low grocery bills, little eating out etc.) I cancelled one set of the kids' lessons, expensive horseback riding they take weekly for 2 months, halted any last minute Christmas shopping... Guess I'm wondering if anyone can think of anything that will either bring in a little cash for the month or an expense we can shave a little off of..... I probably could sell a few things in online yard sales. Anyone have luck this time of year doing that?
Blah... trying to keep perspective as it really is a blip and not the end of the world, but these things never do come at a good time do they?

 

[Happy 2 B Me]

Since your husband is going to be off more then 1 week he can apply for unemployment. I would check with his employer to see how they stand on the unemployment thing. Something to think about. Sounds like you are cutting out a lot of extras from your budget. You can apply for food stamps for the time he is off. This is a service that you have paid into for times as this. Have a fun time on the cruise. It could be worse-- he could be laid off with out knowing he was going to be having a job in 4 weeks.

 

[akcire]

Shockingly he may also be able to grab a seasonal retail job. Sometimes they run thru early feb.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Sadly contractors aren't able to get unemployment. Contract jobs are just like temp jobs they do not get the unemployment benefit because you usually have to work a certain number of hours or the assignment you take has a clause that says unemployement is not available.

 

[3boymthr]

Sadly contractors aren't able to get unemployment. Contract jobs are just like temp jobs they do not get the unemployment benefit because you usually have to work a certain number of hours or the assignment you take has a clause that says unemployement is not available.

Actually, "temp" employees and "contract" employees can both be eligible for unemployment. The issue at hand is how you get paid. If you get paid such that no FICA/Medicare taxes are taken out and you receive a 1099 at the end of the year then you are a not eligible for unemployment because the employer has not paid unemployment insurance taxes for you. If however you are paid for by W-2 where FICA/MED taxes are withheld then the employer has also paid FUTA (Federal unemployment Tax Assessment) and SUTA (State unemployment tax assessment) and you would be eligible for unemployment provided of course you have worked a minimum of 2 quarters within the last 6 quarters. Most of the time when an employee is called contract there is no FUTA or SUTA paid, but not always.

 

[3boymthr]

OP - since your DH is a contract employee is there anything in his contract that prevents him from seeking out a second short term contract position via an agency? My brother has worked short term contract positions that only lasted a couple of weeks but that brought in some much needed cash.

 

[Marionnette]

Well dh's contract ended on Friday. His engagement was supposed to get renewed but they decided at the last minute to have it start again next month. So we have a month of no income, with no warning, 5 days before Christmas and a few weeks before I am taking him on a cruise to celebrate his 50th. Luckily that is paid for already, minus the drive to Florida, and some little odds and ends. We'll get by, and it certainly could be worse. I would like to minimize the impact, but we already run a pretty tight ship here (no cable, low grocery bills, little eating out etc.) I cancelled one set of the kids' lessons, expensive horseback riding they take weekly for 2 months, halted any last minute Christmas shopping... Guess I'm wondering if anyone can think of anything that will either bring in a little cash for the month or an expense we can shave a little off of..... I probably could sell a few things in online yard sales. Anyone have luck this time of year doing that?
Blah... trying to keep perspective as it really is a blip and not the end of the world, but these things never do come at a good time do they?

How about cancelling the cruise until finances get better? I don't know how you would be able to enjoy it knowing that you're spending money that could be put to better use. There would probably be some sort of penalty at this point but check your trip insurance to see if job loss is covered.

Otherwise, how about babysitting for people who work but don't have someone to watch their school-age kids during Christmas break? Or grabbing some sort of seasonal work in retail for the next couple of weeks.

Too late for ebay for holiday selling. Maybe Craigslist if you have anything that is gift-worthy. Check FB for local moms' groups that re-sell their kids' outgrown clothing and toys.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Actually, "temp" employees and "contract" employees can both be eligible for unemployment. The issue at hand is how you get paid. If you get paid such that no FICA/Medicare taxes are taken out and you receive a 1099 at the end of the year then you are a not eligible for unemployment because the employer has not paid unemployment insurance taxes for you. If however you are paid for by W-2 where FICA/MED taxes are withheld then the employer has also paid FUTA (Federal unemployment Tax Assessment) and SUTA (State unemployment tax assessment) and you would be eligible for unemployment provided of course you have worked a minimum of 2 quarters within the last 6 quarters. Most of the time when an employee is called contract there is no FUTA or SUTA paid, but not always.

