The phrase you never want to hear from your spouse, “I got let go today.” It can be scary. Gut wrenching. This was our reality last fall. Although you never wish for this day to come, this is really where the rubber meets the road when it comes to the things I usually blog about. While we processed and grieved, my husband job searched, and we tried to keep things fairly normal for our 4 kids, I got to work pinching pennies and looking for things that would help us during this season.
If you or someone you know has lost a job, this post is for you! If you’ve never lost a job, this post will prepare you to stay afloat if something were to occur. We usually talk about about saving money or budgeting, but this post seemed just as relevant. Losing a job creates the very scenario where all of the tips and tricks for saving come into play.
Ways to Protect Yourself and Your Family in case of Job Loss
Have an Emergency Fund!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you have to have an emergency fund! No one plans for emergencies. That’s why they’re called emergencies! But if you have an emergency fund, it’s a little easier to relax and focus on the tasks at hand (I.e. finding a job) rather than how to put food on the table. If you are a one-income family like mine or self-employed, I recommend 6 months of regular expenses set aside for emergencies. If you are a dual-income family, you might be fine with between 3-6 months of expenses. If you don’t have an emergency fund and you’re reading this during a time of job loss, first of all, I’m sorry. Secondly, continue reading as there are lots of resources to help you stay afloat.
Unemployment Benefits
File for Unemployment Insurance as soon as possible. If the job loss was due to no fault of your own and you didn’t quit your job, then you should qualify. Knowing where to apply can get a bit tricky if you work remotely, but most unemployment divisions have helpful information on their website that can answer questions along the way. We were actually able to apply in our home state due to the regulations, even though my husband had a remote job.
Utilize Assistance Programs
As a family who has gone through a prolonged season of job loss, we were so grateful for assistance programs. You can call 211 at any time and ask for help or assistance. They can direct you to your local options. I know we utilized food banks, diaper drives, and even energy assistance programs when going through a season of job loss. There are medical insurance options if your income is diminished. If you have young kids, programs like WIC can lower food expenses. When I called 211, they even mentioned things like pet food options and mental health resources. They have assistance for everything! These programs helped us keep our expenses low so that we could stretch our emergency fund a little farther. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or apply for assistance during your time of need. These programs exist for a reason!
Focus on What is Most Important to your budget
During times of crisis, it can be easy to feel defeated, but focus on your most important expenses first. The four walls of budgeting as they’ve been termed are: food, utilities, shelter, and transportation. All other unnecessary expenses might have to be deferred at this time.
Food expenses can be slashed to bare bones basics and what you can get from food banks. You will not be eating out or partaking in fine dining for a season. Call your utility companies or look online for assistance options in your area. Call you local trustees’ office. Because it can be tough for the federal or state government to oversee large scale aid, your local trustee has been appointed to help you and your neighbors when job loss occurs. When I talked with my local trustees’ office, the sweet lady on the line told me they had a 24/7 food pantry open for anyone who needed it. The next day, she got a box together for me and even included some sweet “extras,” a thoughtful touch during a tough season.
More than likely, housing is your biggest expense. Sometimes, if you talk to your mortgage company or landlord, they can work with you to figure out a game plan if your emergency fund won’t stretch far enough. There are options like the local housing authority as well to chat with if your housing situation becomes unstable. Finally, keep up with transportation costs to give you the best chance possible of finding a new job. Maybe don’t take a family road trip, but having transportation is important. No transportation makes interviews a tough gig, so make sure to allocate resources needed here with the future in mind.
Budgeting
You might have questions like:
How do I even budget when I have no money coming in?
How do I budget when my income isn’t covering expenses?
Budgeting is even more crucial during this time. I had to revise my budget often to make things work during the season of job loss. But my budget helped me to know when to transfer money from our emergency savings into our checking account to cover bills. My budget helped me to keep expenses in check and provided a guide during a difficult financial time. Don’t give up budgeting due to job loss. In fact, if you can cut expenses in your budget during this season, maybe you’ll realize some of these things can be permanently done away with and provide more margin in the future to do more good with your money.
Conclusion
Surviving job loss is possible. You’re not alone and there is help! Remember to utilize your emergency savings. File for unemployment and assistance programs in your area. Focus on the four walls: food, utilities, shelter, and transportation. Finally, don’t give up budgeting!
No matter how dire losing a job can feel, this season won’t last forever. The season of job loss for our family, despite its difficulties, proved to be one of the sweetest and most genuine. Clearly, there were heartbreaking and tough moments. I cried. I grew impatient. But our faith grew, our love for one another blossomed, and we realized all we already had to be thankful for. Sometimes when things are simplified, you realize you don’t need much to make you happy. My people all together making memories. That’s really what life is about anyway. So breathe, mama, God’s got this and you do too. One moment at a time, one breath at a time.
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