I believe that is what I said in my post. You have to work a certain number of hours to get unemployment

 

[Marionnette]

I believe that is what I said in my post. You have to work a certain number of hours to get unemployment

Actually, you can work a ton of hours on a contract job and still not qualify for unemployment. If you don't pay into unemployment, you cannot collect it. In PA, self-employed and independent contractors are ineligible for unemployment benefits. The OP is from PA.

 

[NYCDiane]

Re: Unemployment. Even if he is eligible, it still takes at least 3 weeks to get your first payment and it's not retroactive ---- you're not going to get 3 weeks' worth of payments; you will get one or possibly only a couple of days.

There is a waiting week, depending on the amount of days you worked during your last week on the job. Also, UI only pays you 4 days. I know in NY, this is how they calculate it:

They look at your income over the last year

They break the year into quarters (Jan-Mar; April-June; July-Sept; and Oct-Dec)

They take the highest quarter earnings and divide that by 26 and that's how they come up with your weekly benefit

----------------------

As to cost-cutting. It actually looks like you're doing all you can do. The only thing I would try to do is see if you can get a refund on the cruise. I know it's a special gift for his 50th but if you need the money to survive, I think it's more important to have survival money than to go on a cruise. You can do the cruise another time as a late b'day gift.

 

[mjkacmom]

How about cancelling the cruise until finances get better? I don't know how you would be able to enjoy it knowing that you're spending money that could be put to better use. There would probably be some sort of penalty at this point but check your trip insurance to see if job loss is covered.

Otherwise, how about babysitting for people who work but don't have someone to watch their school-age kids during Christmas break? Or grabbing some sort of seasonal work in retail for the next couple of weeks.

Too late for ebay for holiday selling. Maybe Craigslist if you have anything that is gift-worthy. Check FB for local moms' groups that re-sell their kids' outgrown clothing and toys.

Unless they have trip insurance, cancelling a cruise after final payment gets you NOTHING back.

 

[sweetdana]

Part time job. Waitressing, stocking shelves, cutting fabric at Joanna fab. Working, even a lousy fast food for min wages is a few hund $$.

 

[Marionnette]

Unless they have trip insurance, cancelling a cruise after final payment gets you NOTHING back.

It depends on the cruise line and how close the OP is to their sailing date. I know that the Disney cruise line and Royal Caribbean will refund 25% of your payment if you cancel with 15-29 days to go. Sometimes, the cruise line will allow the funds to be used as a credit toward a future sailing in extreme cases. However, having trip insurance when traveling abroad (even if it is only to the Caribbean) is always a good idea and I hope the OP invested in it.

The reason that I suggested postponing the trip is because the OP will still need to spend money to get to and from the cruise terminal in Florida. Even if she doesn't spend another dime on souvenirs, fancy drinks or pricey shore excursions, she will still need to put gas in the car, pay for tolls and parking at the cruise terminal and possibly pay for gratuities if they were not included in her cruise and a hotel on the way down to FL and back.

 

[pocomom]

OP - since your DH is a contract employee is there anything in his contract that prevents him from seeking out a second short term contract position via an agency? My brother has worked short term contract positions that only lasted a couple of weeks but that brought in some much needed cash.

As long as it is not in certain fields/competitors he could theoretically find something, and he is looking. With no notice it is tough to find something in time. He may write a few articles, if nothing else.
We would not be eligible for unemployment. I'm looking into seeing if I can find something just for this week/next since he can be home with the kids, but again with no notice... hoping someone needs to fill a staff shortage with the holiday.
I do not think we would be eligible for food stamps, and I wouldn't use them unless it was really necessary to feed my kids. It may be allowed, but as two able bodied adults, I feel like "blips" are our responsibility to handle.

 

[pocomom]

It depends on the cruise line and how close the OP is to their sailing date. I know that the Disney cruise line and Royal Caribbean will refund 25% of your payment if you cancel with 15-29 days to go. Sometimes, the cruise line will allow the funds to be used as a credit toward a future sailing in extreme cases. However, having trip insurance when traveling abroad (even if it is only to the Caribbean) is always a good idea and I hope the OP invested in it.

The reason that I suggested postponing the trip is because the OP will still need to spend money to get to and from the cruise terminal in Florida. Even if she doesn't spend another dime on souvenirs, fancy drinks or pricey shore excursions, she will still need to put gas in the car, pay for tolls and parking at the cruise terminal and possibly pay for gratuities if they were not included in her cruise and a hotel on the way down to FL and back.

I'm considering it, but I think I can keep costs down. My mom has agreed to watching our dogs, so I cancelled the boarder (which was actually a surprisingly huge bill) I paid for his airline ticket already, but I'm driving with the kids, who will also be staying with grandma. If I leave early in the am I can make it with one overnight instead of two, then I cancelled staying overnight in Miami and I'll just drive in the morning of the cruise to the port from grandma's. We'll pack snacks for the drive down, keep eating out to one dinner the night of the hotel and just do the one room. I know there are a lot of inexpensive places off 95 in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Fl. Can't really avoid gas costs. How much is parking at the terminal ? Didn't think of that... if it is similar to airlines, that may be another $100.

 

[3boymthr]

I believe that is what I said in my post. You have to work a certain number of hours to get unemployment

Yes, you do have to work a certain number of hours, but, no, it is not the same thing. It's all about the taxes. If the unemployment taxes haven't been paid then you can't collect unemployment. I was laid off from my job as a temp employee. During my qualifying 18 months I had worked for 4 months at that job and a couple weeks at another job and 2 months at third job. I was eligible for unemployment as I had worked the required number of hours but because the first job was on a farm and the second was contract no unemployment taxes were paid. They counted the hours for the jobs but didn't count my income from those jobs toward my benefit. I got a reduced benefit as a result.

 

[kymom99]

We sailed out of Port Canaveral, so not the same, but parking at that terminal was $15 a day. Instead, we parked at a satellite lot for 1/2 the price-$7.50 per day. They shuttled us to the terminal and the lot was fenced and secure. Google it. That's how we found them. I imagine there would be similar places in Miami.

 

[SandrA9810]

I'm considering it, but I think I can keep costs down. My mom has agreed to watching our dogs, so I cancelled the boarder (which was actually a surprisingly huge bill) I paid for his airline ticket already, but I'm driving with the kids, who will also be staying with grandma. If I leave early in the am I can make it with one overnight instead of two, then I cancelled staying overnight in Miami and I'll just drive in the morning of the cruise to the port from grandma's. We'll pack snacks for the drive down, keep eating out to one dinner the night of the hotel and just do the one room. I know there are a lot of inexpensive places off 95 in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Fl. Can't really avoid gas costs. How much is parking at the terminal ? Didn't think of that... if it is similar to airlines, that may be another $100.

Would your mom be willing to drive you to the port? That would knock off some of the expense. There might be a thing or two for her to do with the kids in Miami before heading home.

 

[pocomom]

Would your mom be willing to drive you to the port? That would knock off some of the expense. There might be a thing or two for her to do with the kids in Miami before heading home.

Didn't think of that, and it may actually work, that way he would have my car which fits everybody better than their vehicles. Kids might enjoy seeing the ship and everything too.

 

[pocomom]

We sailed out of Port Canaveral, so not the same, but parking at that terminal was $15 a day. Instead, we parked at a satellite lot for 1/2 the price-$7.50 per day. They shuttled us to the terminal and the lot was fenced and secure. Google it. That's how we found them. I imagine there would be similar places in Miami.

Thanks for the tip, I found offsite parking for half cost - 7.50 a day.